Translation of "Technicienne juridique en droit du travail " (French → English) :

N. whereas on 17 February 2012 the President of Kazakhstan signed several laws aimed at improving the legal basis for labour relations, workers’ rights and social dialogue and strengthening the independence of the judiciary; whereas despite these attempts, the right of individuals to associate, to organise and to register independent trade unions, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike are not being fully respected, and a fully independent judiciary is not in place; whereas the amendments to the Labour Code, in particular amended articles 55, 74, 266, 287, 289, 303, and 305, mark a regression in the field of labour ...[+++] relations, workers’ rights and social dialogue and a breach of the conditions laid down in ILO and other international conventions;

With regard to the specific rights and freedoms protected by the charter, the charter includes protection of the following: fundamental freedoms, democratic rights, the right to live and seek employment anywhere in Canada, legal rights, equality rights, the official languages of Canada, on which there is a whole section, minority language education rights, Canada's multicultural heritage and, finally, aboriginal peoples' rights.

5. Furthermore, stresses the importance of labour law, especially in view of how its application to SMEs can be optimised, for example through better advice or the simplification of administrative procedures, and calls on the Member States to devote special attention to SMEs in connection with the specific approaches they adopt to flexicurity, including through active labour market policies, since SMEs enjoy leeway for greater internal and external flexibility owing to their low staffing levels but also need greater security for themselves and their workers; considers it essential that labour law, as one of the main pillars of flexicurity, provides a reliable legal basis f ...[+++]or SMEs given the fact that these businesses often cannot afford a legal department or a human resources management department; points out that 91.5% of European companies employ fewer than 10 people (source: Eurostat, 2003);

24. Furthermore, stresses the importance of labour law, especially in view of how its application to SMEs can be optimised, for example through better advice or the simplification of administrative procedures, and calls on the Member States to devote special attention to SMEs in connection with the specific approaches they adopt to flexicurity, including through active labour market policies, since SMEs have scope for greater internal and external flexibility owing to their low staffing levels but also need greater security for themselves and their workers; considers it essential that labour law, as one of the main pillars of flexicurity, provides a reliable legal basis for SMEs giv ...[+++]en the fact that these businesses often cannot afford a legal department or a human resources management department; points out that, according to Eurostat, 91.5% of European companies employed fewer than 10 people in 2003;

A. whereas the EU is is not only an economic union but also a community of shared values as a consequence of which any reform of labour law and the labour market should reflect those values, and whereas the basic principles of labour law which have developed within Europe remain valid; whereas labour law should reflect the dialogue among all social partners and reflect a good balance between the interests of both employers and workers on the one hand and between flexibility and security on the other; whereas labour law provides legal certainty and protection for workers and employers by way of either legislation or collective agreement, or a combination of the two and whereas the success of any changes in labour law will be greater if wor ...[+++]kers feel more secure; whereas it is necessary to increase the level of security of both workers and enterprises, especially in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); whereas such security also depends on how easy it is to find a new job, whereas global competition and rapidly developing technology mean that enterprises have to adapt ever more quickly,

Ms Susan J. Serena, Assistant General Counsel, Employment Law, Law Division, Ontario Hydro: I will not read my submission.