Transcript ' Integrating Service User and Workforce Involvement in Italy '

INTEGRATING SERVICE
USER & WORKFORCE INVOLVEMENT
IN PUBLIC SERVICES
EXPLORING THE CONNECTIONS
30th January 2015
New Challenges for Public Services Social Dialogue:
Integrating Service User and Workforce Involvement in
Italy
Stefano Neri e Lorenzo Bordogna
Università di Milano
with the contribution of Roberta Roncone
Cisl Public Function Union in Emilia-Romagna (Italy)
New Challenges for
Public Services Social Dialogue

In Italy, today, public service social dialogue
is not based on a close relationship between
trade unions and users or user
representatives.

Trade unions and users dialogue/interact
with administrators or public managers
separately.
New Challenges for
Public Services Social Dialogue



Administrators and public managers do not invite unions
and users at the same time and in the same location (at
the same table) to discuss together how Italian public
services should be organized;
Trade unions, traditionally, do not ask, and are not
asking, to have moments of dialogue/discussion with
user representatives;
User representatives do not ask to meet the unions
because they do not think that they represent users’
interests and prefer to be represented by associations or
committees.
Two Italian problems which could become
two opportunities… through a more
effective social dialogue

A negative general opinion about Italian public
services
Scandals in politics and in public services

Representation crisis of Italian trade unions
They are perceived and described, especially by the
Government (but also often by public opinion and the
media in general), as an obstacle to economic
development because of their alleged resistance to
change
New Challenges for
Public Services Social Dialogue

Satisfying users’ demands is a challenge, both for public
workers and public services, and for trade unions. The
real threat for trade unions is not to change.

The future of public sector trade unions is also related to
their relationship with users of public services and their
participation in decision-making processes regarding the
organisation of work to meet users’ demands (or
instance in the organization of working time).
For trade unions this is a way to regain power and also
confidence and support on the part of Government,
workers and users/citizens.