Addressing EU Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs at the opening session of the informal EPSCO in Tallinn, CEEP General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti expressed deep regrets that the EU social partners could not find a common ground to negotiate on work-life balance.
As the social partners are the best-placed to identify, design and implement measures on this issue, Ms Ronzitti encouraged Member States to now work on the proposal tabled by the European Commission in close and constant cooperation with their national, regional and local social partners.
 
Whilst trusting Member States to find an agreement in co-decision about the majority of proposals from the European Commission’s proposal on work-life balance for parents and carers, Ms Ronzitti expressed strong concerns on a proposed EU-wide carer's leave. Such a proposal could reveal counterproductive with negative impact on women’s employment. “Women are still the primary carers of dependant relatives in most cases, meaning that we risk adding yet another leave to women. Additionally, as public services workers are in majority women, our members are concerned regarding the potential financial impact this could have, particularly when adding demographic change”, explained Ms Ronzitti. She continued: “Caring for a dependant is in most cases not limited in time, at the difference of a parental leave. It should therefore be for Member States to determine whether it is necessary to introduce a carers' leave”.
 
The key aspects of designing support measures for carers which are relevant to people’s life paths must include investments into supporting services for informal carers and formal care services and allow for employee-driven flexibility in employment relations.
The high-level Task Force on Social Infrastructures estimated investment needs on long term care at about €262 bln per year, which is more than half of the total estimated investment needs in social infrastructures (estimated at €455 bln per year when education and social housing are included).
 
CEEP therefore recommends to Member States to adopt a holistic approach on this issue: leave arrangements are not the panacea and the only way to achieve work-life balance.

For further information, please contact:

Maxime STAELENS, Communication Officer
Email: maxime.staelens@ceep.eu
Tel.: + 32(0) 2 229 21 40