The European Social Dialogue Creating Added Value

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The European Social DialogueCreating Added Value

• Chemical Industry, Prague
• 23 March 2006
• Markus Handke, European Commission,
• DG Employment Social Affairs

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Why a social dialogue?
Bargaining area (Joint initiatives)
Good Governance (Consultation)
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Legislation Mobility - Gender equality Health and
Safety
Social Policy Agenda
European Social Dialogue
European Social Funds
Open Method of Coordination Employment Social
protection
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Towards a new era of partnership
Trade Unions
Commission
Employers
2002-...
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The place of social dialogue at European level

• Institutional recognition
• Article 138 of the EC Treaty
• The European Commission
• promotes consultation of social partners at
  Community level
• facilitates their dialogue
• ensures a balanced support of both sides

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The place of social dialogue at European level

• Institutional recognition
• Article 139 of the EC Treaty
• The dialogue between the social partners can
  lead, if they wish, to contractual relations,
  including agreements
• Barcelona European Council 2002
• The European social model is founded on a healthy
  economy, a high level of social protection,
  education and social dialogue

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Autonomous agreements Understanding the
mechanisms Art. 138, 139
Commission
Social Partners
Consultation
No negotiation or failure
Negotiation
Opinions
Council
Legislative process
Autonomous Agreement
Agreement implemented by a Decision
LEGISLATION
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
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European social partners

• Cross-industry organisations
• (UNICE, CEEP, ETUC)
• Cross-industry organisations representing certain
  categories of workers or undertakings (CEC,
  Eurocadres, UEAPME)
• Sectoral organisations representing employers
  organisations or workers unions

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What forms of European Social Dialogue?
Tripartite dialogue
Macro-economic dialogue
Dialogue on employment and social protection
Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment
Bipartite dialogue
Val Duchesse Social Dialogue - Social Dialogue
Summits, Social Dialogue Committee
Sectoral Social dialogue Committees
Company level EWC
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Fora for Tripartite Concertation
Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and
Employment (before Spring European Council each
year)
Macro- Economic Dialogue (DG ECFIN)
Concertation on Employment (EMCO)
Concertation on Social Protection (SPC)
Trilogue on Education and Training (DG EAC)
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Bipartite dialogue

• Voluntary
• Autonomous
• Commission support
• Cross-industry dialogue
• Sectoral dialogue
• 31 Sectoral dialogue committees established
• (Commerce, Agriculture, Banking, Insurance,
  Postal Services, Rail Transport, Construction)

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sectoral social dialogue committees
23 500 000
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Topics addressed by the social dialogue
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Demography

• The Commission Green Paper "Faced with
  demographic change, a new solidarity between the
  generations", adopted on 16 March 2005
• The number of older workers (aged 55 to 64) will
  increase by 24 million between 2005 and 2030.
• The number of people aged over 80 will rise from
  18.8 million today to 34.7 million in 2030.

Social partners' initiatives Cross-industry
(campagne) Construction Commerce (solidarity
between generations) Contributions to the
European Youth Pact
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Vocational training

• European employment strategy
• Objective Increase and improve investments in
  human capital
• One worker out of two does not have access to
  vocational training

Social partners' initiatives Cross-industry
(framework of actions) Construction
(tutoring) Banking HORECA Agriculture Personal
services
Employment per category of worker
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HealthSafety

• European strategy for health and safety at the
  workplace 2002-2006
• Evaluation and preparation of new strategy
• Simplification and rationalisation of
  interventions

Social partners' initiatives Cross-industry
(stress) Construction (Guide) Agriculture
(MSD) Sea fishers (accidents)Maritime transport
(harrassment) Extractive industries
(silica-crystalline)
Poor and unsafe working conditions 3 of GNP 500
millions work days a year lost Accidents at
work 4 of workers during the year
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Restructuring

• Communication adopted the 31 March 2005
• Second stage consultation of the Social Partners

Social partners' initiatives Cross-industry (Orie
ntations) Banking Textiles Sugar
Employment evolution in the last 25 years
(millions)
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Typology of social dialogue texts
Declarations/Opinions
Recommendations
Agreements 139.2
Consensus Information
Follow-up Reporting
Implementation Monitoring
ex-ante evaluation monitoring
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The need for synergies
Tripartite dialogue
Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and
Employment, macroeconomic dialogue,
Bipartite dialogue
Sectoral social dialogue committees
Company level EWC
Cross-industry Social dialogue
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Employer organisation rate
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Union Density
gt 55
45 - 55
35 - 45
15 - 35
lt 15
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Bargaining Coverage
Less 40
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Enlargement

• Greater need for social dialogue
• Increased diversity
• Technical capacity of national social partners
• Technical capacity of European social partners
• Representativeness

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Information sources

• Website of the Commission
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/index_
  en.htm
• EIRO ( European industrial relations observatory
  online)
• http//www.eiro.eurofound.ie/