The future of work is here: revisiting labour rights

Recommendation 2239 (2022)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 14 October 2022 (34th sitting) (see Doc. 15620, report of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, rapporteur: Ms Selin Sayek Böke). Text adopted by the Assembly on 14 October 2022 (34th sitting).

1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its Resolution 2467 (2022) “The future of work is here: revisiting labour rights” and underscores the need for member States to accommodate, through law and practice, the wide-ranging societal, economic and technological transformations in the world of work. The Assembly believes that member States should contribute to the shaping of the future of work based on societal progress through a more flexible organisation of work strengthened by enhanced access to socio-economic rights, quality employment, inclusive social dialogue and sustainable development.

2. The Assembly appreciates the Committee of Ministers’ guidance to member States in the framework of its Ad hoc Working Party on improving the European Social Charter system (GT-CHARTE) as regards longer-term substantive issues relating to the Charter, in particular the feasibility of adding new provisions to the Charter on enhanced protection of workers in non-standard forms of employment and tackling challenges arising from new forms of work such as platform work and work involving artificial intelligence. In this context, the Assembly draws the attention of the Committee of Ministers to the recommendations it has formulated in the above-mentioned resolution, notably those relating to working hours, teleworking and hybrid working, the right to disconnect, better recognition of unpaid work, occupational health and safety, training and skills policies, capacity building of public institutions, the need for both national social dialogue and harmonised international minimum labour standards and the full application of the European Social Charter (ETS No. 35) and the revised European Social Charter (ETS No. 163) across Europe, including to the Council of Europe’s own staff.