Euro-MP gets several concessions while holding commissioner designate to account.

5.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 27th Sep 2004

West Midlands Euro-MP Liz Lynne renewed her call for better law-making while questioning the Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Designate Vladimir Spidla in Brussels today.

In response to the Liberal Democrat MEPs questions the Commissioner Designate accepted the need to look again at legislation to see if it was being fully implemented equally across the EU and implied he would consider withdrawing Directives that were not working.

Liz also got an agreement from him that the Commission would look again at the new proposed wording of Article 22 of the Working Time Directive. This appears to suggest that an individual in a company where Unions negotiate on behalf of the workforce could be forced to join a union in order to take advantage of the opt-out.

Liz Lynne MEP said:

"I am pleased that the Commissioner Designate will look again at the wording of article 22 and I look forward to hearing his response. Only 20% of workers even belong to a trade union in Britain so it is quite wrong for the European Commission to assume that the unions can be involved in negotiating on behalf of everybody.

"I went on to ask him to give me assurances that no new legislation would be brought forward until we know that current legislation in the same field is being fully implemented in all member states.

"I also asked that if legislation is not being implemented properly, is it because it is unworkable, and if that is the case, would he consider repealing those directives rather than adding to them. He agreed to look again at current legislation and to consider repealing laws that were not working."

She then went on to tackle the Commissioner Designate on what he plans to do to eliminate the estimated 1 million sharps injuries caused each year across the EU.

"I asked Vladimir Spidla if he knows about the injuries, medical and other ancillary staff suffer when handling needles. When this type of injury occurs there is a risk of the worker acquiring a bloodborne infection, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. I further asked what measures could be taken to eliminate such injuries from hospitals, 80% of which are avoidable. He replied that he did not know much about the problem but would look in to it."

ENDS