Working document of the Commission`s services – Report on the implementation of European social partners – Framework Agreement on Telework (COM (2008) 412 final. This framework agreement is the joint commitment of European cross-sector social partners – BusinessEurope, SMEunited, CEEP and eGB (and the EUROCADRES/CEC liaison committee) – to maximise the benefits and challenges of digitisation in the world of work. The aim of the fixed-term labour agreement negotiated in 1999 by the social partners is to improve the quality of fixed-term work by ensuring the application of the principle of non-discrimination and avoiding abuses resulting from the use of successive fixed-term contracts. EU rules allow EU citizens to work in another EU country and protect their social security rights when they move within Europe. The digital transformation of the economy is a complex issue that has a significant impact on labour markets, the world of work and society as a whole. It is dealt with in different ways by EU Member States because of different social and economic situations, labour markets and industrial relations systems, as well as existing initiatives, practices and collective agreements. The Framework Agreement on Parental Leave, negotiated in 1995 between social partners, aims to facilitate the reconciliation of parents` lives and working life and to encourage fathers to play a more active role in the care and education of their children by entitling them to parental leave of at least three months. The framework agreement on the digitisation of BusinessEurope, ETUC, CEEP and SMEunited on European social partners was signed today to support the successful digital transformation of the European economy and to address its major impact on labour markets, the labour world and society as a whole. The agreement supports the successful integration of digital technologies in the workplace, investment in digital skills, skills upgrading and the continued employability of the workforce.

The agreement allows employers and unions to implement, in partnership, digital transformation strategies in a man-made approach at the national, sectoral, professional and corporate levels, including how to connect and separate and respect working hours and appropriate measures to ensure compliance. See the deal here. Creating an inclusive labour market is a complex challenge and a central concern of Europe`s social partners. Employer and worker representatives at all levels, as well as social dialogue, play an important role in meeting this challenge. As part of their work programmes for the European Social Dialogue for 2006-2008 and the years 209-2010, and on the basis of their common analysis of the labour market, the European social partners negotiated an autonomous framework agreement on `inclusive labour markets`.