Europees Sociaal Handvest c.a. Heerma van Voss, G.J.J.; Keizer, A.

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Heerma van Voss, G.J.J.; Keizer, A.

Citation

Heerma van Voss, G. J. J., & Keizer, A. (2004). Europees Sociaal Handvest c.a. Deventer:

Kluwer. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/14634

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zich te onthouden van gedragingen, die in strijd zijn met de in het maatsehappelijk verkeer ten aanzien van eens anders persoon of goed betamende zorgvul-digheid. Zeker nu het in het onderhavige geval gaat om eolleetieve aeties van ambtenaren in dienst van geintimeerde sub 1 en gedetaeheerd bij geintimeerde sub 2 - een bedrijf waarmede een openbaar belang wordt gediend - moeten bij een beoordeling van de vraag of in strijd met vermelde zorgvuldigheidsver-pliehting is gehandeld niet aIleen in aanmerking wor-den genomen de financiele belangen van geintimeer-de sub 1 of geintimeergeintimeer-de sub 2 als werkgever, maar dienen ook te worden meegewogen de belangen van geintimeerden, gelegen in het uitvoeren van hun pu-blieke taak en die van derden, welke met het uitvoe-ren van die taak worden gediend. Indien aan de be-langen van geintimeerden en die derden onevenredig grote schade in verhouding tot de belangen van de ambtenaren bij onbeperkte voortzetting van de eol-leetieve aeties zou worden toegebraeht, kan sprake zijn van een in strijd met vermelde zorgvuldigheids-verpliehting, en derhalve onreehtmatig handelen door appellanten.'(HoI Den Haag17januari 1985, NJ 1986,222, AfvalverwerkingRijnmond)

- 'Daarbij kan -anders dan het Hof heeft gedaan-tot uitgangspunt worden genomen dat uit de reeht-streeks werkende erkenning van het stakingsreeht in art. 6, aanhef en onder 4, ESH voortvloeit dat in de reehtsorde van het Koninkrijk de onbelemmerde uit-oefening van het reeht op eolleetief onderhandelen gewaarborgd is. Dit brengt mee dat art. 20 lid 2 Cen-trale Bankverordening moet worden uitgelegd in het lieht van het reeht op eolleetief onderhandelen dat aan de werknemersorganisaties toekomt. De tekst van die bepaling houdt te dier zake ook geen beper-king in, terwijl uit de toeliehting sleehts kan worden afgeleid waarnaar de Bank binnen de grenzen van het mogelijke bij deze onderhandelingen dient te stre-ven. Daarbij verdient aantekening dat ook overheids-personeel niet van het reeht op eolleetief onderhan-delen kan worden uitgesloten.' (HR 11december 1992,N]1996,]AR1993/14,229,Centrale BankvanAru-bay

- 'Het gaat derhalve in deze zaak om de vraag of de aangekondigde aeties jegens eiseressen onreehtma-tig zijn, zoals in de dagvaarding gesteld onder 6.

Voorshands kan er van worden uitgegaan dat eol-leetieve aeties door ambtenaren geoorloofd zijn, nu

dit stakingsrecht uitdrukkelijk is neergelegd in arti-kel6 van het Europees Sociaal Handvest (ESH).'

(Pre-sident Rb. Den Haag18juni1993,JAR 1993/154, Tete-ringen/ABVAKABO)

Recht van kinderen enjeugdige personen op

bescherming

Art.

7. am de onbelemmerde uitoefening

van het recht van kinderen en jeugdige

perso-nen op bescherming te waarborgen,

verplich-ten de Overeenkomstsluiverplich-tende Partijen zich:

1. te bepalen dat de minimumleeftijd voor

toelating tot tewerkstelling 15 jaar zal zijn,

be-houdens uitzonderingen voor kinderen die

na-der omschreven lichte werkzaamheden

ver-richten welke niet nadelig zijn voor hun

ge-zondheid, geestelijk welzijn of ontwikkeling;

2. te bepalen dat een hogere

minimumleef-tijd voor toelating tot tewerkstelling zal

wor-den vastgesteld ten aanzien van nader

om-schreven werkzaamheden welke als gevaarlijk

of als schadelijk voor de gezondheid worden

beschouwd;

3. te bepalen, dat nog leerplichtige

perso-nen niet zodanig werk mogen verrichten dat

zij niet ten volle het onderwijs kunnen volgen;

4. te bepalen, dat de arbeidsduur van

perso-nen beneden de leeftijd van 16 jaar zal worden

beperkt overeenkomstig de behoeften van hun

ontwikkeling, in het bijzonder hun behoefte

aan vakopleiding;

5. het recht van jeugdige werknemers en

leerlingen op een billijke beloning of andere

passende uitkeringen te erkennen;

6. te bepalen dat de door jeugdige personen

gedurende hun normale arbeidstijd en met

toestemming van de werkgever aan

vakoplei-ding bestede tijd als een dee

1van de werkdag

zal worden beschouwd;

7. te bepalen dat tewerkgestelde personen

beneden de leeftijd van 18 jaar recht zullen

hebben op tenminste drie weken verlof per

jaar met behoud van loon;

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leef-tijd van 18 jaar geen nachtarbeid mogen

ver-richten, met uitzondering van bepaalde in

na-tionale wetten of verordeningen omschreven

werkzaamheden;

9. te bepalen dat personen beneden de

leef-tijd van 18jaar die nader in nationale wetten of

verordeningen omschreven werkzaamheden

verrichten regelmatig een geneeskundig

on-derzoek moeten ondergaan:

10.

een bijzondere bescherming tegen

ge-varen voor lichaam en geest, waaraan

kinde-ren en jeugdige personen zijn blootgesteld, te

waarborgen, in het bijzonder tegen die

geva-ren welke al dan niet rechtstreeks uit hun

ar-beid voortvloeien.

The right ofchildren and young persons to

protection

Art. 7. With a view to ensuring the effective

exercise of the right of children and young

per-sons to protection, the Contracting Parties

un-dertake:

1. to provide that the minimum age of

ad-mission to employment shall be 15 years,

sub-ject to exceptions for children employed in

prescribed light work without harm to their

health, morals or education;

2. to provide that a higher minimum age of

admission to employment shall be fixed with

respect to prescribed occupations regarded as

dangerous or unhealthy;

3. to provide that persons who are still

sub-ject to compulsory education shall not be

em-ployed in such work as would deprive them of

the full benefit of their education;

4. to provide that the working hours of

per-sons under 16 years of age shall be limited in

accordance with the needs of their

develop-ment, and particularly with their need for

vo-cational training;

5. to recognise the right of young workers

and apprentices to a fair wage or other

appro-priate allowances;

6. to provide that the time spent by young

persons in vocational training during the

nor-mal working hours, with the consent of the

employer, shall be treated as forming part of

the working day;

7. to provide that employed persons of

un-der 18 years of age shall be entitled to not less

than three weeks' annual holiday with pay;

8. to provide that persons under 18 years of

age shall not be employed in night work with

the exception of certain occupations provided

for by national laws or regulations;

9. to provide that persons under 18 years of

age employed in occupations prescribed by

national laws or regulations shall be subject to

regular medical control;

10.

to ensure special protection against

physical and moral dangers to which children

and young persons are exposed, and

particu-larly against those resulting directly or

indi-rectly from their work.

Aantekeningen

ALGEMEEN

- Art. 33 is van toepassing op leden 4, 6 en 7. Nederlandse wetgeving

- Wet minimumloon en minimumvakantiebij-slag, wet van 27 november 1968, Stb. 1968,657.

Besluit minimumjeugdloonregeling, besluit van 29 juni 1983,5tb.1983,300.

Arbeidstijdenwet, wet van 23 november 1995,5tb. 1995,598.

Arbeidsomstandighedenbesluit, besluit van 15 ja-nuari 1997,5tb.1997,217.

Nadere regeling kinderarbeid, besluit van 13 de-cember 1995,5tert.1995, 246.

INTERNATIONALE CONTEXT Europese Unie

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Verenigde Naties

- Vgl. artikel10 lid 3 IVESCR.

- Verdrag inzake de Rechten van het Kind(met na-me art. 32),Trb. 1990, 46. Nederlandse vertaling in Trb.1990, 170 en 1997, 83. Goedgekeurd bij wet van 24 november 1994,5tb. 1994, 862, zieTrb. 1995, 92. Bekrachtigd voor Aruba op 18 december 2000, Trb. 2001,169.

lntemationale Arbeidsorganisatie

- Nr. 90 (Nachtarbeid jeugdige personen werk-zaam in de industrie),5tb.

J

537 (met Nederlandse vertaling). Bekrachtigd -mede voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba- op 220ktober 1954, Trb. 1957, 186.

Nr. 138 (Minimumleeftijd voor toelating tot het ar-beidsproces),Trb. 1974,71 (met Nederlandse verta-ling). Vertaling gewijzigd inTrb.1987,9. Bekrachtigd op 14 september 1976,Trb. 1977, 53 en toepasselijk verklaard op Aruba op 18 februari 1986,Trb.1987, 9. Nr. 182 (Verbod op en de onmiddelijke uitbanning van de ergste vormen van kinderarbeid),Trb. 1999, 177. Nederlandse vertaling inTrb.2000, 52. Bekrach-tigd op 14 februari 2002,Trb.2002,96. Zieartikel3(d) en 4 en de bijbehorende Aanbeveling nr. 190. TOELICHTING

EuropeesComlte

voor

Sociale Rechten

- 'Article 7 contains ten paragraphs on the various aspects of the right of children and young persons to protection. These may be grouped as follows:

- minimum age of admission to employment(P~5 agraph 1 and 2)

- working hours (Paragraph 4 and 6)

- exclusions from employment in certain kinds of work (Paragraph 3 and 8)

- right to fair remuneration (Paragraph 5) - length of paid annual holidays (Paragraph 7) - the right to regular medical control in certain cases (Paragraph 9)

- protection against physical and moral dangers (Paragraph 10).

The Committee found it necessary to direct its at-tention to the problem of a possible overlapping

be-tween Article 7 and other provisions of the Charter, especially Article 17. In fact, both these articles of the Charter are particularly concerned with providing 'protection' for children. The Committee admitted that two or more provisions in the Charter might well have the same content in part, since the Contracting Parties were free to accept the Charter only in part. In the particular case in point (Articles 7 and 17), the Committee took the view that, when the Charter was drawn up, it had not been intended that these two ar-ticles should overlap and that the two provisions in question were different in scope. According to the Committee, the provisions of Article 17 applied to children of pre-school age, while children and young people were covered by Article 7 once they had reac-hed school age.'(Concl.l,41)

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Contract-ing Parties in response to the conclusions of the Com-mittee, and, aboveall, to uphold the rights of the child.'(8e Rap. art. 22,9-10)

Aantekeningen lid 1

TOELICHTING

Europees ComitevoorSociale Rechten

- 'The Committee interpreted this provision as ap-plying to all categories of work, including, for exam-ple, agricultural and domestic work; it took theview that such work could not automatically be considered as "light" work within the meaning of the paragraph (ConcI. I,42).

In general, admission to such employment for chil-dren below 15 years of age is contrary to the Charter; the types of work to which such children may be ad-mitted by derogation must

- be laid down in a limitative list, - be genuinely light,

- in no way prejudice the moral welfare, health or education of the children concerned (Concl. V, 55).

In the case of some of those exceptions, the com-mittee found that they did not seem to be incompat-ible with the requirements of Article7,paragraph1. These include:

- children authorised to work in the performing arts; children who are following preparatory courses for apprenticeship (sandwich courses) during the lat two years of their schoolig;

- children who are authorised to work during part of their school holidays, subject to the availability of examples of the criteria used ot the practice followed by different labour inspectorates (Concl. VI, m.b.t Frankrijk, 43-44).

Finally, the committee noted that apparently there was no legislation in Sweden to regulate employment of children belonging to the employer's family. In ac-cordance with its case-law (Conclusions I, page187) it consdiered that this was not in line with the Char-ter.·(Concl. VII,42)

- '(... ) the protection guaranteed by Article 7 of the Charter must be afforded. without distinction. to all young people below the age of 15. whether or not they were bound to their employers by employment or apprenticeschip contracts.'(1eRap. Art.22, 17)

_ 'Contracting Parties had to ensure that work car-ried out by young people who were under 15 or were required to attend school was indeed "light", that it was not performed in the morning before school, that it was of reasonable length and the child was free from any work for at least one day of the week and for half the school holidays.'(Concl.X-2, m.b.t. Spanje,81) - 'As regardSpain,the Committee wishes to point out that according to its case-law, for as state to satis-fy the provisions of Article7,paragraph1,it not only had to fix the minimum age of admission to employ-ment at fifteen years but also had to take the neces-sary steps to ensure that this rule was adequately en-forced.' (Cond.XI-2, m.b.t. Spanje, 82)

- 'It consideres that evenif the legislative mea-sures fulfil the requirements of Article7 para. 1 in law, the significant lack of respect for theseprovisionsin practice during the reference period means that the situation inPortugaldoes not comply with Article 7 para. 1.' (Cond.XIII-5, m.b.t. Portugal, 185)

- 'The report describes the rules which apply to the employment of children in theNetherlands.Under the Working Hours Act (ATW),which entered into force in 1996,and the Child Labour Regulations, children under the age of16years may not be employed, sub-ject to the exceptions listed below. (... )

The Committee concludes that the situation in the Netherlands is in conformity with Article7 para. 1 of the Charter.' (Cond.XV-2 vol.2,335-336)

Aantekeningen lid 2

ALGEMEEN

- VgI. Artikel 7 lid2 vanhetherzieneESH (en de bijlage). waarin de minimumleeftijd op18 jaar is ge-zet.

INTERNATIONALE CONTEXT

Intemationale Arbeidsorganisatie

- Vele IAO-Conventies bevatten bepalingen inza-ke de minimumleeftijd voor gevaarlijk werk. Hier worden aIleen de verdragen genoemd die door Ne-derland geratificeerd zijn.

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J 59 (met Nederlandse vertaling). Bekrachtigd op 15 december 1939,Trb. 1957, 150. lie artikel3.

Nr. 90 (Nachtarbeid jeugdige personen werkzaam in de industrie),Stb. 1954, J 537) met Nederlandse vertaling). Bekrachtigd - mede voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba - op 22 oktober 1954, Trb. 1957, 186.

Nr. 115 (beveiliging van werknemers tegen ionise-rende straling),Trb.1962, 45. Nederlandse vertaling inTrb.1966, 172. Bekrachtigd op 29 november 1966, Trb.1967,4. lie artikelen 6 en 7. Nr. 138 (Minimum-leeftijd voor toelating tot het arbeidsproces), Trb. 1974, 71 (met Nederlandse vertaling). Vertaling ge-wijzigd inTrb. 1987, 9. Bekrachtigd op 14 september 1976,Trb.1977,53 en toepasselijk verklaard op Aruba op 18 februari 1986,Trb.1987,9. lie artikel3 en Para-graaf 9 tot 11 van de bijbehorende Aanbeveling nr.146.

Nr. 162 (Veiligheid bij het gebruik van asbest),Trb. 1987, 87. Nederlandse vertaling in Trb. 1988, 110. Goedkeuringswet van 27 maart 1999,Stb.1999, 186. Bekrachtigd op 15 september 1999. lie ook de bijbe-horende Aanbeveling nr. 172, m.n. Paragraaf 1(3) en

2.

Nr. 182 (Verbod op en de onmiddelijke uitbanning van de ergste vormen van kinderarbeid),Trb. 1999, 177. Nederlandse vertaling inTrb.2000, 52. Bekrach-tigd op 14 februari 2002,Trb.2002,96. lie artikel3(d) en 4 en de bijbehorende Aanbeveling nr. 190. TOELICHTING

EuropeesComitevoorSodateRechten

- 'The Committee interpreted the expression "minimum age" appearing in this paragraph, as being identical with the minimum age indicated in Article 7 (1)that is 15 years, this being true even with respect to Contracting States who have not accepted the above-mentioned paragraph 1. The Committee con-sidered in fact that this interpretation follows logical-ly from the implicit reference in Article 7 (2) to para-graph 1 of the same Article.'(Cond.I, 186)

- 'The Committee drew attention to its case law to the effect that the minimum age referred to in this paragraph should in any event be higher than fifteen (Conclusions I, p. 186). Clearly, with respect to pre-scribed occupations regarded as dangerous or

un-healthy, the Charter provided not only for an absolute ban on the employment of children, but also for spe-cial protection of adolescents (between the ages of sixteen and eighteen). Compliance with this provi-sion of the Charter meant that, in drawing up the list of occupations regarded as dangerous or unhealthy, the Contracting Parties were required to take account of the nature of each of the occupations concerned and the extent to which it was dangerous and/or un-healthy, and fix the appropriateminimum age at which adolescents could be employed in that occupa-tion without disproporoccupa-tionate health risks.

Regarding the specific case of occupations involv-ing exposure to benzene, the Committee noted that:

- scientific research demonstrated both that ben-zene was particularly dangerous (because of the risks to health and of fire and explosion) and also that ado-lescents were particularly vulnerable to this danger;

- ILO Convention Nr. 136, ratified byItalyin 1981, set the minimum age for admission to occupations in-volving exposure to benzene at eighteen for both sex-es, with the sole exception of training or educational activities, where adequate technical and medical su-pervision was required;

- in the European Union, the directive of 22 June 1994 on the protection of young persons at work pro-vided for a ban on the employment of young people under the age of eighteen in 'work involving harmful exposure to substances which are toxic, carcinogenic, cause heritable genetic damage, or harm to the un-born child or which in any other way chronically af-fect human health' (such work included, inter alia, 'work involving harmful exposure to the physical, bi-ological and chemical agents' indicated in an appen-dix which referred to a list of agents including ben-zene).

The Committee therefore considered that a coun-try could not be regarded as complying with Article 7 para. 2 of the Charter if it established at lower than eighteen the age before which employment in occu-pations involving exposure to benzene was normally prohibited and was therefore obliged to adopt a nega-tive conclusion in respect ofItaly.'(Cond.XIlI-2, m.b.t. Italie,81-82)

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The Committee asks that the next report supply in-formation on the rate of occupational accidents and diseases among young workers under the age of 18 years.

The Committee concludes that the situation in the Netherlands is in conformity with Article 7 para. 2 of the Charter:(Concl. XV-2 vol.2, 336-337)

Aantekeningen lid 3

PARLEMENTAIRE BEHANDELING

- 'De Arbeidswet 1919 verbiedt het verrichten van arbeid door een kind, zolang dit nog leerplichtig is.' (MvT, 8606, R533)

TOELICHTING

Europees Comite voor Sodale Reehten

- 'The Committee interpreted this provision as re-quiring a state which had accepted it to ensure that children still subject to compulsory education were not employed to work likely to deprive them of the full benefit of such education. The measures taken should, at the very least, limit the employment of children still attending school to work after school hours or at weekends. The Committee was forced to conclude that certain problems continue to exist in regard to compliance with this obligation and that only one of the four governments whose reports had been examined could be considered as fulfilling its undertakings on this point. It should be pointed out, however, that the obligations incumbent upon the governments under this paragraph are becoming dif-ficult to respect as the period of compulsory school-ing is extended, which tends moreover to make this provision somewhat progressive in character:(Concl. I,43)

- 'C .•• )The aim of this provision is primarily that of

permitting children and young persons to draw the full beneficial effects from compulsory school attend-ance and of ensuring that any occupational activity exercised outside school hours does not have an ad-verseeffect on such compulsory education. It there-fore follows that mere school attendance would not suffice, if the necessary measures are not taken by Contracting Parties to avoid any interference,

through occupational activities, with such educa-tion: (Cond. V,57)

- 'The Committee took note that there had been no changes in the Duteh legislation (... ), a situation which had resulted in the Committee reaching a neg-ative conclusion since the first supervision cycle.The Committee recalled its case law on the subject, ac-cording to which the purpose of holidays was to allow young people to rest after a year of study. Ifthe possi-bility of working during holidays did exist for young persons, the Committee observed that this work must be undertaken under certain conditions, name-ly that the dainame-ly and weekname-ly duration of work should not be excessive and that at least half the holidays should be devoted to an obligatory rest period: (Concl. XIII-2, 85)

- 'The Committee recalls that it previously consid-ered the situation in theNetherlandsnot to be in con-formity with the Charter because:

- children of compulsory school age and over 15 years could work throughout the school holidays for up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours per week

- children of compulsory school age and over 15 years could deliver newspapers from 6 a.m. on-wards on school days.

As regards the first ground, the Committee notes that the Working Hours Act (ATW) and the Child La-bour Regulations provide that children aged 13 and 14 years may work for up to 4 weeks per year, but not more than 3 weeks consecutively. Children aged 15 may work for up to 6 weeks per year, but not more than 4 weeks consecutively. School holidays last for eleven weeks.

The Committee considers that the main purpose of school holidays is to let children rest in order to be-nefit from school after the holidays. It refers to its case-law that the period of rest must at least cover half the holiday period for children still subject to compulsory education. Despite the above-men-tioned limitations to the number of weeks children may work annually, the Committee observes that it can exceed half of the holiday period, which is not in conformity with the Charter.

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As regards the situation whereby young persons of compulsory school age and over 15 years can deliver newspapers from 6 a.m. onwards on school days, the Committee notes that there has been no change. It considers that 6 a.m. represents a very early start for children, who may work for 2 hours per day before school starts,S days per week. The Committee notes from an appendix to the report that the Dutch Minis-try of Social Affairs and Employment states that the delivering of newspapers in the mornings is not con-sidered to fall within the legal concept of "light work of an non-industrial nature", since it "can be an ardu-ous task for a child of15 in view of the fact that it has to be done very early in the morning before school and also due to the fact that it involves lifting heavy bun-dles of newspapers". The Committee finds in these circumstances that the situation is not compatible with Article 7 para 3.

The Committee concludes that the situation in the Netherlands is not in conformity with Article 7 para.3 of the Charter

- as the limits on mandatory rest period during school holidays for children aged 15, still subject to compulsory education is not sufficient to ensure they fully benefit from such education;

- as it is possible for children aged 15, still subject to compulsory education, to deliver newspapers from 6 a.m. for up to 2 hours per day,S days per week before school.' (Cond.XV-2 vol.2, 337-338)

Aantekeningen lid 4

ALGEMEEN

- Artikel 33 is van toepassing.

- Vgl.artikel7lid 4 van hetherzieneESH, waarin de leeftijd van 16 jaar verhoogd is tot 18 jaar.

- 'In verband met de omstandigheden dat wets-ontwerp nr. 11 182 beoogt een partiele leerplicht in het leven te roepen voor minderjarigen, die geen vol-ledig dagonderwijs meer genieten, waardoor de ar-beidsduur van de in het arbeidsproces ingeschakelde beneden 16-jarigen zal worden beperkt ten behoeve van hun algemene vorming en beroepsopleiding, is

het thans ook mogelijk het vierde lid van het onder-havige artikel in de goedkeuring te betrekken.' (Nade-re MvA II, 8606, R533)

TOELICHTING

Europees Comite voor Sociale Rechten

- 'The Committee noted from theDutchreport that children who were obliged to follow training for two days per week as a substitute for compulsory educa-tion could enter the labour market only with the au-thorisation of the head of the Regional Labour Inspec-torate. This authorisation was subject to the follow-ing mandatory criteria:

it had to be in the interest of the child;

- the child could work for only three days per week, for no more than eight hours per day and never on Sundays;

- only light work was allowed and had to take place between 7 am and 6 or 7 pm.

The Committee recalled its previous observation. according to which: 'Although the fact that these chil-dren worked for only a few days per week would pre-clude their working a forty-hour week, theoretically the employer could still demand eight hours of work per day. The Committee has consistently regarded this as excessive' (Conclusions XIII-1, p. 166) (Concl. XIII-2,88).

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Pending receipt of all the information requested, the Committee defers its conclusion.'(Cenci. XV-2 vol. 2, 338-339)

Regeringscomite

- 'The difficulty in regard to this paragraph arises from the applicability of Article 33 which requires that the limitation of working hours should apply to the "great majority" of workers under 16 years of age. According to the "travaux preparatoires" of the Char-ter, this "great majority" may be put at around 80%. The problem of determining to whom the provisions apply does not arise when working hours are fixed by legislation; where the matter is governed by collec-tive agreements, however, specific figures need to be stated.'(5e Rap,11)

Aantekeningen lid 5

ALGEMEEN

- Vgl. artikel 4 lid 1 ESH.

TOELICHTING

Europees Comue voor Sociale Rechten

- 'The Committee stressed that if it was to fulfil a useful supervisory role in respect of this provision, the Contracting States must supply it with full infor-mation on the minimum rates and wages actually paid to young workers and apprentices for all bran-ches ofindustry and in all parts of the national territo-ry (Concl. 1,44).

For the purposes of examining the compatibility of measures taken at national level with the require-ments of Article 7, paragraph 5, the Committee adopted the following guidelines:

Where young workers are concerned, there is not really any basic reason for not paying the same wage for the same output. However, it is not unthinkable that certain reductions may be justified, allowing for the fact that the needs of young workers are less than those of adults. Nevertheless, such reductions must not be too substantial and ought to be for a limited time.

As to apprentices, the value of the training given

ought obviously to be taken into account, but it ap-peared to the Committee that after two or three years' vocational training an apprentice was fitted to render services such that one could hardly go considering him as an apprentice:(Concl.!l, 33)

- 'The Committee recalled that it had always reac-hed a negative conclusion in respect of the Nether-lands'compliance with this provision of the Charter, as the wages of young workers under eighteen years of age have been considerably lower than adult wages (Concl.XII-l, 139).

The Committee notes the detailed information contained in theDutchreport on the minimum wage and minimum holiday allowance system established by legislation (Wet minimumloon en minimum-va-kantiebijslag, WML). The report states that the statu-tory minimum wage is applicable to adult workers aged 23-64 years. For young workers aged 15-22 years a reduced minimum wage rate is derived from the minimum adult wage according to fixed percen-tages for the various age categories. (... )The Commit-tee does not consider the minima applied to young workers under 18 in the Netherlands to be fair in the meaning of this provision of the Charter. It recalls that it has found the minimum wage of adult workers aged 18-22 to be not adequate under Article 4 para. 1 (Conclusions XIV-2, pp.547-549). The Committee has held that where the reference wage,i.e,the start-ing wage or minimum wage of an adult worker, is not sufficient, the wage of a young worker cannot either be considered as fair. The Committee further observ-es that the minimum wage of a young worker aged 15 amounts to less than 70% ofthe minimum wage of an adult worker aged 18. The Committee holds, as it has done in the past, that a 30% reduction for a young worker in relation to the adult minimum wage is ex-cessive.

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pre-vent the exploitation of young workers. Furthermore, the Committee's case-law allows for a significant re-duction ofyoung workers' wages which in its opinion is fully compatible with concerns related to keeping young persons in education and to ensuring their in-tegration into the labour market. The Committee con-cludes that the situation in the Netherlands is not in conformity with Article 7 para. 5 of the Charter as the minimum wages of young workers under 18 cannot be considered as fair, within the meaning of this pro-vision of the Charter.'(Concl. XV-2vol.2, 339-341) Aantekeningen lid 6

ALGEMEEN

- Artikel 33 is van toepassing.

TOELICHTING

Europees Comite voor SociaIeRechten

- 'In drawing up its conclusions as regards the ap-plication of this provision by the States concerned, the committee, in order to remove any ambiguity which might influence the interpretation of this pro-vision in view of the expression"with the employer's consent", wished to make it clear that these words should not be interpreted in such a way as to constitu-te a "conditio sine qua non" for recognising that young workers should be granted the right under this provision although the employer's consent might have some bearing in defining the way in which this is to be exercised. For, on the one hand, any other in-terpretation would result in this provision being de-prived of any scope at all; on the other, it would seem that this type of situation is being regulated by law more and more, and that this consent is more often the outcome of a legal obligation, as has been borne out by several laws relating to apprentices, than of the employer's own consent, which continues to be re-quired where the law remains silent.

Moreover the committee wished to make it clear that the fact that the time spent by young persons on their vocational training"during working hours"shall be treated asforming part of the working day,implies in particular

- that such time be remunerated (by either the employer or by public funds as the case may be) and

- that it does not give rise to any form ofrecuper-ation which would result in the total number of work-ing hours of the persions concerned bework-ing extended accordingly.'(Concl. V,67)

- 'In respect of theNetherlands,the Committee re-called that under this provision of the Charter in con-junction with Article 33, the Contracting Parties un-dertake to ensure that for the great majority of young workers the time spent in vocational training during normal working hours with the employer's consent is treated as part of the working day and remunerated accordingly (Conclusions XI-I, p. 97). It also recalled that in its last Conclusions (... ) it had found that the information submitted by the Dutch Government, particularly following a survey made in 1985, had not enabled it to establish that this was the case in the Netherlands. It had therefore deferred its conclusion and asked for such information:(CondXlI-I, 141-142) - 'The Committee noted form theDutchreport that the training of young people outside regular voca-tional schooling took place almost exclusively within the framework of the apprenticeship scheme and in particular the primary apprenticeship scheme. It re-called that Article 33 was applicable to this provision of the Charter and that, therefore, for the purpose of compliance with Article 7 para. 6, the arrangements referred to must be available to at least 80 %of the young workers concerned, irrespective of where the practical training took place: (Cond.XllI-4, 305-306) - 'TheDutchreport states that under the Working Hours Act (ATW) which entered into force in 1996 time spent on vocational training during a normal working day with the consent of the employer is treated as forming part of the working day and is clas-sified as working time by the Labour Inspectorate. Time spent on vocational training in this sense, is paid according to the employment contract. However, the report also emphasises that the Working Hours Act (ATW) makes a distinction between a learning pro-cess and a working propro-cess. This implies that voca-tional training taken by workers in an educavoca-tional in-stitution is not regarded as working time, whereas training taken somewhere else (e.g. in-company training) is regarded as working time.

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cer-tain types of vocational training is treated as forming part of the working day for purposes of calculating working hours. Moreover, it notes that whether such time is remunerated will depend on the content of the individual employment contract. Consequently, the Dutch government must, in accordance with Article 33, demonstrate that the great majority of the work-ers concerned in fact enjoy the benefits guaranteed by Article 7 para. 6 of the Charter on the strength of their employment contracts. Having found no evi-dence to this effect, the Committee asks that it be con-tained in the next report.

As regards apprentices the report states that the majority has a part-time contract with the employer that equals the time (including practical training on the job) spent by apprentices in the enterprise, ex-cluding the time spent on theoretical learning in school.Itfurther states that time spent in school is not considered as "training time during normal working hours with the consent of the employer" in the mean-ing of Article 7 para. 6 because the time spent in school does not form part of the working day of the apprentice. In addition, it is underlined that appren-tices are fully paid in the Netherlands unlike in some other countries where they receive lower wages. Having noted under Article 7 para. 5 that the mini-mum wage applicable to young persons, including apprentices, is only a relatively small percentage of the adult minimum wage, the Committee asks the Government to explain what is meant by "fully paid". According to the report, and as previously noted by the Committee, about 21%of all apprentices do nev-ertheless receive remuneration for the time spent in school due to stipulations in collective agreements.

The Committee observes that the Dutch system al-lows for a situation where young workers and ap-prentices are not entitled to remuneration for time spent on vocational training with the consent of the employer.Itholds that vocational training within the framework of and for the purpose of an apprentice-ship should be considered as working time and re-munerated as such and it notes that in the Nether-lands this is recognised in a number of collective agreements. Consequently, as the Dutch Government has not demonstrated that the great majority of young workers and notably apprentices benefit from the guarantees of Article 7 para. 6 of the Charter, the Committee can only conclude that the situation in the

Netherlands is not in conformity with the Charter.' (Cond.XV-2 vol.2, 341-342)

Aantekeningen lid 7

ALGEMEEN

- Artikel 33 is van toepassing. - Vgl.artikel2lid 3 ESH.

- Vgl. artikel 7 lid 7 van hetherzieneESH, waarin de minimum verlofperiode is gesteld op 4 weken in plaats van 3 weken.

TOELICHTING

EuropeesComirevoorSociale Rechten

- 'The interpretation which the Committee placed on this paragraph was that the States which had ac-cepted it were obliged to guarantee children and young people three weeks' leave, the number of working days granted depending on the length of the working week.' (Cond.1,45)

- 'Since Article 33 applies to this clause, the Com-mittee needs to be able to ascertain what proportion of workers under the age of eighteen are entitled to three weeks' holiday.' (Cond. II, 36)

- 'It still considers that the categories of workers to whom the Annual Holiday Act does not apply do not represent 20% of the young workers covered by this provision of the Charter. Ittherefore concludes that on account of the application of Article 33, the situa-tion inFinlandis in conformity with Article 7 para. 7 of the Charter.' (Cond.XV-2 vol.I,m.b.t. Finland, 154)

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Aantekeningen lid 8

ALGEMEEN

- Deel IIvan de Bijlage ESH is van toepassing: 'It is understood that a Contracting Party may give the un-dertaking required in this paragraph if it fulfils the spirit of the undertaking by providing by law that the great majority of persons under 18 years of age shall not be employed in night work.'

- 'Een verbod voor het verrichten van nachtarbeid door jeugdigen bestaat in Nederland voor nagenoeg aIle categorieen arbeid ingevolge de bij of krachtens de Arbeidswet 1919 en de Mijnwet 1903 uitgevaar-digde voorschriften.'(MvT,8606,R533)

TOELICHTING

Europees Comite voor 50dale Rechten

- 'The Committee recalled first of all, in connection with this paragraph, that in the terms of the Appendix to the Charter, it is understood that a Contracting Par-ty meets the requirements of Article 7, Paragraph 8 if it fulfils the spirit of the undertaking by legislation to the effect that the great majority of young persons under 18 at work shall not be employed in night work. In studying the first governmental reports submit-ted, the Committee pointed out that it can only form an opinion as to whether or not Contracting States which have accepted this provision fulfil their obliga-tions in the matter if they supply adequate data in their two-yearly reports on:

(a) the period defined in national regulations as 'night' for the purposes of the prohibition of night work;

(b) the occupations in which night work by minors under 18 is permitted, either in general or by special decision;

(c) the extent of such derogations (maximum hours allowed, minimum age,

etc.):

(d) hours during which night work by young per-sons is altogether prohibited;

(e) the percentage in each category of

employ-ment of minors under 18 not covered by national leg-islation on night work;

(f) the numbers:

- of all young people under 18 years at work; - of young people who, in fact, are normally re-quired to work at night.'(Conci. I, 45-46)

- 'The Committee notes from theDutchreport that the definition of night work in the Working Hours Act (ATW) is work between midnight and 6 a.m. Children and juveniles are prohibited from working at night. An exception applies to 16 and 17 year olds working in the merchant navy: for this category of workers work is also allowed between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. More-over, work between midnight and 5 a.m. in the mer-chant navy is allowed, if it takes place in the context of vocational training.

In the light of this information, the Committee cludes that the situation in the Netherlands is in con-formity with Article 7 para. 8 of the Charter.' (Cond. XV-2vol.2, 343)

Aantekeningen lid 9

- Nr. 16 (Geneeskunig onderzoek van kinderen en jeugdige personen, werkzaam ssn boord van sche-pen).5tb. 95, 1928 (met Nederlandse vertaling). Be-krachtigd op 9 maart 1928,Trb.1957,53.

Nr.73 (Geneeskundig onderzoek van zeelieden), 5tb.1948, I 326. Nederlandse vertaling inTrb. 1957,

177. Bekrachtigd op 17 juni 1958,Trb.1958, 84. Nr. 113 (Geneeskundig onderzoek van vissers),Trb. 1962, 43. Nederlandse vertaling inTrb. 1964, 44. Be-krachtigd mede voor Aruba op 15 december 1988, Trb.1989, 35.

Nr. 115 (beveiliging van werknemers tegen ionise-rende straling),Trb.1962, 45. Nederlandse vertaling inTrb.1966, 172. Bekrachtigd op 29 november 1966, Trb.1967, 4.

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Nr. 162 (Veiligheid bij het gebruik van asbest),Trb. 1987, 87. Nederlandse vertaling in Trb. 1988, 110. Goedkeuringswet van 27 maart 1999,Stb.1999, 186. Bekrachtigd op 15 september 1999. Zie ook de bijbe-horende Aanbeveling nr. 172, m.n. Paragraaf 1(3) en

2.

Nr. 152 (Arbeidsveiligheid en gezondheid in ha-venarbeid),Trb. 1980, 107 (met Nederlandse verta-ling). Bekrachtigd op 13 mei 1998,Trb.1998, 197.

TOELICHTING

Europees Comite

voor

SociaIeRechten

- 'The Committee pointed out that, in order to en-able it to exercise its supervisory functions in respect of this paragraph, the states accepting it should pro-vide comprehensive information on the nature of the occupations of persons covered by the provisions for whom regular medical control is prescribed, on the organisation and operation of the medical services and on the frequency of medical examinations (Concl. 1,47).

Aregulation providing merely for the possibility of a young worker's undergoing a regular medical check was not fully in compliance with this provision of the Charter. This was an important aspect of social pro-tection that should not be left to the discretion of the parties concerned, not even to the protected persons themselves (Conc1. IV, 61).

Considering the development of regular medical examination for the benefit of all workers and the ex-tension of medical services in a certain number of countries, the protection of young workers' health does not necessarily require widespread legislative provisions, calling for a specific organisation of med-ical services for young workers. However, this can on-ly be envisaged in a state whose medical services and examinations for the benefit of workers have reached the necessary level of development, and should be wholly compatible with the development of a policy of prevention and protection of young workers which constitute the verj scope of Article 7, paragraph 9. The committee considers it essential, in this case, that precise guidelines and instructions are expressly giv-en to the bodies responsible for carrying out medical examination of workers, so that, when such examin-ations concern young workers, prevention and

pro-tection of health be taken into account:(Conci. VIII, 119)

- 'The Committee also noted that no legal provi-sion guaranteed the specific protection afforded by Article 7 para. 9 for young workers employed in fam-ily businesses who did not have the status of paid em-ployees and young self-employed workers still not covered by labour legislation. The Committee there-fore concluded thatSpainwas not in conformity with this provision of the Charter.' (Cond XIII-2, m.b.t. Spanje, 100)

- 'The Committee notes from theDutchreport that there is no general mandatory medical examination for persons under 18. Moreover, no information is available on the conditions in which and how often medical examinations are made. The report explains that under Section 1.38 of the Working Conditions Decree "employers are required to offer employees under the age of 18 a medical examination, if the risk inventory and assessment shows that there are spe-cific dangers attached to the work to be done." The Committee requests up-dated information on how and by whom the risk inventory and assessment is made and its insists on receiving information con-firming that medical examination is periodical (and not only takes the form of pre-employment examation) and specifying on how often, i.e, with what in-tervals, the examinations are carried out.

Pending receipt of this information, the Committee defers its conclusion.'(Conci. XV-2 vol.2,343-344) Aantekeningen lid

to

lntemationaleArbeidsorganisatie

- Nr. 182 (Verbod op en de onmiddelijke uitban-ning van de ergste vormen van kinderarbeid), Trb. 1999, 177. Nederlandse vertaling in Trb. 2000, 52. Bekrachtigd op 14 februari 2002,Trb.2002, 96.

TOELICHTING

Europees Comite

voor

SociaIeRechten

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first nine paragraphs. In fact, Paragraphs 1 to 9 cover the protection of children and young people against the dangers of a working life, whereas Paragraph 10 places an obligation upon the states who accept it to protect young people against any dangers which threaten them, even if these dangers are not connect-ed with their work.' (Cond.l,41)

- 'Cycle XV-2 is the first time for a number of su-pervision cycles that the Committee has had the op-portunity to examine Articles 7 para. 10 and 17 for all Contracting Parties. The Committee has therefore en-deavoured to develop and clarify its interpretation of these provisions.Ithas done so in the light of the case-law developed under other international treaties as regards the protection of children and young persons, such as the UNConvention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights. It has also taken into account developments in national legislation and practice as regards the protection of children. Asthe scope of Articles 7 para. 10 and 17 is to a large extent overlapping, the Committee has decid-ed, with respect to the Contracting Parties having ac-cepted both provisions to deal with the following is-sues under Article 7 para. 10:

- Protection of children against moral dangers at work and outside work;

- Involvement of children in the sex industry and in begging.

The following issues will mainly be dealt with un-der Article 17:

- Establishment of parentage and adoption; - Children and the law;

- Children in public care;

- Protection of children from ill-treatment and abuse. (... )

The Committee is aware of the increased involve-ment of children and young persons in the sex indus-try in a number of European countries. It considers that Article 7 para. 10 requires a clear prohibition against any such practices in the legislation of the Contracting Parties. The prohibition must be com-bined with an adequate supervisory system and sanc-tions.

It also considers that Article 7 para. 10 requires Contracting Parties to prohibit and combat all forms of sexual exploitation of children.

Moreover, the Committee holds that the use of chil-dren in begging and other forms of exploitation

pre-judicial to any aspect of the child's welfare' must be prohibited and that measures must be taken to pre-vent such practices.' (Cond.XV-2, 26-27)

- 'The Committee notes the information con-tained in the report of theNetherlands.As regards the protection of working children the Committee refers to its conclusions under Article 7 paras. 2 and 3. It notes the information contained in the report on young offenders including alcohol related crime and refers in this respect to its conclusion under Article 17. The Committee wishes to be informed as to whether legislation prohibits the use of children in the sex industry, and to receive information on any supervisory system and sanctions that may accompa-ny this prohibition. The Committee concludes that the situation in the Netherlands is in conformity with Article 7 para. 10 of the Charter.'(Concl. XV-2 vol. 2, 344)

Recht van vrouwelijke werknemers op

bescherming

Art. 8.

Om de onbelemmerde uitoefening

van het recht van vrouwelijke werknemers op

bescherming te waarborgen, verplichten de

Overeenkomstsluitende Partijen zich:

1. te bepalen datvrouwen, hetzij doorverlof

met behoud van loon, dan weI door passende

sociale zekerheidsuitkeringen of uitkeringen

uit openbare middelen, in staat worden

ge-steld voor en na de bevalling verlof te nemen

gedurende een totaal van ten minste 12

we-ken;

2. het als onwettig te beschouwen indien

een werkgever een vrouw haar ontslag

aan-zegt gedurende haar verlof wegens bevalling

ofhaar ontslag aanzegt op een zodanig tijdstip

dat de opzeggingstermijn gedurende een

der-gelijk verlof afloopt;

3. te bepalen dat moeders die hun

zuigelin-gen voeden voldoende tijd daartoe krijzuigelin-gen;

4.

(a)

de tewerkstelling van vrouwelijke

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werknemers die des nachts industriele

werk-zaamheden verrichten, te regelen:

(b)

de

tewerkstelling

van

vrouwelijke

werknemers voor ondergrondse mijnarbeid te

verbieden, en, zo nodig, voor alle andere arbeid

die voor hen ongeschikt is op grond van de

ge-vaarlijke, voor de gezondheid schadelijke of

vermoeiende aard daarvan.

The right of employed women

to

protection

Art. 8. With a view to ensuring the effective

exercise of the right of employed women to

protection, the Contracting Parties undertake:

1. to provide either by paid leave, by

ade-quate social security benefits or by benefits

from public funds for women to take leave

be-fore and after childbirth up to a total of at least

12 weeks;

2. to consider it as unlawful for an employer

to give a woman notice of dismissal during her

absence on maternity leave or to give her

no-tice of dismissal at such a time that the nono-tice

would expire during such absence;

3. to provide that mothers who are nursing

their infants shall be entitled to sufficient time

off for this purpose;

4.

(a)

to regulate the employment of

wom-en workers on night work in industrial

em-ployment;

(b)

to prohibit the employment of women

workers in underground mining, and, as

ap-propriate, on all other work which is

unsuit-able for them by reason of its dangerous,

un-healthy, or arduous nature.

Aantekeningen

ALGEMEEN

- Artikel33 is van toepassing op aile leden van bo-venstaand artikel.

Europees Sociaal Handvest Art. 8 167

TOELICHTING

Europees

Comtte

voor

Sociale Rechten

- 'The aim of this article is to ensure the effective exercise of the right of employed women to protec-tion and it, accordingly, established specific provi-sions concerning:

- maternity protection;

- general protection of women at work.

As regards maternity protection, Article 8 is con-cerned with:

- maternity leave (Paragraph 1)

- prohibition of dismissal during absence on ma-ternity leave (Paragraph 2)

- time off for nursing mothers (Paragraph 3). The provisions of Article 8, concerning the general protection of women at work deal with night work in industry and work of a dangerous, unhealthy or ardu-ous nature (Paragraph 4).

Article 8 was interpreted by the Committee as ap-plying solely to women in paid employment and not to self-employed women. This interpretation is based on the following:

- regarding all four paragraphs making up the arti-cle, on the expression "employed women" used in the English text of the first sentence of the article;

- regarding more especially Paragraphs 2 and 4, on the use in their text of the word "employer" or "em-ployment", which is fairly conclusive.'(Canci. 1,49-50) Aantekeningen lid 1

ALGEMEEN

- VgL artikel 8 lid 1 van hetherzieneESH, waarin zwangerschapsverlofis verlengd van 12 weken tot 14 weken.

Nederlandse wetgeving

- Wet Arbeid en Zorg, wet van 16 november 2001, Stb.2001, 567 (art. 3:1).

Ziektewet, wet van 5 juni 1913, Stb. 1913,204 (art.

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Europese Unie

- Richtlijn nr.92/85/EEG (Zwangerschap, beval-ling en lactatie).

Verenigde Naties

- Vgl. artikel 10 lid 2 IVESCR IntemationaleArbeidsorganisatie

- Nr. 102 (Minimumnormen van sociale zeker-heid), m.n. dee1VIII,Trb.1953,69 (met Nederlandse vertaling). Bekrachtigd op 11 oktober 1962, Trb. 1963,37. Zie ook de aantekeningen onder artikel12 lid 1.

Nr. 103 (Bescherming van het moederschap),Trb. 1953, 129 (met Nederlandse vertaling). Bekrachtigd op 18 september 1981,Trb.1981, 230.

Nr. 156 (Gelijke kansen en gelijke behandeling van mannelijke en vrouwelijke arbeiders; arbeiders met gezinsverantwoordelijkheden), Trb. 1981, 244. Ne-derlandse vertaling inTrb.1982, 101. Bekrachtigd op 24 maart 1988,Trb.1988, 29.

Nr. 175 (Deeltijdwerk),Trb.1994,283. Nederland-se vertaling inTrb.2000, 125. Bekrachtigd -met voor-behoud- op 5 februari 2001,Trb.2001, 97. Zie artikel 7a.

Nr. 177 (Thuiswerk), Trb. 1996, 329. Nederlandse vertaling inTrb.2001,25. Bekrachtigd op 31 oktober 2002, Trb.2003,176. Zie artikeI2(h).

\

- 'Aan de hier gestelde voorwaarde wordt in ons land voldaan door hetgeen terzak is bepaald in de Ziektewet(thans: Wet Arbeid en Zorg, bew.).' (MvT,

8606, R533)

TOELICHTING

Europees Comite voorSodaleRecnten

- 'The Committee interpreted this provision as meaning that all Contracting Parties having accepted it are bound to ensure a 12 weeks' maternity leave,

not merely allowances over a period of 12 weeks, to expectant mothers in paid employment; it agreed, however, that the terms used in the first paragraph of Article 8 were such that it was, nonetheless, possible for such women to elect not to avail themselves of this right over a part of the 12 weeks' period in question. In connection with the amount of allowance, the Committee felt obliged to render an interpretation of the term "adequate benefit". As in the similar in-stance of the first paragraph ofArticle 2 (... ),itwas felt inadvisable to make any absolute definition. The Committee did, however, as will be seen shortly, in-dicate some cases where benefits could be regarded as adequate and one where benefit appeared inade-quate.'(Conci. I, 50)

- 'After paying particular attention to the various arguments advanced by certain governments in their third biennial reports on the question of the interpre-tation of paragraph 1 of Article 8, the Committee reaf-firmed its earlier opinion that this provision of the Charter involves two obligations:

a. to provide for women to take at least 12 weeks' maternity leave; and

b. to ensure that women are adequately compen-sated for their loss of earnings during the period of leave.

The Committee noted that, by custom in certain countries, women workers, in practice, enjoyed ma-ternity leave. It nevertheless held that a right of such capital importance ought to be guaranteed by law. It was hence unable to accept the assertion that legisla-tion is unnecessary when the customary rights in question are solidly based.'(Cond.III,48)

- 'The provision of Article 8, para. 1 of the Charter should be examined in the light, in particular, of de-velopments in national legislation and international conventions. They were designed both to grant work-ing women increased personal protection in the case of maternity and to reflect a more general interest in public health - that is, the health of the mother and child. In connection with the first point, the Charter prescribes a minimum of twelve weeks' leave entitle-ment, matched by adequate financial safeguards. With regard to the second point, the aim is to prevent any work which might be harmful to the health of the mother or the child.

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women's entitlement to maternity leave does not imply that the period for which they are prohibited from actually working must necessarily be the same as the period of leave to which they are entitled.

Having carefully studied the national legislation and international conventions in force, the Commit-tee considered that the two requirements mentioned above were reconcilable in so far as national legisla-tion on the one hand allowed women the right to use all or part of their recognised entitlement to stop work for a period of at least twelve weeks, allowing them freedom of choice by means of a scheme of be-nefits set at an adequate level, and, on the other hand, obliged the woman concerned and the employer to observe within this total period, a minimum period of cessation of work, which had to be taken after the birth and which it was reasonable to fix at six weeks.'

(Conci. VIII,123)

- 'The Committee considers in fact that the mater-nity leave provided for in Article 8 para. 1 is optional for working women, except as regards six weeks' postnatal leave, which is compulsory for both the em-ployer and the employee (... ).'(Concl. XIII-5, m.b.t. Portugal, 195)

- 'The Committee recalls that the principle of us-ing fixed-term contracts is not contrary to the re-quirements of Article 8 paras. 1 and 2. Nevertheless, the expiry of a fixed-term contract during the mater-nity leave may remove the very object of the suspen-sion system applicable in such circumstances. It is then not impossible that maternity benefits be de-nied by the employer starting from the date of the ter-mination of the contract. The Committee notes a gen-eral phenomenon of multiplication of insecure con-tracts and its effects on the protection of maternity as prescribed by Article 8 para. 1.'(Concl. XV-2 Adden-dum, m.b.t. Cyprus, 19)

- 'In reply to the Committee's questions, the gov-ernment described the protection given to women employed in sectors excluded by the Netherlands

from the application of ILO Convention Nr. 103 (Ma-ternity Protection). The sectors involved comprised work in agricultural undertakings other than planta-tions and domestic work for wages in private house-holds: insurance was compulsory for women ing in the agricultural sector but not for women work-ing in private households for less than three days a

week, who could take out voluntary insurance. The Committee made the following observations:

- maternity leave outside the six weeks provided for following confinement was only guaranteed by the payment of maternity benefit during sixteen weeks (under the Sickness Insurance Act of 1913 as amended). Asa result, women working in the agricul-tural sector insured under the compulsory sickness benefit scheme were protected, whereas employees in private households usually working less than three days a week did not receive maternity benefit, and consequently the sixteen weeks' maternity leave; their situation thus did not comply with the Charter's requirements. As all employees without exception should benefit from maternity leave as provided un-der Article 8 para. 1, the Committee was obliged to conclude that the situation was not in compliance with this requirement of the Charter, in the light of the situation of domestic employees who worked less than three days per week.'(Conci. XIII-4, 85-86)

- '(... ) The report states in this regard that all fe-male employees are insured from the day they start work. However, certain categories, notably women working in private households and in the public health services for less than 3 days a week, constitute an exception to the rule. Because they are not regard-ed as employees and therefore are not insurregard-ed, these women have no entitlement to either maternity leave or maternity benefit. According to the report, this sit-uation has arisen because the women concerned do not wish to be insured, because the financial burden on their employers would be too great and because making insurance compulsory would reduce the market for this type of work. The Committee consid-ers that denying the right to maternity leave to a cate-gory of workers is not in conformity with Article 8 pa-ra. 1 of the Charter (... ).

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that the reduction in earnings in reasonable, the Com-mittee takes various factors into account, including the level of the ceiling, where it lies on the earnings scale and the number of women whose salaries ex-ceedit.

In theNetherlands'case, the Committee regards the ceiling as relatively high and notes that many of the women whose earnings exceed it receive their full salaries under collective agreements. It therefore takes the view that there is no problem of compliance with the Charter in this regard. (... )

The Committee concludes that the maternity bene-fit situation in the Netherlands is in breach of Article 8 para. 1 inasmuch as women working in private households and in the public health services for less than three days a week are not regarded as employees and are not insured. This means they have no entitle-ment to maternity benefit:(Conci. XV-2 vol.2, 345-347)

Aantekeningen lid 2

ALGEMEEN

- Vgl. artikel8lid 2 van hetherzieneESH (en de bij-lage), waarin de beschermde peri ode verlengd is. Nederlandse wetgeving

- BurgerlijkWetboek, artikel647 lid 1jo,646 lid 5, 667 lid 8 en 670 lid 2.

Wet gelijke behandeling van mannen en vrouwen, wet van 1 maart 1980,5tb.1980, 86 (art. 1a lid 5, jo. art. 1).

Verenigde Naties

- Vgl. artikell 0 lid 2 IVESCR. Intemationale Arbeidsorganisatie

- Nr. 103 (Bescherming van het moederschap), Trb.1953, 129 (met Nederlandse vertaling). Bekrach-tigd op 18 september 1981, Trb. 1981,230. Vgl. de nieuwe herziene Conventie nr. 183 (maternity

pro-tection), aangenomen op 30 mei 2000, welke overi-gens nog niet geratificeerd is door Nederland.

Nr. 156 (Gelijke kansen en gelijke behandeling van mannelijke en vrouwelijke arbeiders; arbeiders met gezinsverantwoordelijkheden), Trb. 1981, 244. Ne-derlandse vertaling inTrb.1982, 101. Bekrachtigd op 24 maart 1988,Trb.1988, 29. Zie artikel 8.

Nr. 175 (Deeltijdwerk),Trb.1994,283. Nederland-se vertaling inTrb.2000, 125. Bekrachtigd -met voor-behoud- op 5 februari 2001,Trb.2001,97. Zie artikel

7a.

TOELICHTING

- 'This provisions was interpreted by the Commit-tee as not laying down an absolute prohibition which could be removed, for instance, in the following cases:

1. If an employed woman has been guilty of mis-conduct which justifies breaking off the employment relationship;

2. Ifthe undertaking concerned ceases to operate; 3. Ifthe period prescribed in the employment con-tract has expired:(Conci. I,51)

(Deze bewoordingen zijn overgenomen in de bijla-ge bij deze bepaling in hetherzieneESH,bew.)

- 'Ashousehold workers and domestic employees are still nog given adequate protection under the terms of this paragraph of Article 8, the Committee was forced to conclude thatAustria still did not satisfy its undertaking. (... )Moreover, the text of Article 8 clearly demonstrates that no limitation of the person-al scope ofits provisions is admissible and that its par-agraph 2 is not among the provisions in the Charter in respect of which Article 33 authorises some of the be-neficiaries to be excluded:(Conci.IV, m.b.t. Oostenrijk, 66-67)

- 'The Committee recalled that in general the Charter did not distinguish between fixed-term and permanent employment contracts in the application of the rights it guaranteed to workers.

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174 Europees Sociaal Handvest Art. 8 date that the notice would expire during such ab-sence, does not prevent the termination of an em-ployment relationship due to the expiry of a fixed-term contracts. However the increase in number of fixed-term contracts outside of specific and tradi-tional instances which justify the use of such con-tracts changes the situation with regard to the stan-dards laid down in Article 8 paras. 1 and 2, which run the risk of being largely deprived of their effect:

(Concl. XIII-4, 73)

- 'The Committee found it necessary to clarify the scope of Article 8 paragraph 2 in respect of the date of notice of dismissal.

Job security for a worker on maternity leave means that the contract of employment must not be termi-nated during this period. This is guaranteed by the prohibition on giving notice of dismissal at such a time that the period of notice would expire during the absence on leave. The giving of notice during mater-nity leave initiates the period of notice and, where ap-propriate, the interview, consultation or conciliation procedures to be carried out during this period. The Committee felt that, given the purposes of maternity leave and the unlawfulness of dismissal during this period, notice of dismissal as such was not incompat-ible with the Charter provided that the period of no-tice and any procedures were suspended until the end of the leave. The same rules governing suspen-sion of the period of notice and procedures during maternity leave must apply in the event of notice of dismissal prior to maternity leave, irrespective of the length of the period of notice:(Concl: XIII-4, 92-93)

- 'The Committee notes that female employees in theNetherlandsare protected from dismissal during pregnancy and then for six weeks after the end of ma-ternity leave.

Consequences ofunlawful dismissal

The report includes no information on this aspect of Article 8 para. 2.

The Committee points out that reinstatement must be the standard remedy in cases of unlawful dismiss-al. The aim of Article 8 para. 2 is not only to guarantee financial security for women employees who become pregnant but also to secure their jobs. Payment of compensation is an acceptable remedy only in excep-tional cases where reinstatement is not possible (for example because the company has ceased its busi-ness) or not wished for by the worker. In such cases,

the Committee verifies that the level of compensa-tion is sufficiently dissuasive as far as the employer is concerned and that it affords the employee sufficient reparation. For these reasons, the Committee asks that the next report review this aspect of the situa-tion. Pending receipt of the information requested, the Committee defers its conclusion:(Cenci. XV-2vol.

2,347-348)

Aantekeningen lid 3

ALGEMEEN

- Arbeidstijdenwet, wet van 23 november 1995,

5tb.1995,598 (4:8).

Europese Unie

- Richtlijn nr.92/85/EEG (Zwangerschap, beval-ling en lactatie).

Verenigde Naties

- Vgl. artikel10 lid 2 IVESCR.

- Zie genoemde Conventies onder lid 2.

TOELICHTING

- 'The Committee points out that Article 8 para. 3 lays down two principles, in that time off for breast-feeding must not only be regarded as working hours butmustalso be paid as such:(Concl.XV-2vol. 1,m.b.t. Frankrijk,200)

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According to the Dutch report, the Working Hours Act (AlW), which came into force in 1996, explicitly provides for working women to have paid breaks for breastfeeding. The timing of the breaks shall be fixed in consultation with the employer. The Committee takes note of this improvement and concludes that the situation in the Netherlands is in conformity with Article 8 para. 3 of the Charter.'(Concl. XV-2vol.2, 348) Aantekeningen lid 4

ALGEMEEN

- Vgl. artikel 8 lid 4 en 5 van het herziene ESH, waarin de bescherming slechts strekt tot vrouwen die zwanger zijn (geweest) of hun kinderen borstvoe-ding moeten geven.

- Arbeidstijdenwet, wet van 23 november 1995,

5tb.1995,598(o.a,art. 4:5-4:9, 5:8).

Arbeidsomstandighedenwet 1998, wet van 18 maart 1999,Stb.1999, 184.

Arbeidsomstandighedenbesluit, besluit van 15 ja-nuari 1997,5tb.1997, 217.

lnternationale Arbeidsorganisatie

- Nr. 45 (Arbeid van vrouwen bij ondergrondse werken in alle soorten mijnen), Sib. 15, 1937. Be-krachtigd op 20 februari 1937,Trb.1957,167. Opge-zegd voor het gehele Koninkrijk op 19 arpil1998,Trb.

1998,194.

Nr. 89 (Nachtarbeid van vrouwen), Stb. 1949,]. 539. Bekrachtigd - mede voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Artiba-op22 oktober1954,Trb.1957,185.0pgezegd op 26 februari 1972,Trb. 1972, 74. Voor de Neder-landse Antillen is de Conventie opgezegd op 22 fe-bruari 2002,Trb.2002, 74.

TOELICHTING

EuropeesComirevoorSocialeRechten

- 'The Committee decided that the expression "in-dustrial employment" appearing in Article 8, para-graph 4(a),could not be interpreted as referring to non-industrial employment in industrial enterpris-es.'(Conci.VI,65)

- 'The efforts to establish de facto and de jure equality between women and men in all fields, and especially that of work, involving the gradual and constant elimination of all forms of discrimination based on sex, have prompted the Committee to define the scope of Article 8, paragraph 4 of the Charter more precisely.

With regard to the undertaking to "regulate" the employment of women workers on night work in in-dustrial employment" (sub-paragraph(a)),the Com-mittee confirmed its case law to the effect that, to comply with this provision, a state is not obliged to enact specific regulations for women if it can demon-strate the existence of regulations applying without distinction to workers of both sexes. Such regulations must specify the conditions governing night work, such as the need to secure permission from the la-bour Inspectorate (if necessary), the laying down of working hours, breaks, days of rest following periods of night work, etc. These regulations are designed in particular to limit the adverse effects of night work on the worker's health and family life and to prevent abuses. With regard to the undertaking to "prohibit the employment of women workers in underground mining" (first part of sub-paragraph(b)),the Com-mittee clarified its case lay by specifying that the above-mentioned prohibition is concerned only with the employment of women on underground extrac-tion work in mines, to the exclusion of all other occu-pations, and in particular those of a social or medical nature, management, inspection, etc.

As regards the second part of sub-paragraph (b),