Explanatory Memorandum to COM(1981)549 -

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dossier COM(1981)549 - .
source COM(1981)549 EN
date 05-10-1981
ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES DE LA COMMISSION

COLLECTION RELIEE DES DOCUMENTS 'COM'

COM (81)549

Contents

1.

Vol. 1981/0167


Disclaimer

Conformement au reglement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du ler fevrier 1983 concernant I’ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communaute economique europeenne et de la Communaute europeenne de I’energie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, p.

1), tel que modifie par le reglement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 (JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p.

1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas echeant, les documents classifies presents dans ce dossier ont ete declassifies conformement a I’article 5 dudit reglement.

In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p.

1), as amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 27.9.2003, p.

1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.

In Obereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1. Februar 1983 uber die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europaischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europaischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983, S.

1), geandert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. September 2003 (ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S.

1), ist diese Datei der Offentlichkeit zuganglich. Soweit erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Obereinstimmung mit Artikel 5 der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES


C0M<81> 549 final. Brussels, 5 October 1981

Draft

COUNCIL DIRECTIVE (EEC)

relating to the organization by the Member States of surveys on the earnings of permanent and seasonal workers employed in agriculture

COM(81) 549 final

; cov'n 0

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In order to perform certain ta?ks assigned-to it under the Treaty, the Commission must have informatior: on the current status and trends of earnings in the Community countries. It therefore requires’ comparable statistics on these matters for all sectors of economic activity. .

As a result of the activities of the Working Party for Statistics on Earnings in Agriculture, which is composed of representatives of the national admii. -istrations, employers and labour, Community surveys of the earnings oi

permanent workers employed in agriculture were conducted from 1974 to 1980

(1). These surveys provided comparable data on the level and distribution of earnings, the number of hours paid and the existence or absence of benefits in kind, taking into account certain personal data on wage earners such as age, sex and occupational qualifications (2). The results of these surveys .

have been published (3). ‘ . ,

As regards the organization of future Community surveys of the earnings of workers employed in agriculture, the Council and the Commission have agreed to set up a permanent system on the basis of a Directive.

Moreover, the Joint Committee on the social problems of agricultural wage earners expressed an opinion in this connection on 6 May 1981, in which it called for the setting up of a definitive Community’instrument to ensure the ' regular publication of comparable data, bn the earnings of permanent full-time and part-time workers and of seasonal workers (at maximum intervals of 2 years)

(1) Council Regulations (EEC)'No 677/74 of 21 March.1974 (OJ No L 83 of 28 j

March 1974, pp 4-5), No 1103/75 of 28 April 1975 (OJ’No L 110 of 30 April 1975, pp 2-3), No 1035/76 of 30 April 1976 (0J No L 118 of 5 May 1976, .

pp 3-4), No 847/77 of 25 April 1977 (0J No L 104 of 28 April 1977, p.

5) and No 3112/80 of 27 November 1980 (0J No L 326 of 2 December 1980, pp

• " 6-7). . ■ ' ’ . ■ . v ■ ■/ ' V

(2) The surveys for 1977 to 1979, which were carried out with ‘a reduced sample

and confined to male workers, were concerned only with trends in income during this period. . . ‘ .

(3) EUROSTAT, Earnings in agriculture

• — 1974 (Social Statistics No 5/1975 '

- 1975 ) .

-5-1976 ) Separate publication

- 1977 ) ,

- 1978 ) Hourly earnings - Hours of work, vol. 1-1979 (1977)

^ - 1979 ) 2-1979 (1978) and 2-1980 (1979)

- 1980 The results will be included in a separate publication. ,

• '■ . - ' , ; '■ - \ > -

’ - 2 - .

Consequently, the procedures for organ!.zing future surveys were decided on by the Working Party for Statistics on Earnings in Agriculture at its meeting on 17 March 1981.

Thus the survey will be conducted every two years from 1982 onwards. It will relate to workers of both,sexes belonging to the following categories: permanent full-time workers, permanent part-time workers and seasonal workers. The inclusion of the two last-mentioned categories, which were not taken into consideration in the earlier surveys, will be -decided on by the Commission in collaboration with the relevant national statistical s'ervices and will apply only to the Member States in which there is a large or substantial number of such workers. The Statistical Office has prepared a Community definition of these three categories of agricultural workers, largely on the basis of information supplied by the Member States on this subject.

2.

Draft


COUNCIL BISSOTIVB (EGO)

3.

relating to the organization by the Member States of surveys on the earnings of permanent and seasonal workers employed in agriculture


1i

THE COUNCIL OP TI^ EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

,V ' ,

1

Having regard tohe Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular^Article 213 thereof,

* - < ■

i * ; f , l?’;

/

Having regard to the draft Directive submitted by the Commission,

Whereas, in order to carry out the tasks assigned to it under the Treaty, in particular those Bet out in Articles 2, 39? 117? US, 119 and 122 thereof, the Commission needs to know the earnings situation and trends in the Member States} ,

Whereas such statistical data as do exist within the Member States on the earnings of agricultural workers do not at present permit valid comparisons to be made,, and .whereas it is, consequently, necessary to conduct a specific Community survey based on uniform definitions and characteristics}

4.

Whereas the Commission needs regular, comprehensive data on earnings, and whereas it is therefore necessary to include all categories of agricultural workers of both sexes in the surveys}


Whereas, however, since the number of agricultural workers in certain categories is very low in several Member States, it is desirable to adopt a selective approach} •

Whereas it is possible and also more economical to carry out such surveys by random sampling,and whereas, in order to obtain results of uniform accuraoy, it is necessary to keep within a fixed margin of error of observation, which should be as low as possible?

h’harafta .La n • .. ••• .• /{./ is t.bo e&raziy; .-runts for granting Community

financial contributions to Member States for tbs purpose of conducting the surveys referred to in this directive}

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE

-Article 1 n -> . .

As from 3.982, Member States shall undertake a survey in alternate years of the actual earnings of male and female workers employed in agriculture} the survey shall cover permanent full-time and part-time workers and. seasonal workers* .

The Commission, after consulting the statistical authorities of the

/

Member States, shall determine the categories of agricultural workers who, on the basis of their relative importance, are to be included in the survey in each country. ' ,

The Commission, after consulting the appropriate Working Party, shall define the aforementioned categories of agricultural workers."

Article 2

The survey provided for in Artiole 1 shall be conduoted on tfye basis of statistical data relating to the months of September, October or November in the case of permanent workers, and to months selected by the Commission, in oooperation with the national statistical authorities of the Member States, in the case of seasonal workers. *

■ Article 3

The survey provided for in Article 1 shall cover all holdings which employ ' permanent and/or seasonal workers and which engage in activities as specified and defined under Class 01 of the General Nomenclature of .

Economic Activities in the European Communities (NACE), with the exception of holdings the activities of which are mainly or exclusively directed to creating and maintaining gardens and parks, to hunting or to activities ancillary to agriculture.

. Article 4 ■

The survey provided for in Article 1 shall be carried out bytrandom sampling. Member States shall take all appropriate measures, in particular with regard to the sample base, to maintain or, if necessary, to improve the quality of the survey results.

Artiole 5

respect of

The survey shall consist of the oollectioxv 'in/ each permanent or seasonal worker* of all data 'relating to gross cash earnings for the month or months referred to in Artiole 2, the existence of benefits in kind,

the nature of the work performed, the basis on which earnings are -

calculated and the number of hours paid, as well as sex, age and job categories. . ' ,

' ' Article 6 ■ , .

The Commission shall> after consulting the statistical authorities of the Member States, determine the technical details of the survey

and the arrangements for transmitting the results to the Commission.

■. ^ ‘ ■ - • • ' ' • - ' ' • ■ . ; '■ m . •

* Article 7 ' ' r

The Member States shall receive* in respect o^ the first three surveys* a flat-rate sum for each holding surveyed. This sum_shall be charged against appropriations allocated for this purpose in the budget of the European Communities. - .

' . Artiole 8

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

1. Relevant budget heading; Art. 264 . ,

2. Title of budget heading: Draft Council Directive (EEC) on the organization of a survey on the earnings of workers employed in agriculture.

3. Legal basis: Council Directive (EEC) .

4. Objective and justification of the project; to set up, after a series

of complete and light annual surveys, a permanent system of surveys which will allow more detailed comparisons of the level and the distribution of the earnings of workers in agriculture, at two-yearly intervals, and to follow developments in this respect. The information must be collected directly at the agricultural holdings by the statistical services of the Member States. . '

5. Financial implications of the project (in ECU)

5.0 In respect of expenditure: As stated in Article 7 of the draft Directive, the Member States will receive a lump sum in respect of each holding covered for carrying out the three initial surveys. These costs will be charged against the appropriations provided for this purpose in the budgets of the European Communities for 1982, 1984 and 1986 (Article 264, ’Statistical surveys and studies'). -

The Community contribution covers only part of the total cost of the surveys carried out by the national statistical offices.

5.1 Method of calculation: It is proposed to calculate the flat rate con- • tribution to Member States on the basis of ah amount of 12 ECU per unit covered.Taking account of the number of holdings to be covered (+ 56000) the sum chargeable to the budget of the European Communities can be estimated, for each of the three surveys covering the ten Member States, at 672 000 ECU. This estimate is based on the following breakdown of the sample by countries (figures for the 1980 survey in brackets):

Units

ECU
Germany9000(8823)a)108000(105876)
France12000(10000), 144000(120000)
Italy15000(10000)180000(120000)
Netherlands2450(2450)29400(29400)
Belgium .1750(1750)21000(21000)
Luxembourg .250(250)3000(3000)
United Kingdom2000(1820)24000(21840)
Ireland2530(2530)30360(30360)
Denmark. 6000”-16000)72000(72000)
Greece5000( - >60000( - )
TOTAL .' 55980(43623)671760(523476)


a) Actual number that took part in the last complete survey in which this country participated (1976).

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