1. The Committee of
Ministers has carefully examined Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 2239 (2022) “The future of work is here: revisiting labour rights”.
It fully concurs with the Assembly’s view that societal, economic
and technological developments in recent years have had a large
impact on the way in which we work and that this needs to be taken
into account when examining how to ensure respect for and strengthen
social rights, including in the field of employment.
2. In this respect, the Committee of Ministers has drawn the
attention of its Ad hoc Working Party on Improving the European
Social Charter system (GT-CHARTE) to the observations of the Assembly
in paragraph 2 of the recommendation regarding longer term substantive
issues relating to the Charter, which are currently under discussion.
Furthermore, it recalls that the GT-CHARTE also had the opportunity
to hear the views of the Chairperson of the Committee on Social
Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development of the Parliamentary
Assembly during an exchange of views at its meeting on 4 October
2022. The Committee of Ministers appreciates the Assembly’s commitment
to social rights and the work it has carried out in this field and
invites its GT-CHARTE to continue to bear the Assembly’s views in
mind during its ongoing discussions on this issue.
3. The Committee of Ministers shares the view of the Parliamentary
Assembly that international minimum and harmonised labour standards
and the promotion of the full application of the European Social
Charter (ETS No. 35) and the revised European Social Charter (ETS
No. 163) should apply across Europe. In this respect, the Committee
of Ministers encourages member States to progressively accept the
provisions of the Charter, including labour rightsNote, and to consider ratifying the Additional
Protocol providing for a system of collective complaints (ETS No.
158).
