International: CIETT temporary employers’ federation responds to IndustriAll’s report putting temporary work in question

Confusion.  As a response to the report published on October 2 (see our dispatch No.  120579), CIETT says that the share of temporary agency work (TAW) among the working population is much lower than what unions say – only 1.5% of the global workforce according to the communiqué.  The employers’ organization says the union is mixing TAW and other forms of atypical labor, such as subcontracting, which is why its estimates are inflated.  Denis Pennel, Eurociett managing director, said that the scope defined by IndustriAll isn’t very clear as you read the report.  Subcontracting doesn’t qualify for the notion of ‘triangular relationship’ as the employee sent to a company isn’t supervised by that company but by the provider – the legal link is not the same.  The employers’ organization claims that, on the contrary, that since the early 2000s TAW is globally more stable, even if there are ups and downs depending on the economic situation.  The debate between the international social partners is also stuck because of the notion of precarious work – because the definition isn’t good enough for now, according to Pennel – and would rather use “decent work.”  The employers’ representative says that sometimes permanent contracts are not more stable than any other contract.  “A permanent contract no longer means that you have a job for life, just that you don’t know when it ends.  This means that you can get fired overnight with a notice.  In Italy, 50 percent of permanent contracts are terminated after two years – in which case it is a form of fixed-term contract.”