In an urgent letter to President Roberta Metsola, sent on the initiative of SYRIZA-PA/The Left MEP Kostas Arvanitis, dozens of MEPs call for a halt to the European Parliament’s practices that have stunted the institution’s interpretation services and affect the interpreters’ labour rights.
In the letter, co-signed by 31 colleagues from 4 political groups, the health problems that constantly plague interpreters, resulting in the constant disruption of the smooth operation of the European Parliament’s committees due to the lack of interpreters, are brought to light.
It is stated that the health problems have been caused by interpreting via the Interactio platform, which does not meet the relevant ISO safety standards for listeners. It is worth noting that the platform was adopted during the first period of the pandemic and was theoretically a temporary measure to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the European Parliament in the midst of the unprecedented emergency created by COVID19.
No less than 40% of interpreters have reported hearing problems caused by the use of the platform to the EP’s medical service, while in a survey carried out within the service the figure skyrockets to 65%!
As pointed out in the letter, despite the gradual lifting of the restrictions, this “temporary” measure is still in force and, “on 13 June, the decision on reduced working hours taken to address the negative effects of poor sound quality was revoked, thus establishing a new, unfavourable normality for parliamentary interpreters”.
MEPs call out the competent Directorate’s General for Conference Support and Interpretation (DG LINC) refusal to engage in a dialogue with the interpreters towards a mutually acceptable working arrangement. In fact, when the interpreters announced a strike, DG LINC outsourced interpreting. Such a strikebreaking move, is an affront to the labour and union rights of parliamentary interpreters and to the quality of interpretation, as it has created a fierce labour conflict within the European Parliament.
The co-signatories call on the President to take all necessary steps to put an end to the shameful treatment of the people who constitute a valuable and irreplaceable tool to ensure that the institution functions smoothly and that the work of the European Parliament is delivered accurately and clearly to every EU taxpayer.
In particular, the 32 MEPs ask:
i) Ensure the proper application of the precautionary principle through unremitting monitoring of interpreters’ auditory health and effective follow-up;
ii) Establish and implement concrete binding instructions on the use of recommended equipment and technical set-up for remote connections;
iii) Launch consultation and facilitate arbitration to institute a regulatory framework for Multilingual Remote Participation (MRP) interpreting;
iv) Alleviate pressure from DG LINC on individual interpreters, including through the outsourcing of the service provision, which not only debilitates their acknowledged right to strike, but also stands against the European Parliament’s recent efforts towards improvement of employment conditions and advancement of fair collective agreements.
The Letter is co-signed by SYRIZA – PA MEPs A. Georgoulis, St. Kouloglou & E. Kountoura and a total of 16 members of the The Left, 7 of S&D, 7 from the Greens/ EFA and 2 from the Renew group.
The entire letter can be found here:
Letter to EP President Roberta Metsola regarding the situation with interpreters
Below is the list of MEPs:
ARVANITIS Konstantinos, MEP, The Left
BARRENA Pernando, MEP, The Left
BENIFEI Brando, MEP, S&D
CHAIBI Leila, MEP, The Left
CORMAND David, MEP, Greens/EFA
DALY Clare, MEP, The Left
DURAND Pascal, MEP, Renew Europe
EICKHOUT Bas, MEP, Greens /EFA
FREUND Daniel, MEP, Greens /EFA
GEORGIOU Giorgos, MEP, The Left
GEORGOULIS Alexis, MEP, The Left
GRUFFAT Claude, MEP, Greens /EFA
GUSMÃO José, MEP, The Left
HAJŠEL Robert, MEP, S&D
JONGERIUS Agnes, MEP, S&D
KOULOGLOU Stelios, MEP, The Left
KOUNTOURA Elena, MEP, The Left
MATIAS Marisa, MEP, The Left
MAUREL Emmanuel, MEP, The Left
MAVRIDES Costas, MEP, S&D
MEBAREK Nora, MEP, S&D
MELCHIOR Karen, MEP, Renew Europe
PEREIRA Sandra, MEP, The Left
PIMENTA LOPES João, MEP, The Left
PINEDA Manu, MEP, The Left
PISAPIA Giuliano, MEP, S&D
REGO Sira, MEP, The Left
RIPA Manuela, MEP, Greens /EFA
STRIK Tineke, MEP, Greens /EFA
VAN SPARRENTAK Kim, MEP, Greens /EFA
WALLACE Mick, MEP, The Left
WOLTERS Lara, MEP, S&D
