Equal opportunities for all, especially in the labour market and the workplace

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Equal opportunities for all, especially in the
labour market and the workplace

• Closing Conference 2007
• European Year of Equal Opportunities for all
• 19 20 November 2007, Lisbon
• Catelene Passchier, confederal secretary
  European Trade Union Confederation
• www.etuc.org

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ETUC Affiliates Unity in Diversity
gt 60 Million members (42
women)
36 Countries
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Equality before the law is at heart of
democratic society

• Non-discrimination in employment is about
  citizenship and democracy in the labour market
  and the workplace
• This is where social partners have a particular
  responsibility

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• Non-discrimination outside employment
• a pre-condition for equality in the workplace
  (access to affordable and quality education,
  transport, housing, childcare, public services,
  etc.)
• benefits from equality in the workplace
• services are companies and workplaces too

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New challenges for equality in the 21-st century

• Demographic change ageing population
  feminisation of the workforce
• Enlargement 12 (and more?!) new Member States
• Integration of increasing amounts of mobile (EU)
  and migrant (non-EU) workers and their families
• Increasing social insecurity, with vulnerable
  groups of workers extra hard hit
• Danger of scape-goating outsiders

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No equality without social policy

• Social policy, quality public services, labour
  standards and their proper monitoring and
  enforcement, are key conditions for a fair, just
  and equal society
• Biggest challenge for EU and MSs is to link
  equal opportunities policies more explicitly to
  social policy, and to ensure policy coherence

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ETUCs commitment

• combat social exclusion, poverty, inequality
• recognise diversity in world of work, and build
  solidarity between groups of workers
• combat discrimination in all its forms
• analyse and act against prejudices in trade
  unions and their structures

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ETUC active on 4 levels

• Support of EU policies and legislation
• equal treatment m/f
• EU-Treaty reforms Charter of Fundamental Rights
• lobby for article 13 and Directives
• demand for policy coherence (migration policies,
  working time, ..)
• Negotiating and cooperating with employers
  organisations (joint declarations, agreements,
  framework of actions)
• Cooperation with social NGOs
• Internal equality- and action plans

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Equal treatment men and women(1)

• A struggle of more than a century (first actions
  in 19-th century, with women trade unionists on
  strike for equal pay)
• The issue is twofold a pay-gap between wages for
  men and women doing comparable work (average 15
  for EU), and the low value of womens work
• Example 2007 In Bulgaria, 85 of teachers are
  on strike, most of them women. They demand a
  substantial wage increase. Their current wage is
  150 Euro per month (compared to around 400 for a
  skilled blue collar worker).

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Equal treatment men and women (2)

• ETUC supports EU institutions In 2007 proposals
  on reconciliation and equal pay
• With employers
• Agreements as basis for Directives on Parental
  Leave, Part time work, fixed term work
• Framework of actions on gender equality (2005)
  and follow up. 4 priorities gender stereotypes,
  women in decision-making, reconciliation, equal
  pay
• Evaluation Parental leave directive
• Cooperation with EWL on specific themes (working
  time, care, etc.)
• Internal ETUC Equality plans In 2007 Charter
  on gender-mainstreaming

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Disabled workers

• Joint action with employers, i.e. compendium good
  practices on integration in the workplace (2000)
  and joint statement (2003)
• Cooperation since 10 years with EDF
• Joint ETUC-EDF conference and joint declaration
  October 2007 on promoting access to employment
  and vocational training, also stressing urgent
  need for legislative action to tackle
  discrimination in all areas other than employment

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LGBT workers

• Still a long way to go
• Actions by several national and sectoral trade
  unions, notably in public sector and education
• Joint project with ILGA-Europe 2007-08
• No joint social partner actions at EU level
  (yet..)

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Migrant and ethnic minority workers(race, ethnic
origin, belief)

• 1995 Joint social partner declaration and
  recommendations on combating racism and
  xenophobia in the workplace gt Update pending (in
  work programme SPs)
• Action plan ETUC 2003
• Joint actions and activities with NGOs on
  anti-racism, undocumented workers, and combating
  labour exploitation of migrant workers
• 2006 ETUC conference on organising and
  supporting domestic workers (increasingly migrant
  women)

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Overview European Social partners joint actions
(1)

• Gender equality
• Agreements as basis for Directives on Parental
  Leave, Part time work, fixed term work
• Framework of actions on gender equality (2005)
  and follow up. 4 priorities gender stereotypes,
  women in decision-making, reconciliation, equal
  pay
• Evaluation Parental leave directive (2007-08)

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Overview European Social partners joint actions
(2)

• Workers with disabilities Joint action with
  employers, i.e. compendium good practices on
  integration in the workplace (2000) and joint
  statement (2003)
• Race/ethnic origin 1995 Joint social partner
  declaration and recommendations on combating
  racism and xenophobia in the workplace gt Update
  pending (in work programme SPs)

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New issues equal treatment(1)

• In framework migration and mobility Equal
  treatment in the workplace, regardless of
  nationality
• Ensure equal pay and equal treatment in the
  workplace for migrant and mobile workers
• Invest in enforcement of working conditions
• EU should consider adding nationality as
  non-discrimination ground

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New issues equal treatment(2)

• Equal opportunities
• is not just about individual issues and needs
• cannot be solved by focusing only on individual
  rights and access to complaint procedures and
  judges
• people should be called upon and equipped to
  actively take part themselves in the shaping of
  their living and working conditions
• when it comes to the work place, organising in a
  union, and worker representation are key
• there is a need for an additional discrimination
  ground discrimination on basis of trade union
  membership

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What messages on equal treatment?

• Embed equal opportunities in wider fundamental
  rights and social policy approach
• Focus on commonality and solidarity, while not
  ignoring discrimination
• Prevent fragmentation of equality instruments,
  while not ignoring specific needs
• Invest in coherent and transparent legal
  framework
• Be aware of economic gains of inclusion and
  non-discrimination, and of social costs of
  discrimination and exclusion

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New legislation, better implementation, stronger
involvement of social partners, and more
financial resources

• A general and coherent legislative framework on
  non-discrimination outside employment, with
  specific measures to cater for needs specific
  groups (such as the disabled).
• An EU monitoring and evaluation system, guidance
  to tackle unclear and divergent transposition,
  and awareness raising
• Stronger involvement of social partners in
  implementation and monitoring, and development of
  targeted action plans
• More financial resources, for training managers
  and worker representatives, and to support social
  partner initiatives that aim at achieving
  equality at work.