Translation of "Temps plein continu " (French → English) :

(Return tabled) Question No. 159 Mr. Sean Casey: With respect to the considered cuts to Environment Canada: (a) which specific departments and programs are affected, and what was the process taken to determine whether or not to make cuts to a specific department and program, (i) what, if any, Environment Canada Research Scientists were consulted regarding the considered cuts, (ii) what scientists outside of Environment Canada were consulted, (iii) for each department and program specified in (a), what is the number of current full-time, part-time, and contract scientific positions, (iv) the number of full-time, part-time, and contract scientists who have been given “workforce adjustment” letters, (v) the number of full-time, part-time, and ...[+++]contract scientists who are going to be moved out of their current “job function”, (vi) what, if any, consideration has been given to shutting-down the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN), and, if so, has the United States been consulted, as Canada has commitments under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, (vii) specify all programs run by a single scientist who has been given a “workforce adjustment” letter, and for each program identified, what, if any, concern was expressed regarding the ability of the program to continue, (viii) the process that will be taken to place scientists in appropriate research areas, (ix) what, if any, consideration has been given to the fact that many scientists are highly trained in very specialized fields, and that an appropriate replacement position may not be possible; (b) specify all national and international environmental commitments to which Canada is subject, including, but not limited to the Global Climate Observing System, the World Meteorological Organization/United Nations Environment Programme Scientific Assessments of Ozone Depletion, which are mandated by the Montreal Protocol to occur at least every four years, and hosting the World Ozone and UV Data Centre, (i) wha ...

4. Is concerned at the fact that, three years before the 2010 target date for achieving the goals of the Lisbon strategy, the Commission continues to regard women as outsiders on the labour market; notes, however, that in principle, the developments seen in the labour market in Europe, above all the de-industrialisation of the European economy and the corresponding rise in the service sector, favour women, who have a higher rate of employment in highly specialised jobs than men in many Member States; calls, therefore, on the Commission to carry out a full and detailed study into women's working conditions in the Member States, in parti ...[+++]cular their rate of employment in full-time, part-time and seasonal employment, and into the situation of male and female employees in newly emerging sectors of the labour market;

The 2003 annual report indicates that women are still under-represented in a number of fields; that they earn on average 78 cents for every dollar earned by men; that the salary gap between women and men working full-time continues to widen; that women are still limited to clerical positions; and that the representation of women in the workforce under the act dropped by 5,000 in 2002.

Its effect is, however, ambiguous: it may lead to an increase in employment participation if the alternative is a complete cessation of activity; or it can reduce labour supply if, in the absence of the partial pension option, workers would have continued to work full-time.

If we are to replace traditional job security with employability, we need a new approach to working time arrangements because new problems are emerging, such as how to turn part-time employment into full-time employment, what to do about weekly rests and the ban on working on public holidays, how far to adjust working time arrangements where paid work is turned into self-employment, how to control the application of specific working time arrangements in the case of teleworking, what new balance must be struck between home life and work and, finally of course, how can we make time spent on lifelong learning count as working time.

5. Part-time working is attractive for employees, because it can: - provide an opportunity to put into practice the more satisfactory combination of work and family which many employees desire, and in addition also to take account of individual leisure and personal growth aspirations; - make more time available for individually chosen education and further education ("lifelong learning") beyond mere in-service training; - especially for women, facilitate reintegration into working life after time spent on family responsibilities (e.g. raising children or home care of family members); - offer young people who are unable to get a full-t ...[+++]ime job the possibility of improving their qualifications and employment prospects; - make possible a flexible transition from working life to retirement by reducing working time.