Transcript Social Partner Perspective on Combining User Workforce Involvement'

INTEGRATING SERVICE
USER & WORKFORCE INVOLVEMENT IN
PUBLIC SERVICES
EXPLORING THE CONNECTIONS
Round Table
Social partner perspectives on
combining user and workforce
involvement
Roberta Roncone - member of the Secretary of Cisl
Public Function Union in Emilia-Romagna (Italy)
In what sense and under what
circumstances are users viewed as a
legitimate employment relations actor?
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In Italy, currently, public service social dialogue does not
include formally and directly user representatives: trade
unions and user representatives dialogue/interact with
administrators or public managers separately.
User representatives are involved only indirectly and to a
limited extent.
Trade unions are not asking to have moments of
discussion/confrontation with user representatives.
Users are invited by public managers through the form of
committees and associations that expose some of their
requests or complaints about the organization of the
services (example: opening hours).
What does the policy interest in user involvement
imply for the management of the workforce in your
sector/country?
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The policy interest in user involvement implies that work organization could
change to better meet users' demands.
For example, about opening times of some services in the health sector
(such as nursery school for longer hours during the afternoon or clinics for
medical tests booking during weekends), or teachers’ office time in the
education sector.
Some resistance from workers and unions occur because the users’
requests may result in organizational changes and more flexibility in working
time (but it is a necessary choice to innovate public services).
Another case where users involvement may impact on the management of
the workforce are decisions about the externalization of services. An
example regards the organization of municipal schools in Modena, a city of
Emilia-Romagna region: we tried to involve parents to maintain the direct
provision of public municipal schools but users/citizens preferred to support
the administrator’s proposal to outsource the service because they believed
that the service would improve and cost less.
In what ways does user involvement
strengthen and/or weaken the traditional
model of social dialogue?
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In my opinion, today, in Italy, social dialogue in the public services is
not effective as it could be, and user greater involvement could
strengthen it.
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Social dialogue could become more effective and complete if it
includes all together the actors who play a role in the context of
public services (users, politicians, public managers and trade
unions) with a pact of mutual trust.
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User involvement is also strategic to innovate work organization
of public services, to avoid complaints and to eliminate negative
general opinion about Italian public services.