Transcript European Sector Social Dialogue with EMCEF involvement

Content
1. Social Dialogue Extractive Industries
2. Social Dialogue Electricity
3. Social Dialogue Chemical Industry
4. Social Dialogue Gas
5. Energy Community with Western Balkan Countries
6. Social Dialogue Paper
7. NEPSI – crystalline Silica
8. Conclusions: Future challenges for unions from the New
Member States and Candidate Countries of the EU
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Social Dialogue Committee in the Extractive
Industries
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Decision to set up a SSDC for the mining industry was taken in 2000:
Body for discussions on future strategies focusing on economic
developments & their social consequences, environmental protection,
health & safety, occupational training
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The Committee enlarged and was renamed to cover the extractive
industries in 2004
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Today 6 parties are involved:
 EMCEF
 APEP, EURACOAL, EUROMINES, IMA Europe, UEPG
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Social Dialogue Committee in the Extractive
Industries (2)
Numerous position papers and participation in consultations on fundamental EU
policy developments implying impacts on the industry and employment, such as:
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Climate change policies and GHG reduction targets within the EU
Energy policy
Raw material policies
Environmental issues (e.g. soil protection, 2007)
State aid to coal (2010 Council Decision on the revision of regulation)
Declarations , positions and project work on social issues:
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Health & safety: 2004 Declaration is to be updated (2012), project on accidents
of young workers and sub contractors (2009); OEL NO2 & NOx
Cooperation with the Standing Working Party Extractive Industries
Skills and training are crucial and need to be addressed
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Good Practice: BDSZ Project – Future of
Miners (2009)
BDSZ (Miners’ Union, HU) launched a EU project in 2009 involving unions and
social partners from Germany, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Czech
Republic
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Dealing with climate change policies and their impact on employment in
the mining industry
Outcome is the Budapest Declaration on the Future of Coal in Europe
The Budapest Declaration (II & III) has been taken over as joint position
by the Social Partners in the Extractive Industries
Focusing on:
 the importance of coal extraction in Europe for security of supply
 Need for Research and Development of new and clean technologies,
CCS & CCR
 Coal extraction in EU under save conditions compared to other regions
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Sector Social Dialogue Committee Electricity
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Social dialogue for the electricity sector was established in 2000
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Social Partners are EPSU (European Public Service Union) and
Eurelectric (employer federation)
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Over the years social partners worked on a number of projects:
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Current project on mapping skills and qualifications (2012)
“Climate Change policies and Just Employment Transition
Principles” (2010)
Restructuring: A toolkit for social responsibility (2008)
Demographic Change: toolkit on age diversity and age
management strategies (2008)
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Sector Social Dialogue Committee Electricity (2)
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Position papers, responses to EU consultation on EU policy
developments:
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Joint Declaration: Safety and Security in the Nuclear
Industry (2011)
Joint Position on the EU Energy Roadmap 2050 (2011)
Response to public consultation: Towards a new Energy
Strategy for Europe 2011 - 2020 (2010)
Declaration on Corporate Social Responsibility (2009)
Social Partners seek stronger involvement in the impact
assessment also on EU energy policies and closer contact with
DG Energy
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Sector Social Dialogue Committee Chemical
Industry
 The sectoral social dialogue committee was set up in December
2004 between EMCEF and ECEG (Employers’ Federation)
 In 2003 EMCEF, CEFIC and ECEG signed a memorandum of
understanding regarding Responsible Care® (Health & safety and
environmental issues)
 Lack of skills and life long learning (LLL)
 Active role in the REACH legislation (2006)
 Participation in the High Level Working Group on the
competitiveness of the European Chemical Industry (2009)
 ILO project on capacity building for the social dialogue on
national and European level for New Member States (2009/2010)
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Sector Social Dialogue Committee
Chemical Industry (2)
 Project on demographic change in the chemical industry (2010)
 Framework agreement on competence profiles for process operators and
first line supervisors in the chemical industry ( in several languages of the
new member states: BG, CZ, HU, PL, RO) (April 2011)
 Study on active aging management as a follow up to the demographic
change project (2011/2012)
 EMCEF, ECEG and CEFIC common declaration "The framework conditions
for a sustainable chemical industry in Europe: The view of the social
partners” (September 2011)
 Project on a feasibility study on a Sector Skills Council for the chemical
industry (2012)
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Social Dialogue Committee for the Gas sector
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Social dialogue for the gas sector was established in 2007
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Social Partners are EPSU (European Public Service Union) and Eurogas
(employer federation)
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The subjects are similar to the ones of the SSDC Electricity:
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Future of the European gas sector
CSR
Skills and qualifications
European Energy Policy
Vice-Chair for EMCEF is Tamasz Szekely from VDSZ (Hungary)
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Energy Community with Western Balkan
Countries
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Establishing a common regulatory framework for the energy markets
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Memorandum of understanding – necessities for regional electricity market development
in South East Europe
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Social Partners in the Electricity and Gas Sectors are involved in the Social Forum
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Implementation of Social Action Plans for each country
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Subjects:
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Capacity Building for Social Dialogue
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Market liberalisation and restructuring
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health & safety
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The energy community needs more pressure: at the last meetings social dialogue was
only discussed with ministries of several states, but neither with employers’ associations
nor with trade unions! EMCEF criticised this approach of the Commission.
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Sector Social Dialogue Paper
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The SSDC in the paper sector is the youngest of EMCEF SSDCs and was
established in 2010
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Social Partner is CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries)
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Priority issue is Heath & Safety in the pulp and paper manufacturing:
Joint project – compilation of a Best Practice Guide (2011-12)
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Questionnaire sent to affiliates for the collection of best practices
Expert group (members of CEPI and EMCEF) is selecting practices
and elaborating the Guide
Guide will be distributed to affiliates for use at plant level
Contributing to the EU-OSHA campaign “Save Maintenance”
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Sector Social Dialogue Paper (2)
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Other important issues are:
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demographic change and attractiveness of the industry to
young people
Skills and qualifications
Several policy areas are of concern to Social Partners as they could
have significant impacts on the industry:
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Bioenergy, biodiversity, climate policies, raw material policies,
sustainable consumption and production, etc.
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NEPSI – European network for silica
 NEPSI is a voluntarily social dialogue agreement between 2
European trade union federations (EMCEF and EMF) and 15 industrial
sector organisations
 The “Agreement on Workers’ health protection through the good
handling and use of crystalline silica and products containing it” was
signed on 25 April 2006
 Main aims:
 exchange examples of good practice,
 dissemination of work sheets and videos how to deal with
crystalline silica in an appropriate way,
 distribute the material to all affiliates in most of the EU languages,
 biannual reporting of employers how they improved the OSHE
regarding silica dust and
 workshops for affiliates especially in the New Member States
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Future challenges for unions from the New Member
States and Candidate Countries of the EU
1.
All social dialogue meetings on European level are funded by the EU; travel costs and
accommodations are reimbursed to the trade unions and employers.
2.
Working group meetings are limited to 3 languages, which makes it difficult to
respond to the language needs from (New) Member States; some room for flexibility
3.
Interest of participation or capacity inside the unions is very low in the Eastern
European Countries.
4.
Several examples from the past prove the possibility to discuss national interest on European
level (shale gas or trade union laws)
5.
There is a paramount need to increase the experience and / or the number of trade
union officers to fulfil the “demands” from the European level:
 Without experts in vocational educational training (VET) the framework
agreement on competence profiles or any result of a Sector Skills Council cannot
be implemented on national level
 Without experts for health and safety the advantages of the NEPSI agreement
cannot be implemented on national level
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Future challenges for unions form the New Member
States and Candidate Countries of the EU (2)
Further points for the discussion:
Merger of unions versus deeper cooperation – 2 ways to improve
trade union work?
Added value: Appeal for EU funded projects to strengthen trade
union officers: vocational training in main action fields?
How to improve language skills (English or French) as a capacity to
participate in EU meetings?
How to develop a regional exchange of unions from similar
branches? E.g. regional work of the future EIWF
Social Dialogue versus Tripartism?
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