§ 53. Sir David Priceasked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects the Council of Ministers of the European Community to make progress upon the harmonisation of employment law.
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§ Mr. Peter MorrisonWork is proceeding within the European Community on a variety of measures designed to harmonise law covering different aspects of employment. It is not possible at this stage to say when those measures which have not yet been considered by the Council of Ministers will be submitted to them.
The measures currently being considered or on which progress has been made are as follows:
Work Sharing
Following discussions at the Standing Employment Committee, the Commission has been asked to prepare instruments on temporary work, part-time work and flexible retirement. Though some member States can accommodate statutory regulations within the framework of their employment legislation, the United Kingdom will continue to work for non-binding instruments consistent with our collective bargaining procedures.
Employees' Rights
The EC Council directive on the approximation of the laws of the member States relating to the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer was approved on 20 October 1980. The directive is to be enacted in the laws of member States within 36 months.
Health and Safety
The Health and Safety Commission is at present considering the means of implementing a directive dealing with the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents at work. This directive includes a provision that any worker temporarily suspended on medical grounds in accordance with national laws or practices from exposure to the action of an agent should be, where possible, provided with another job.
Equal Pay and Equal Treatment
Substantial progress towards the harmonisation of employment law in relation to equality between the sexes has been achieved by the adoption by the Council of directives on the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women and on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions and by the action taken by the European Commission to monitor the implementation by member States of those Directives. The Government considers that United Kingdom legislation fully satisfies the requirements of the Directives.