CESI seminar in Palermo on precarious work – empowering trade unions to address the new challenges

The symposium took place in the context of the precarious working conditions encountered at the national level by CESI member organisations, highlighting the interlinks between precarious work, absence of social rights and effective remedies from trade unions’ side.

The event, moderated by Pierre Baussand, Head of the Eurofound Office Brussels and in collaboration with the Professional Trade Union Association (ANIEF), provided an opportunity to allow exchanges of views among affiliates and members of CESI from the other EU Member States, together with external experts.

As such, the discussions took stock of the current situation in different sectors, the applicability of EU and the national legislative frameworks, best enforcement practices, challenges for efficient interest representation and inclusive access to social protection.

The two days programme was divided into two parts: “The extent of precarious work” and “Approaches and solutions to end precarious work”.

September 19: The extent of precarious work

• Findings of CESI’s #noprecariouswork survey
• Main rights deriving from EU legislation against precarious work
• EU case-law on precarious work
• Enforcement of applicable national case law
• Links between employment, social protection and welfare systems

September 20: Approaches and solutions to end precarious work

• Effective interest representation, closing legislative loopholes, the principle of equal treatment and access to social rights and protection
• Tools to fight precarious work and to ensure better enforcement of protective labour law
• Social protection as the overall societal safety net and the cornerstone of the welfare state
• Ways to better enforce social rights at the national level
• The role of information campaigns on precarious work at national level
• Better access to social rights through litigation and campaigns

Three webinars will follow the symposium in Palermo and a follow-up seminar in Germany on these findings.

The objectives of this project are to inform decision-makers and stakeholders about challenges related to precarious work in Europe, to strengthen the voice of trade unions in their fight against precarious work by equipping them with corresponding (legal) information and tools, and to further develop the capacity of trade unions in this field and raise awareness.

Video interview with Romain Wolff, CESI President

Video interview with Marcello Pacifico, CESI Vice President and President of the Professional Trade Union Association (ANIEF, IT)