EMPLOYERS DELAY RESPONSE ON OCCUPATIONAL PENSIONS.

• Position: Brief Article

The Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE) has delayed giving its response on the European Commission's Communication on supplementary pensions. Although ETUC, the European Trade Union Confederation, has said it would be favourably incline towards setting up a framework agreement, UNICE has not yet replied. A UNICE representative explained on November 5 that the employers' organisation had asked the Commission for an extension before finalising its answers. Commission sources confirmed that they had given UNICE until November 14 to respond, due to the complex nature of the issue.

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The European Commission launched a second-phase consultation paper on September 15 on improving the portability of supplementary pensions. This consultation invited the social partners to contribute, giving them an initial six weeks to respond.

On June 12, 2002, the Commission launched a first consultation to find out if employers and worker representatives thought that further action was necessary on occupational pensions, as different rules in Member States may inhibit worker mobility.

The Commission...