PES on Spidla flexicurity communication

Commenting on the communication on flexicurity issued by Commissioner Vladimir Spidla today, PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen said 

“It is very positive that the European Commission is encouraging a debate on flexicurity, and I congratulate Vladimir Spidla for his initiative. Europe needs this debate because it is important to consider labour flexibility and worker security in parallel – not one, not the other but both at the same time.” 

“Flexicurity is a social democratic innovation aimed at making our economies more competitive while creating high levels of social protection. It has worked very well in countries such as Denmark and Sweden which are among the world’s most competitive economies.”

“Let us be clear on one fundamental point: flexicurity is a marriage of flexibility and security. If you want a worker to be more flexible you have to offer new forms of security. Any right-wing Government that thinks flexicurity allows them to force workers to become more flexible while doing nothing to improve social protection is seriously mistaken.”