Transcript Document
Work Programme
Collective Bargaining
& Social Policy
Introduction
Anna-Lena Börgö Etaat
Bart Samyn
INTRODUCTION
• Collective Bargaining is Trade Union Core Business
Defending trade union autonomy
Fighting attacks on our strengths and solidarity
Fighting attacks on our Collective Bargaining systems
Fighting the effects of the crisis and neo-liberal policies
• NEED FOR:
Strong national trade unions
Strong industriAll Europe
Strong European-wide coordinated collective bargaining
INTRODUCTION 2
• Aim is to improve working and living conditions
Centred on an active & coordinated wage policy
Using all possible tools
•NEED FOR:
Increased coverage rate of collective agreements
NO social and wage competition
Job and employment security
Decent work & fair wages
Visibility of our policies
WAGE POLICIES & TOOLS
1. WAGE COORDINATION RULE
High priority for the new organisation
Unified position paper
Improved and stronger cooperation with ETUC
2. WORKING TIME
Revision of Working Time Directive
Coverage rate of Working Time Directive
Revision of our own guidelines on working time
Special attention to increased flexibilisation
WAGE POLICIES & TOOLS 2
3. WORK LIFE BALANCE
Increased demands on availability from
employers
Need for good working time regulations
Need for protection
Need for career breaks and periods of leave
Effect of unpaid domestic work on labour
market availability, income and even level of
pensions, especially for women
WAGE POLICIES & TOOLS 3
4. EUCOB@N
Hugely important tool for our CB strategy
Evaluated and improved
Increase participation rate
More emphasis on forecasts
Importance of day-to-day information on CB
rounds (more than just results), strikes, labour
market issues, labour/social legislation or
changes ...
WAGE POLICIES & TOOLS 4
5. EUCOB@N WEBSITE
Design has to reflect new organisation
Discussion on how to organise website
6. REGIONAL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NETWORKS
See how to extend and improve existing
networks
See how to involve other sectors (for the
moment limited to metal)
COMMON DEMANDS
1. PRECARIOUS EMPLOYMENT CD
Exists in all three founding organisations
Need to harmonise the position
Discuss how to organise the campaign and
different timings
2. TRAINING CD
Exists in 2 of the 3 founding organisations
Need for continued evaluation and follow-up
DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES
Changes in the composition of the workforce
from young > to much older
Debate on pension age and working longer
Link to working conditions, incentives
Competences ( and transfer of competences)
Access to training for ALL categories of workers
including training to access the labour market
PRECARIOUS WORK
Huge increase in all forms of precarious work
Slowed during crisis, but re-emerging even
stronger (abuse of crisis situation)
Erosion of normal working and living conditions,
especially for migrant, women and young
workers
Need to reduce low wage sectors in Europe,
e.g. Minimum wages (following national
practices)
PRECARIOUS WORK 2
• Enormous amount of different forms of precarious
work
Different contract forms (best known and most
widespread: temporary agency work) = flexibility of
contracts
Flexibility of working time
Non-solicitation agreements (difficulty for changing jobs)
Lack of representation (TU) or access to social security,
training, ...
Bogus self employment
Job security
EUROPEAN TRANSNATIONAL AGREEMENTS
• European level negotiations for multinational
companies are important
Importance of including the trade unions
Importance of the mandate procedure (as accepted by
the Founding Congress)
Logical need for an optional legal framework for such
agreements
• Commission initiative without direct outlook for result
• Commission initiative on restructuring
Need for a European right to strike
SOCIAL POLICY ISSUES
• IMPORTANT LINK (national as well as European)
between collective bargaining rounds and
social/labour legislation
• Important to have quick and good overview of EU
initiatives, which for the time being are:
working time
flexicurity
pensions
health & safety
posting directive
whistle blowing