SOCIAL PARTNERS SIGN PACT ON TELEWORK IN THE COMMERCE SECTOR.

Employer organisation EuroCommerce and trade union Uni-Europa signed an EU-wide non-binding agreement on guidelines for telework in the commerce sector on April 26 (see previous issue of European Report for details). Commerce is the EU's largest sector, employing 23 million workers or 16% of the total workforce. The agreement sets out concrete guidelines for regulating telework (work from home using information technology) through collective agreements and other arrangements at national and company level. It stipulates that teleworkers should be employed on a similar basis to any other employee, enjoying comparable employment rights, remuneration structures and career opportunities.The agreement also sets guidelines on the notification of the concrete employment conditions and date protection; privacy; health and safety of equipment and telework venue; compensation for the generated costs; participation in trade union work and social contacts with the company and the other...