Transcript Document

Private Employment Agencies
and Social Responsibility:
What role for which benefits?
The European experience
Content of presentation
• Ciett profile, objectives and activities
• Eurociett social responsibility strategy
– To ensure quality standards through a Code of Conduct
– To promote PrEAs’ positive contribution to EU labour markets
– To position PrEAs as active players to facilitate transitions in EU
labour markets
– To develop a fruitful social dialogue
• What is to be learned from Europe?
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Structure
Public affairs and regulation
PR & Communications
Social dialogue
Content of presentation
• Ciett profile, objectives and activities
• Eurociett social responsibility strategy
– To ensure quality standards through a Code of Conduct
– To promote PrEAs’ positive contribution to EU labour markets
– To position PrEAs as active players to facilitate transitions in EU
labour markets
– To develop a fruitful social dialogue
• What is to be learned from Europe?
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–
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Structure
Public affairs and regulation
PR & Communications
Social dialogue
Ciett at a glance
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Founded in 1967
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The only international body representing the interests of agency
work businesses, with a specific organisation for Europe: Eurociett
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Brings together 37 national federations of private employment
agencies and 6 of the largest staffing companies worldwide
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Ciett Members comprised of private companies operating in the
following HR activities: temporary agency work, recruitment, interim
management, executive search, outplacement, training
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Ciett Members gather 75,000 branches and employ more than 8
million agency workers on a daily average (FTE)
A truly global confederation
North America
Canada
Mexico
USA
South America
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Ecuador
Uruguay
Asia/Pacific
Africa
Morocco
South Africa
China
Japan
South Korea
Europe
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
FYRoM
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Ciett Board members
President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Joël Biller
Philippe Marcel
Herwig Muyldermans
Regional Representatives
Africa/Near East
Simon Ridge
North America
Richard Wahlquist
South America
Horacio de Martini
Asia/Pacific
Katzuhiko Kamata
Europe
Annemarie Muntz
Corporate Members
Adecco
Tristan d’Avezac
Kelly Services
Bernard Tommasini
Randstad
Fred van Haasteren
Vedior
Ton Mulders
Chair of the Standing Committees
National Federations
François Roux
Corporate Members
Already represented
Manpower
Amanda Walsh
USG People
Leo Houwen
Ciett’s long term objectives
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To protect and promote the interests of Private Employment
Agencies in order to enhance the long term growth of the industry
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To create the most suitable legal environment for the industry to
operate in
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To improve the image of the industry and strengthen its
representation
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To facilitate best practise sharing among its members and to
promote quality standards within the staffing industry
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To seek greater recognition for the contribution that private
employment agencies make to labour markets, especially in relation
with 3 key aspects:
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Employment creation
Higher participation and diversity in the labour market
Economic growth and tax revenues
Main past achievements
1.
2.
Legal recognition of the AW industry
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U-turn position of the ILO: from strict prohibition (Convention n°96) to formal
recognition in 1997 (Convention n°181)
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Legal recognition of the industry in France (1972), Greece (1999), Denmark (1990),
Finland (1993), Sweden (1993), The Netherlands (1998), Belgium (1987)
Definition of an international relevant regulatory standard for
the AW industry
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3.
Liberalisation of the legislation on AW
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4.
ILO Convention 181 (and Recommendation 188) provides the right balance between
freedom to provide AW services and the need to define some agency workers’ working
conditions
Assistance to members in their negotiations with government: Japan, China
Filing of complaint with the European Commission in 1992 against Italy, Spain and
Germany after which these countries gradually liberalised their agency work
regulations: Spain (1994), Italy (1997+ Biagi amendment 2003), Germany (1992-1997,
2004)
Better visibility/recognition of the AW sector
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By initiating strategic research on PrEAs’ contribution to the labour market (McKinsey
in 2000, Bain in 2007)
By developing robust statistics and case studies to fight misconceptions about the
reality of our industry
Content of presentation
• Ciett profile, objectives and activities
• Eurociett social responsibility strategy
– To ensure quality standards through a Code of Conduct
– To promote PrEAs’ positive contribution to EU labour markets
– To position PrEAs as active players to facilitate transitions in EU
labour markets
– To develop a fruitful social dialogue
• What is to be learned from Europe?
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Structure
Public affairs
PR & Communications
Social dialogue
The Agency Work market in Europe
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Rather small but significant sector
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On EU average, accounts for 1.7% of total national labour force
Total number of Agency Workers = 3.3 million daily FTE (2006)
Around 30,000 branches from 20,000 different firms
Annual turnover of around €100 billion
Different levels of market developments
– Well-established markets: Belgium, France, Netherlands, UK
– Recently deregulated markets: Italy, Spain, Germany
– Emerging markets: countries from Central and Eastern Europe
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Sectoral distribution differs between countries
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1/3 directed towards industry/manufacturing (AT, FR, NL, PT)
1/3 services (EL, ES, NO, SE, UK) and the remainder (BE, DK, FI, IT)
more mixed
minority (DK, NL, NO, UK) have significant public sector usage
Meets companies’ requirement for labour flexibility while
protecting working conditions (balance between flexibility and
work security)
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Eurociett strategy regarding Social
Responsibility
• It is key for Eurociett to position the PrEA industry as a
socially responsible one
• Objectives:
– To improve the image of the industry
– To create a more friendly environment that will allow a
sustainable growth for the industry
– To rally our opponents to our cause
• Strategy:
– To ensure quality standards through a Code of Conduct and
relevant regulation
– To ensure that the economic and social positive role PrEAs play
in the labour market is acknowledged
– To position PrEAs as active players to facilitate transitions in EU
labour markets
– To develop a fruitful social dialogue
To ensure quality standards through a
Code of Conduct and relevant regulation
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Because of the growing importance of PrEAs and the need for
ensuring quality standards, Eurociett has established its own Code of
Conduct
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All Eurociett members have to comply with 10 common agreed
principles described in the Code of Conduct
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Main principles include:
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Respect for laws
Respect for transparency of terms of engagement
Respect for the workers’ rights (freedom of association, no replacement of strikers…)
Respect for free-of-charge services to jobseekers
Respect for safety at work
These common agreed principles are complemented by a
commitment to key European employment issues, stressing the
social responsibilities of Eurociett members towards a more efficient
labour market
To ensure that PrEAs’ positive contribution to
labour markets is acknowledged
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PrEAs contribute to a more efficient labour market, as they:
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Provide work to job-seekers and contribute to reducing unemployment
Help to create jobs that would not exist otherwise
Act as a stepping-stone to permanent employment
Improve labour market fluidity
Enhance workers’ employability
Play a key role in Active Labour Market Policies by putting more people at
work and by cooperating with Public Employment Services
Increase the diversity of the workforce
However, this positive economic and social role is not always
acknowledged by our key stakeholders (especially policy
makers and trade unions) although it is a contribution to social
responsibility:
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PrEAs are private operators but part of their activities can be seen as of
general interest (reducing unemployment, fighting illegal work, helping
disadvantage people)
PrEAs contribute to economic growth and tax revenues while costing nothing
to governments
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By putting PrEAs reduce the unemployment allowances paid by States while
increasing public incomes through the social contributions paid by these
agency workers
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To position PrEAs as active players to
facilitate transitions in EU labour markets
From
unemployment
to employment
Role of
Temporary
Agency
Work
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Help ‘outsiders’
to enter the
labour market
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The higher the
TAW penetration
rate, the lower
the long-term
unemployment
From education
to work
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Gain
experience to
prepare entry to
the labour
market
Help students to
work while
studying
(apprenticeship)
Between
private/family
life and work
Between 2 jobs
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Be a stepping
stone to find a
permanent
contract
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Enhance
workers’
employability
through job
assignments and
vocational
training
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Match a
professional
activity with
aspiration to a
flexible way of life
or family
constraints
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To develop a fruitful social dialogue
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In most European countries, trade unions have accepted TAW
but are still rather negative about this form of flexible work
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In 2000, Eurociett decied to enter into a European Social
Dialogue on temporary agency work in order to:
– Develop a better understanding of the reality of our industry vis-à-vis
the trade unions
– Improve the image of the industry (being seen as a socially
responsible industry)
– Promote sectoral social dialogue at national level
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Since 2000, several initiatives have been carried out:
– Joint-declarations (on the Agency Work Directive, on Flexicurity)
– Organisation of roundtables to promote national sectoral social
dialogue (Poland, Hungary)
– Joint research on TAW regulation in Europe
– Exchange of best practices (e.g. safety at work, diversity in the
workforce, work migration)
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As a result, trade unions have a clearer image of our industry;
respect and trust have improved between workers and employers
– The 2008 work programme illustrates the variety and interest of
topics to be addressed (see next slide)
Eurociett Social Dialogue
work programme for 2008
I – Labour market policies
Supporting tool
Flexicurity
New joint declaration on ALMPs
Work migration
Joint Declaration
II – TAW regulation
Roundtable in Romania, Bulgaria
or Turkey
Supporting tool
Research to be carry out
Legal contracts offered by TWAs in EU
Freedom to contract
Posting of Workers Directive
Joint Declaration on a better
implementation
ILO Convention 181
Joint Declaration
Dublin Foundation survey update
Decent work, non discrimination and
equal treatment (including CLAs)
III – TAW quality standards
Observatory on Work Migration
Joint Project (if grant from Commission)
Training
Promotion of national social dialogue
Research to be carry out
Supporting tool
Research to be carry out
Feasability survey on quality
standardisation
Normalisation of « Recruitment
Services »
Promotion of Code of Conduct
Joint Declaration
Corporate Social Responsibilities
Joint Declaration
CSR best practices from Corporate
Members
What is to be learned from Eurociett?
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Structure:
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Public Affairs:
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To build good relationship with your all key stakeholders: government,
employers federation but also the most reluctant to our industry (trade
unions, academics)
To call for appropriate regulation (to be adapted according to level of market
development)
To get a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses as an industry
(image problem, regulation, agency workers’ working conditions?)
Public Relations:
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To organise regular events allowing to share information and best practices
within your regional organisation (commonalities between countries are
broader that you could expect)
To position the PrEA industry as a key player to improve the functioning of
labour markets (« Part of the solution rather than part of the problem »)
To collect data and case studies to illustrate best practices (« no figures, no
existece! »)
Social dialogue:
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To try to educate trade unions by talking to them and carrying out common
projects (research)