WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3205/97 by Freddy BLAK to the Commission. Working environment of homeworkers
C 134/114 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 4. 98 In July 1996 the Commission presented a proposal for adjustment of the specific aid arrangements for durum wheat (1). This has been approved by Parliament and is now before the Council. The Commission considers that the adjusted provisions, which set a maximum guaranteed area in each Member State, will barring unusual weather guarantee supply of the European industry. In Agenda 2000 (2) the Commission stated that it intended no change in the present supplements. (1) COM(96) 361 final. (2) COM(97) 2000 final. (98/C 134/148) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3205/97 by Freddy Blak (PSE) to the Commission (16 October 1997) Subject: Working environment of homeworkers 1. A study by the Danish Ministry for Research concludes that the number of homeworkers will explode in the next three to five years. How does the Commission expect the number of those working at home in the European Union to increase in the next few years? Is the Commission aware that many working environment directives that should protect workers simply 2. have no effect in the home since they assume that the work is carried out in more traditional workplaces? 3. What will the Commission do to guarantee homeworkers in Europe just as good a working environment in the home as they would have in traditional workplaces? Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (24 November 1997) The Commission is aware that the number of homeworkers in Europe is on the increase. According to the Commissionís figures for 1992, 6. 9 million people in the Community usually perform their work at home. This is equivalent to 4. 9% of the working population. The Commission is not in a position to estimate the extent to which the number of homeworkers is going to increase in the next few years. The Commission recognised in its medium term social action programme (1995-1997) (1), the need to strive at European level to improve the working conditions of homeworkers. In the meantime, a convention and a recommendation on homeworkers were adopted by the International labour organisation (ILO) on 20 June 1996. The convention offers a high level of protection for homeworkers. However, in order to ensure it is applied in the territory of the whole Community, it should be ratified by all Member States. The Commission is currently evaluating various possible courses of action. In terms of protection, the ILO convention sets out the obligations imposed upon Member States to implement a policy on homeworking aimed at improving the situation of homeworkers. Moreover, the convention expressly states that the national policies on homework should promote, as far as possible, equality of treatment between homeworkers and other wage earners, thus guaranteeing homeworkers in the Community a working environment equivalent to that in traditional workplaces. (1) COM(95) 134 final