Ned O'Keeffe
Question:85 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding the Fixed Time EU Directive in relation to secondary schools. [4166/03]
Written Answers. - EU Directives.
On 25 November 2002 my Department forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General draft Heads of a Bill aimed at implementing the provisions of EU Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 28 June 1999 concerning the Framework Agreement on Fixed-Term Work concluded by the general cross-industry organisations at European level – UNICE, the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe, CEEP, the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation, and ETUC, the European Trade Union Confederation.
The objectives of the directive and the Bill are to improve the quality of fixed-term work by ensuring the application of the principle of non-discrimination, and to establish a framework to prevent abuse arising from the use of successive fixed-term employment contracts. It is hoped to have the appropriate Bill published by Easter 2003 and to have the legislation enacted before the summer recess.
The position in relation to secondary schools will be that, when the Bill is enacted, all employees employed by such schools under fixed-term contracts of employment will be entitled to the non-discriminatory conditions of employment etc. to be set out in the legislation.