Agnes Jongerius, S&D MEP and spokesperson on employment and social affairs, said:

“At the Social Summit in Porto we have the historic opportunity to make social rights a reality for all Europeans by agreeing on clear and binding targets. The first target must be quality jobs. People do not need just any job, they need a good job. This is why we are fighting hard to ban zero hours contracts - this modern form of day labour which robs workers of income security - and make sure offline and online workers are entitled to the same rights. Our second target should aim at halving poverty by 2030. The scandal of people working hard and still not making ends meet is destroying the basis of our societies. The third target is zero deaths at work. No job is worth dying for. All workers must be entitled to have health and safety guaranteed at their work place.

“The Portuguese presidency put social rights again where they belong: on the top of the EU agenda. Commissioner Schmit has worked hard to include many of our demands and proposals in this Social Action Plan. We now call on the Commission and EU governments to go the extra mile and match our ambition and commit to binding targets in a joint declaration with the European Parliament in Porto.”

Beteiligte Abgeordnete
Delegationsleiterin
Koordinatorin
Niederlande
S&D-Pressekontakt(e)