# Council Decision (EU) 2018/1215 of 16 July 2018 on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States, Division: Guideline 7: Enhancing the functioning of labour markets and the effectiveness of social dialogue

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

In order to benefit from a dynamic and productive workforce, new work patterns and business models, Member States should work together with the social partners on flexibility and security principles, balancing rights and obligations. They should reduce and prevent segmentation within labour markets, fight undeclared work and foster the transition towards open-ended forms of employment. Employment protection rules, labour law and institutions should all provide both a suitable environment for recruitment, and the necessary flexibility for employers to adapt swiftly to changes in the economic context, while preserving appropriate security and healthy, safe and well-adapted working environments for workers. Employment relationships that lead to precarious working conditions should be prevented, including by fighting the abuse of atypical contracts. Access to effective and impartial dispute resolution and a right to redress, including adequate compensation, should be ensured in cases of unfair dismissal.
Policies should aim to improve and support labour-market participation, matching and transitions. Member States should effectively activate and enable those who can participate in the labour market. Member States should strengthen the effectiveness of active labour-market policies by increasing their targeting, outreach, coverage and better linking them with income support for the unemployed, whilst they are seeking work and based on their rights and responsibilities. Member States should aim for more effective and efficient public employment services by ensuring timely and tailor-made assistance to support jobseekers, supporting labour-market demand and implementing performance-based management.
Member States should provide the unemployed with adequate unemployment benefits of reasonable duration, in line with their contributions and national eligibility rules. Such benefits should not disincentivise a prompt return to employment and should be accompanied by active labour market policies.
The mobility of learners and workers should be promoted with the aim of enhancing employability skills and exploiting the full potential of the European labour market. Barriers to mobility in education and training, in occupational and personal pensions and in the recognition of qualifications should be removed. Member States should take action to ensure that administrative procedures are not an unnecessary obstacle to workers from other Member States taking up employment. Member States should also prevent abuse of the existing rules and address potential ‘brain drain’ from certain regions.
Building on existing national practices, and in order to achieve more effective social dialogue and better socioeconomic outcomes, Member States should ensure the timely and meaningful involvement of the social partners in the design and implementation of employment, social and, where relevant, economic reforms and policies, including through support for increased capacity of the social partners. The social partners should be encouraged to negotiate and conclude collective agreements in matters relevant to them, fully respecting their autonomy and the right to collective action.
Where relevant and building on existing national practices, Member States should take into account the experience on employment and social issues of relevant civil society organisations.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2018/1215/annex/division/3 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2018-1215/annex/division-3
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.