Europe's Social Economies on the Move

There has been a strong tradition in recent years of UK Labour MEPs promoting the co-operative and social economy agenda in Europe. At the beginning of this parliamentary term in June 1999 when I was elected, it seemed as though this important area had slipped down the European agenda. But now I am happy to report that there has been a resurgence in support for the social economy across the EU.

Probably the most important development for this sector during the last parliamentary term has been the adoption of the Statute for a European Co-operative Society in July 2003. The Statute is aimed at providing co-operatives with adequate legal instruments to help their cross-border and trans-national activities. The Statute sets out what constitutes a co-operative, what rules it must follow and how employees must be involved. After the initial proposal for the statute in 1993, it was a hard fought ten years to adoption.

Within the European Parliament there is now a Social Economy intergroup - a cross-party group of MEPs who are active in supporting this field. With 300,000 co-operatives in Europe, employing 2.3 million people and providing services to 83.5 million members, MEPs recognise that this a crucial area which needs support. The Intergroup has called for a number of activities to support the social economy including the creation of a structure within the EU entirely dedicated to developing the social economy. Members of the Intergroup have also stressed the importance of support for the social economy within the new member states of the European Union.

In my role as Labour spokesperson on the Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee, I have been active in the area of social and employment legislation, which is important to the social economy. Thanks to the EU directive on working hours and holidays, all workers have the right to four weeks paid leave, the right to choose not to work more than an average 48 hour week and the right to daily and weekly rest breaks. Two other EU directives give part time and fixed contract workers equal rights as full time workers to paid leave, pensions, maternity rights and access to training. Strengthened maternity leave entitlements and new rights to parental leave were championed by Labour MEPs.

In addition almost all occupational health and safety law introduced in the UK over the last 15 years has had its origin in an EU directive - everything from tackling the danger from noise at work to the banning of asbestos - all crucial in protecting workers in whatever type of enterprise they are employed.

I have also been very involved with the new EU anti-discrimination laws which were passed during this parliamentary term and which will be phased in in the UK between now and 2006. These laws will outlaw discrimination at work on grounds of age, disability, religion or sexual orientation, and will strengthen the anti-racist laws across the EU.

During the next five year mandate of the European Parliament, Labour MEPs will be pressing for a variety of measures in the social and employment field including a strengthening of the working time legislation, a revision of the law on European Works Councils, a directive on the ergonomic design of workplace to tackle muscular and skeletal injuries, a new framework to tackle harassment at work, and a new EU-wide law to protect against unfair dismissal.

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