CESI at the SEISMEC General Assembly in Thessaloniki

Public health systems and other public services and administrative bodies in several Member States are reaching (or have already reached) a breaking point, and millions of jobs and businesses are already being affected around the world.

The labour markets are being profoundly hit by this invisible threat, while the public services are also reaching the limits of their capacities, and alleviating actions are of utmost urgency.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has already released preliminary assessments on the first effects of the coronavirus on the labour markets and the daunting scenarios of what is yet to come. ILO preliminary estimates see a growth in unemployment between 5.3 million jobs (low scenario) to 24.7 million (high scenario)[1], which would also translate in a GDP growth drop between 2% and 8% respectively[2].

The sectors most affected are the services sector, tourism, travel and retail[3]. Furthermore, certain groups of workers are more vulnerable to economic shocks, needing more targeted policy measures for their protection.

These groups are people with underlying health conditions; young and old workers, precarious workers and/or in atypical contracts (such as solo self-employed and workers in the gig economy, as well as seasonal workers), migrant workers and women[4].

Women are particularly vulnerable during this crisis, since they are mainly overrepresented in caregiving professions, such as health workers (nurses), social workers and teachers[5]. Furthermore, women represent most of the caregivers in our society (for example elderly people, disabled people or children), which is mostly unpaid and increases the gender pay gap[6].

Against this background, the ILO determines three dimensions of impacts of COVID-19: the quantity of jobs, the quality of jobs and the effects on specific vulnerable groups[7]. This implies consequences for the rates of unemployment and underemployment[8]; wages and access to social security protection; and increasing social exclusion and working poverty.

In order to tackle this crisis and minimise its impacts, policy responses need to be taken immediately. In this light, a coordinated, large-scaled and integrated COVID-19 response by the European Union and its member-states is fundamental to overcome this crisis. This will not only need to translate in more robust health systems for the future, but also in mitigating the consequences for the labour market, especially for the groups who are most at disadvantage.

Many states have quickly adopted massive economic stabilisation packages to financially protect and ensure monetary liquidity for all those affected. This will be vital to prevent or at least mitigate larger-scale economic downturn, rising unemployment and financial problems of households and families. CESI welcomes the announced additional flexibility on state aid and (overdue) flexibility for governments within the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP).

The EU and the Member States need to ensure financial and income support for those employees and workers who are hit by unemployment, short work or a temporary reduction of work. Importantly, support must also be given to the solo self-employed and those in atypical or new forms of employment.

National trade unions are encouraged to engage into dialogue with employers and governments on how to protect jobs and incomes. Employers should give employees the necessary flexibility to manage work and home office with domestic responsibilities such as child and elderly care. Special attention should be given to women who bear up to most care work.

The crisis also shows that in the future considerable investments will be needed to bring the resilience of health systems to a higher level. This concerns equipment, facilities, staff levels and employment conditions. Re-communalisation of any privatised core health services should hence be increasingly considered in the future.

CESI acknowledges the tremendous efforts which have been undertaken since the beginning or the crisis, but crisis preparedness and management will have to be further improved. A stronger role, more financial resources and enhanced capacities for the EU will be necessary.

Coronavirus is a word that will surround us for the next months, possibly years. Its consequences will continuously be felt for the near future. However, with a solid, cohesive and cooperative response, we can overcome this crisis, without leaving anyone behind. CESI has been underlining for many years, that expenditures in public services are not merely costs, but that they are investments in the future.

Guide for further reading:

International Labour Organisation, 2019: Guidelines on decent work in public emergency services

International Labour Organisation, 2020 18 March: COVID-19 and world of work: Impacts and responses

World Economic Forum, 2020: How Governments can soften the economic blow of coronavirus, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/how-governments-can-soften-the-economic-blow-of-coronavirus

World Economic Forum, 2020: The coronavirus fallout may be worse for women than men. Here’s why, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/the-coronavirus-fallout-may-be-worse-for-women-than-men-heres-why/

[1] International Labour Organisation, 2020 18 March: COVID-19 and world of work: Impacts and responses, p. 3

[2] Ibidem, p. 13

[3] Ibidem, p. 4

[4] Ibidem, p. 6

[5] World Economic Forum, 2020: The coronavirus fallout may be worse for women than men. Here’s why, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/the-coronavirus-fallout-may-be-worse-for-women-than-men-heres-why/

[6] Ibidem

[7] International Labour Organisation, 2020 18 March: COVID-19 and world of work: Impacts and responses, p. 3

[8] Underemployment is related to informal types of employment, which are less socially protected, and tend to increase during economic crisis.

Kirsten Lühmann, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Women’s Rights (FEMM), which is part of CESI (European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions), spoke on Monday about the specific ways the coronavirus pandemic is affecting women. Attention needed to be paid to the particular situation of women when it came to the compensatory and aid measures offered by the state, she observed. “The EU member states must agree on shared guidelines in their fight against the virus. This also goes for the types of social and economic programmes which affect women first and foremost”, the FEMM Chair continued.

“The bans on going out, which many member states have imposed, are hitting many women hard. All people are finding themselves under huge pressure in this unprecedented situation. We have already witnessed an increase in domestic violence, which is mostly directed at women and all too often, at least psychologically, impacts children too.” In many EU states, according to Lühmann, women’s refuges were almost at full capacity. “What we need now, and fast, is more places for women in danger and their children”, demanded Lühmann. Social distancing measures like those seen in Germany, which still allow people to go out and get some fresh air, ought to be favoured over harsh bans on leaving the house.

Furthermore, women’s concerns needed to be focused on when it came to finding the right labour and social justice responses to the corona crisis. “Many lone parents, the vast majority of whom are women, can’t go to work in the present situation. In some EU states, they are being forced by their employers to take annual leave. This only delays the problem until the summer, when the schools are normally closed.” Doing away with overtime was to be expected, said the Chair. However, adhering to measures to mitigate the crisis did not constitute rest and recuperation.

“Many women-run small businesses and many more work alone in that business. That means that these people urgently need state help.” Deferring loans or offering new loans at favourable rates would not be of any help, in Lühmann’s view. “Solo entrepreneurs, women and men alike, need compensation for the income which has dwindled away. They need real money, or they will have gone bankrupt in a few weeks’ time.” Lühmann is thus calling for emergency aid to be granted to solo entrepreneurs.

Commission ‘Women’s Rights and Gender Equality’ (FEMM)

The German Armed Forces’ Federation of Civil Servants and Employees (VBB) is the strongest lobbying group for civilian staff in the Ministry of Defence and the German Armed Forces as a whole. It is also the one most steeped in tradition. We are happy to support CESI and the European notion of peace and freedom.

Head of the European Commission and former German Defence Minister Dr Ursula von der Leyen hit the nail on the head in a newspaper interview: “I think all those of us who aren’t experts underestimated the coronavirus in the beginning.” In Germany, the situation has continued to worsen, which one could observe from the extraordinary address made by our Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel. In her order of the day on 20 March, our Defence Minister established clear priorities as we move forward.

First, we need to ensure that we can fulfil our core mission at any time. Second, at this time of crisis, we will help wherever we can with whatever is needed. Third, we should use the invaluable capacities of our reservists in a sensible fashion.

For the civilian staff, this means working from home as far as possible in order to protect oneself as well as one can. People have been going above and beyond the call of duty in many areas in the most diverse areas of the organisation in order for the German Armed Forces to be able to fulfil their core mission. Here are two examples from a long list: reservists are having to be recruited and deployed as quickly as possible. In addition, our colleagues have, over the course of the last few weeks, signed procurement contracts to the tune of over 200 million euros in order to supply the federal government with medical equipment and protective gear.

At this difficult time for Germany and the whole of Europe, our task as trade unions is to give people courage as we confront this crisis, but also and in particular to say thank you. I’d like to express my thanks to all those working in the Ministry of Defence and in the German Armed Forces administration, who, over the last few days, have served us tirelessly, sometimes day and night, as well as regularly at the weekend. And I have the greatest respect and the highest regard for our European colleagues who are making great personal sacrifices for the citizens of Europe.

Just to be clear: we are all making an important contribution towards helping the state function.

This also entails us doing our bit in our private lives, by keeping our distance, staying at home as much as we can and minimising the number of people with whom we come into contact. Once again, this presents us with new challenges in our work as a federation, since the situation is extremely changeable here too. In many telephone calls, what once more became apparent was that the federation is sticking together and that it can cope with these challenges. At a time of crisis, we can follow words with deeds. We can help those who need help.

Dear colleagues,

I am particularly concerned about how you are all bearing up. Stay well, keep your chins up, show solidarity to your colleagues. CESI will also continue to stand up for your rights. However, we must not neglect the need to protect against infection. I’m counting on you!

Dr Hans Liesenhoff

Federal Chair of the German Armed Forces’ Federation of Civil Servants and Employees (VBB)

CESI Trade Council ‘Defence’ (DEF)

The lights of society in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are abruptly being switched off, in the wake of all school activities being suspended a few days previously. Just as a tornado occurs when very damp soil vapour and cold and dry mountain air meet, the inner revolt asserts itself in detail when two equally opposed principles collide: whilst most of us are required to slow down and be passive, even come to a standstill, the coronavirus is raging all-around at a diabolical speed. What can we do in this state of limbo, which parades our powerlessness and loss of control before our very eyes on a daily basis? What can we education experts contribute towards fighting the crisis?

Whilst those working in the sectors of health, security and the food supply chain face concrete challenges and expose themselves to risks every day, we need to consider the spiritual and emotional needs of overwhelmingly young people. Our children and young people must continue to enjoy the opportunity to undertake training and benefit from the chance to educate themselves, in order to build a secure future. In these times of isolation, this calls for a complete methodological volte-face as we resort to exclusively educating young people via electronic means.

This paradigm shift, which has arrived unexpectedly quickly, demands flexibility, constant adaptation and a spirit of innovation on the part of the teachers. What’s essential is that, at this time of total standstill, we maintain and support a continuous thinking and learning process amongst the young: the dynamic processes of thinking and learning can serve to counteract the stasis occasioned by our isolation.

After all, if the coronavirus has an impact on our physical wellbeing, fighting the virus through isolation and social distancing places a strain on our mental equilibrium. It’s no longer possible to take your mind off things through enterprise and most of us are being forced to concentrate on ourselves and occupy ourselves. This too requires strength and support, which is being supplied by additional people working with schools, such as psychologists and educators. Currently, more hotlines providing psychological support are being set up, in order to cope with increased demand.

How do things look in my home, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg? – Well, it’s just like the rest of Europe: state of emergency, freedom of movement significantly curtailed, growing numbers of infected people. The virus is raging, society stands still. My call to all colleagues in education is to create hope, take courage and continue to stand up for children and young people and a safe future. I also call on those politicians working in the field of education to lend their active support to all teachers, educators and students. For something is becoming clear: something which we can’t do without in education is human interaction. Society needs committed teachers and educators. They can’t be replaced by computers.

Claude Heiser

President of the CESI Trade Council Education, Training and Research

The main considerations for a functioning Just Transition Fund raised by CESI in its contribution include the following key aspects:

• The budget to be allocated to this fund should be sufficient to effectively help mitigate both possible acute negative repercussions of climate change measures via social inclusion and social protection measures, as well as help actively manage functional labour transitions via up- and reskilling for workers and employees that are likely to be affected by climate change policy measures.

• Clear and easy-to-understand communication of the nature, scope and functioning of the fund to all trade unions, further NGO and employer stakeholders as well as the broader public. is essential. Non-awareness of the fund or technical or know-how related barriers should not be a factor limiting its pick-up on the ground.

• Effective communication of the fund is also important for a better, well-deserved public appreciation of the EU. The public, as well as the affected workers and employees, need to be aware when they have benefited from an EU fund – Where the EU does good for the people, this should be known.

• Next to patching acute adverse social and employment-related symptoms of climate policies, CESI also stresses the need for the fund to also take a strategic and long term investment-related approach, in order to reach long-term goals of climate neutrality and sustainable employment at the same time. As such, the fund’s individual implementation programmes should be detached from and go beyond single terms of office of key regional or local politicians that are keen on winning the next elections.

• Beyond the fund itself, the EU and the Member States need to set up and maintain a regulatory framework which ensures decent work and adequate social protection in new jobs created in the area of climate change and which rules out abusive and precarious employment models. The transition to a green economy should be accompanied by fair and secure work

CESI’s full consultation contribution is available here.

In the position, the main issues relate in particular to the following:

• Financial assistance for companies and businesses: Many states have quickly adopted massive economic stabilisation packages and financially protect and ensure monetary liquidity for all affected companies, businesses, employees and citizens. This will be vital to prevent or at least mitigate larger-scale economic downturn, rising unemployment and financial problems of households and families.

• Safeguarding of employment: The EU via its structural funds and the Member States via public investments need to ensure financial and income support for those employees and workers who are hit by unemployment, short work or a temporary reduction of work.

• Performing public health services: In the future considerable investments will be needed to bring the resilience of health systems to a higher level. This concerns equipment, facilities, staff levels and employment conditions.

• More competence for the EU and solidarity among the Member States in cases of pandemics: CESI acknowledges the tremendous efforts which have been undertaken by different actors since the beginning of the crisis, but crisis preparedness and management will have to be further improved in Europe.

• A strong public service for sustainable societies: More public investments will be needed in the future also in other public services.

It is the public sector which is ‘essential’. It cares, protects and supports – the citizens, the society and the economy. It determines whether societies are sustainable or not. And the need for strong public services is increasingly recognised among citizens, the media and politicians.

• Paying of tribute to the heroes of the crisis: The doctors, nurses and hospital administration staff: They are at constant risk of own infection and the truly indispensable ones who deserve extra respect and thankfulness. But not only them: All those who keep key public services going at this very crucial moment, often also at elevated health risks, deserve deep appreciation. As do private-sector employees in sectors that need to stay operational.

• Act together hand in hand: Despite all margins for further improvements in the future, a multitude of actors have shown their willingness and ability for concerted efforts and actions. CESI expresses its gratitude to those acting in the common interest of us all.

The full position is available here in English and here in German language.

CESI Europe Academy – PULSER project on performing public service personnel implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights

In an existential crisis, people’s characters come to the fore. Some are still in denial about how serious this is and are taking risks which do not just put themselves at risk but also endanger countless others.

However, the vast majority of citizens are pulling together – and this means keeping their distance. With the exception of partners and core family members, the advice over the coming weeks and months is to keep a physical distance from other people. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be there for each other. And here so many wonderful examples of neighbourliness are becoming apparent, and all the creative ways one can think of to help others, without getting too close.

Governments and the EU institutions are now called upon to ensure that our European economy and the financial system are able to recover from the standstill. Many are worried about their jobs, whilst the self-employed fear their entire livelihoods will disappear. This is why the public sector is now called upon to come up with unorthodox aid measures.

I expect that EU member states all sing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to all the measures that need to be taken. Whether we’re talking about equipment for hospitals, closing shops, schools and nurseries or setting up border checks: there ought to be a little more coordination within the EU. Choosing to go it alone and failing to stand shoulder to shoulder will only worsen the crisis.

Those working in the public sector are on the frontline for everything that needs to be done at this difficult time. And truly, they are giving their all. Think of the nurses, carers and doctors, also particularly in the health departments, police and public order officers, educators providing emergency child care, the teachers putting together basic online classes in the toughest circumstances and so many more public sector workers in the most diverse fields.

Even if they are not employed by the state, I’d like to make a point of including people who work in supermarkets and drug stores and in the field of transport and logistics. Many people are playing a decisive role in making sure that society is supplied with the things it needs to survive. They are the guarantors of our society’s survival.

The public sector and critical infrastructure and many women and men – we all depend on them. But now they’re finally becoming visible. They are all heroes in the fight against the virus; they are the backbone of our society, even in normal times.

Our colleagues are lending a hand even when they are not in a position to protect themselves as well as they’d like. The fact that a lot of vital equipment is missing across Europe in the basic areas of services of general public interest is a scandal which we’ll need to deal with after the crisis.

SARS-CoV-2 shows us clearly where the ideology of the small state can lead us, as well as the extent to which public infrastructure has been starved of funds and, in some areas, bled dry. It shows that when push comes to shove, we all rely on a functioning public service and that without it continuing to function, we cannot uphold any public decency, the likes of which we need so badly now. Humankind must be placed front and centre, today, yes, but also tomorrow, when the crisis is over.

We will withstand this test by pulling together as citizens and especially by providing any help we can to those who find themselves on the frontline in the battle against the invisible enemy. And we independent trade unions, in our capacity as a key organisation for the public service in Germany, will make sure that society does not just return to business as usual once the crisis is behind us.

Ulrich Silberbach,

CESI Vice President

President of the German Civil Service Federation (dbb)

“As a President and as a man, I feel the need to share with you all the deep concern for this recent, incessant and pressing dramatic situation, which has inevitably swept over our beloved country and our lives”.

The numbers in Italy speak clearly and make noise: 59,138 total cases, 46,638 infected, only 7,024 healed, 5,476 deaths.

We are worried, but our work and our commitment continue; we adapt ourselves to the increasingly frequent decrees of the Conte government. Due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 and to the consequent declaration by the WHO of the pandemic state, the Italian Government has correctly and drastically limited the freedom of movement for all of us. It has imposed drastic closures of all non-essential activities and has suspended all school activities in the national territory to protect the health of workers, students and their families.

We also note that the precautions taken by the Italian Government are not applied in too many other countries in Europe and in the world, which seem to remain unaware of the dangers that Covid-19 poses to human health. What is happening is dramatic, and with bitterness, in our hearts, we are witnessing the negligence of these countries that have not yet taken the necessary measures to prevent the propagation of the virus, hence further contagions and deaths.

But what are we doing, as a union?

We are active supporters of the #iorestoacasa motto (#Istayathome), but we do not abandon our greatest vocation: defending the workers of the school sector, their protection and the protection of their rights.

Despite the lockdown and the closure to the public, of all the trade union’s offices in the area, the national and territorial telephone and telematics consultancy services remain active. We must be smart-working, since our trade union does not stop and always wishes to write new pages in the history of the protection of workers’ rights – especially now, in the time of the Coronavirus.

Following further measures applicable to the red areas and their extension to the whole national territory, and in light of the umpteenth record of contagions and deaths, all educational activities of schools and universities have been suspended until April 3^rd. Personally, I immediately requested the closure of all school and Universities locations until April 15^th to allow school staff and directors to stay home.

Since freedom of teaching must always -and in any circumstance- be protected and encouraged, requests for clarification of the management methods on how to teach via the web (which have been launched weeks ago) are increasing. This is the teaching procedure that all schools are promoting to tackle the suspension of school and teacher’s activities scheduled until April 3^rd.

It is obvious that the difficulties in carrying out the work under these conditions are manifold. However, the teachers have shown and are showing that they want to face these challenges and pursue their commitment to continue to maintain active contact with their students; although there are no contractual obligations in this regard.

Our trade union reiterates that it is necessary to operate with greater attention to the risk of the digital divide: a concrete danger given that not all families have Wi-Fi networks, computers or other electronic devices to use. Good news come with the Cura Italia Decree, through which millions of euros are allocated to counter this shortcoming. It is designed to support less well-off students use and to allow them the use of individual digital devices; this can serve to buffer the situation and to bring to a successful end the current school year, despite all challenges. It should be remembered that, although good practices are in use in some case, Italy still lags behind in terms of IT.

Following the Decree-Law n.18 of 17^th of March 2020, all schools’ recruitment competitions and procedures are suspended. With competitions blocked, recruitment remains at a stalemate – and this will solidify the situation of thousands of precarious workers, who, for a long time have now been fighting, together with us, to achieve long-awaited stabilization of their work contracts. Our trade union has asked for an extraordinary stabilization plan to allow continuous recruitment via a third recruitment channel: the Institute rankings. So to finally put an end to the phenomenon of “substitutes”.

We are sure to continue to follow the evolution of this emergency, having as an additional priority also the protection of the safety and health of school staff serving abroad. In fact, our Constitution guarantees to the Italian citizens the right to safety and health at work, a right which cannot have boundaries and which must also be guaranteed to teachers carrying out a central task: the diffusion of the Italian language and culture in the world.

In this particular context, our trade union also remains active and committed: we have sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Luigi Di Maio, to the Minister of Education, Ms Lucia Azzolina, and to the Minister of Health, Mr Roberto Speranza, in order to protect teachers and their families who are currently abroad, so that these school professionals can swiftly be guaranteed their rights to safety and health at work- not least through the organization of special repatriation flights for those who have good reasons and who are in good health.

With great satisfaction, after the following ANIEF´s letter to the competent Ministers on 19^th of March 2020, further provisions relating to the Covid-19 emergency were taken by Minister Mr Roberto Vellano. Thanks to ANIEF’s tenacity and competence, school staff on-duty abroad who need to return to Italy can now come back to our country.

Teachers abroad can also apply for holidays to return first, and then ask to be placed under Art.186 of Presidential Decree 18/67 so to activate the distance learning programme. This result is a great achievement and rewards our efforts in this difficult moment. And it strengthens our way of work as a transparent trade union.

We are confident that this pandemic will soon pass, and that the dramatic numbers will be the cause of an enormous about-turn. As Italians citizens and as ANIEF, we will continue to be fervent supporters of agile work. In the interest of our trade union, of all the employees, co-workers, associates and teachers, and not least of our country, we will engage in distance learning.

With are confident that, despite these difficult times, the autonomous trade unions will guarantee the consultancy and remote protection activities for all employees and managers of the public and private sectors.

We agree with the Government: To avoid an ever greater contagion and that the country will lose even more human lives, additional time is needed.

After all, the school has never stopped – and we will not stop.

We won’t have a break. We are and will remain all united for our beloved Country that we hope will soon experience a real and intense spring.

Prof. Marcello Pacifico

CESI Europe Academy Vice President

ANIEF President

CISAL Confederal Secretary

CONFEDIR Organizing Secretary

#CESI #PULSER #CESIEUROPEACADEMY #TRADEUNION #ANIEF #CONFEDIR #CISAL #COVID19 #ITALY #IORESTOACASA

The whole world is suffering from a serious pandemic, a situation that no one thought could be experienced but which we need to be able to cope with today. Our country, in particular, is being hit hard and entire regions are recording a greater number of deaths caused by Covid-19 than in all other areas of the world.

As a trade union, we thank all those who are working to ensure that the pandemic is contained. Starting with the medical and nursing staff, but also cleaning services, transport and public sector staff as well as the many workers (technicians and executives) who ensure the continuity of manufacturing activities at such a serious and troubling time.

We have immediately demanded that not productions activities shall be closed, but that hygienic-sanitary conditions be provided for all those who have to continue and to make the workplace as safe as possible.

This was not possible in all workplaces, given the lack of adequate health care equipment. Therefore, we have asked the Italian government to put in place special measures, starting with the guarantee of pay cover for all those who cannot go to work. Moreover, we have asked the companies and the government to make an extraordinary effort in order to allow remote working to all those who can be physically absent from the job.

Now the government has freed up an initial sum of 25 billion which provides for interventions to help support the health system and cover people’s salaries through the employee redundancy fund. Europe also responded too late; the European Commission and the ECB initially underestimated the impact of the pandemic and, as a whole, national governments took too long to follow the example of China first and then Italy,, delaying the lockout around the outbreaks of infection. The UK Government, which even in the first phase argued that it was more appropriate not to intervene to contain the pandemic, has failed to cover itself in glory.

The effects of the pandemic cannot yet be predicted. Today, the ILO estimates that 26 million people will find themselves unemployed after the crisis and the impact on world GDP is estimated by leading analysts to amount to two/four points. This means that, in the coming days, the European Commission, flanked by the ECB, will have to provide extraordinary measures, setting aside the Stability Pact and intervening to support the economy to the tune of hundreds, if not thousands of billions of euros.

In this context, the role of CESI is fundamental and it must act as a stimulus for politicians to make clear that the post-pandemic world will have to look different to how it does at present.

Here’s what is needed:

• An efficient public administration, there to serve its citizens
• An efficient public health systems that needs to be better managed and equipped, instead of being subject to cuts
• Research and Development capable of facing the technological revolution effectively
• A Europe that does not outsource all manufacturing to China and the Far East, but that resumes producing essential goods on its own. Europe should manufacture with European champions able to compete with American giants as well as Russian and Chinese companies, with an entrepreneurial class that does not think only about profit, but also about their social responsibility.

Roberto Di Maulo

CESI Vice President

Roberto Di Maulo

CESI Vice President

Fismic Confsal Secretary General

Video message in Italian

At present, in Europe and beyond, we find ourselves facing an unprecedented, highly serious situation. Containing the rapid spread of the coronavirus is currently our top priority as a society. With this in mind, each of us must act responsibly.

This is a time to show solidarity to all fellow citizens, irrespective of nationality and home and irrespective of whether these people work in the public or private sector.

It must be everyone’s goal to overcome this extraordinary situation as best as we possibly can.

This means above all that we should show solidarity and discipline: in the interests of all citizens, we need firmly to adhere to the rules laid out by our political leaders in full knowledge of the fact that all those working in the health and care sectors are currently often being asked to make superhuman efforts. This is why we need to support those who help us as best as we possibly can.

Alongside the human suffering, it is already clear to see that the economic impact of coronavirus and its global negative effects, chiefly a global recession, will undoubtedly be huge. The state must, therefore, take all measures necessary to help all affected companies keep afloat, in the interests of its employees.

This is why we are making this request: support all who help us, be they workers in the health, care, emergency services, police or army sectors. Honour in particular the work of all those working in the grocery stores and supermarkets, permanently putting their health at risk in the interests of looking after all citizens.

Whether we’re talking about the public or the private sector, it’s only by working shoulder to shoulder that we will manage to overcome this unprecedented situation.

CESI will do all that is conceivably possible to make sure we succeed!

Romain Wolff

CESI President

I, the national President of CSIF, like all Spaniards, am facing a completely new situation. We Spaniards had never had the experience of confining the population to their homes to prevent the spread of a virus; something that we thought would never happen to us.

This situation represents a challenge, not only of a professional but also of a personal nature.

It is a professional challenge because we are going to continue to work alongside public employees and private sector workers whom we represent and we have had to redouble our efforts to address the doubts, queries, and fears of these workers in the face of a labour scenario that has completely changed.

If we think about it, our work is the same, but isolation makes it more difficult to interact with workers and the administration, something that is the basis of our work. For this reason, this crisis is putting to the test all our organisations and forcing them to adapt and, from my personal point of view, it requires each and every one of us to work even more intensively.

It is a personal challenge because extreme care must be taken to minimise the risk of infection. We need to create new routines and keep our heads busy either working or doing any other activity and, above all, trying to keep our spirits up, since this has only just begun.

Since last Saturday, March 14, Spain is in a health emergency and the government has restricted travel and the movement of people on streets to the most essential tasks (buy food, go to work, etc.)

The whole country is at home under the #YoMeQuedoEnCasa #IStayAtHome. This is the motto spread by the public employees of the health sector to avoid the collapse of health services in Spain.

On Thursday 12 March, CSIF requested the government of Spain to declare a state of health emergency in the face of the alarming data we received from health professionals. This is because the main problem is not the virus itself but rather its impact on the health system due to the swift infection rate that threats to overwhelm it.

At the time of writing this report, the number of those affected by COVID-19 is about 14,000 with 1,081 deaths, when a week ago they barely exceeded 2,000 cases and 50 deaths. And the number continues to rise because experts have confirmed that we have not reached the maximum point of infection. That is why the government is preparing to extend the health emergency for another 15 days.

This official data do not take into account the citizens who are in their homes in quarantine because they present symptoms of COVID-19 and who have not been tested because there are not enough tests. Given this, it is possible that health personnel, who are in quarantine for having been exposed to the virus, do not have it and could return to their jobs if they could be tested and found not to have the virus.

The situation is especially serious in Madrid, which is the region that has registered the most cases, followed by Catalonia, which is approaching 2,000 infected people, and the Basque Country with almost 1,000 people with COVID-19.

In this situation, the sector that is suffering the most from this pandemic in our country is healthcare, for several reasons:

• Lack of staff. Health personnel, especially in the most affected cities, are working double shifts in order to attend to all patients. They have requested the hiring of at least 25,000 health professionals. In addition, CSIF’s health delegates who work full-time for the union have offered to job-share in order to do their bit.

• Lack of protective gear for health personnel. Masks, gloves, antiviral protection equipment, etc. The impact of this is that the patients cannot be properly cared for and that health personnel are one of the groups most affected by COVID-19.

• Lack of beds and means especially in the regions and cities most affected by the health crisis.

CSIF has expressed its recognition, support and thanks to the health public personnel who are making an enormous effort to attend to the growing avalanche of those infected. We must take care of our carers.

Likewise, CSIF has asked the Ministry of Health to guarantee non-on-site work measures in the whole of the public sector to limit the exposure of public employees to the virus and, in accordance with the aim of this health emergency, to maintain social distancing measures to avoid the spread of the virus.

With this in mind, CSIF has proposed measures to promote teleworking or, failing that, provide the service on an availability and location basis for when public worker intervention is really necessary.

Likewise, the lack of means of protection (alcoholic gels or gloves) and inadequate disinfection of public buildings is the general trend in all of the various public sectors in Spain at the moment and this is suffered by those workers who have to attend essential services in their workplaces.

If anything is becoming apparent in this crisis, it is that the cuts in public services, ageing of public sector workforce and the non-replacement of workers come at a price, especially in times of crisis like those we are suffering today.

In the last 10 years, 53,300 jobs have been lost in public administration, 30,000 people will retire this year and the healthcare sector needs 25,000 more professionals to overcome this situation and offer a solid staff structure to provide the standards of quality that citizens require.

That is why CSIF has proposed an ambitious public employment plan to create 100,000 new jobs with which to reinforce the structure of the kind of welfare state to which Spain should aspire.

At CSIF, we are calling on everyone to sign solid agreements, as well as improve the quality of employment. We must dignify and place at the centre of the reforms the group of public employees who, with professionalism and dedication, have kept the state running, contributing to economic recovery and stability commitments.

In the field of private companies, CSIF welcomes the measures adopted yesterday by the government that include 200,000 million euros to avoid an economic crash and to jump-start the Spanish economy once COVID-19 is defeated (117,000 from the public budget and the rest from the private sector) but calls for its scope to be broadened by introducing:

• more flexibility in working time schedules,
• an increase to the number of labour inspection staff to monitor the suspension of contracts, temporary redundancy dismissal procedures and shortened working hours caused by this crisis,
• more protective measures against the virus for all workers, including the disinfection of workplaces,
• measures that facilitate teleworking and organisational changes in companies during the duration of the pandemic.

Before I close, I would like to voice our CSIF solidarity to the great CESI family, starting with the Secretariat staff as well as each and every member organisation and its affiliates. We offer our support and wish strength to the colleagues from those countries that are passing through the worst part of this infection, like Italy, and, particularly to all those who are directly or indirectly suffering the impact of COVID-19 personally, in their families and friends. We wish all a speedy recovery.

We are at your disposal for whatever you need.

Hoping to see you again soon in Brussels, in Madrid or in any CESI event. Sending a big hug from Spain.

Take care and keep safe.

Miguel Borra

CSIF President

Spanish Central Independent and Public Employees’ Trade Union

My name is Milena Popović Samardžić, an epidemiologist and the President of the Union of Doctors of Medicine of Montenegro that has been a member of the CESI family for the past 4 years.

I am writing deeply concerned, as I follow daily reports on the number of people infected with the new coronavirus as well as on the number of those who have lost the battle with it.

Only a few days ago, Montenegro confirmed first cases of COVID-19 infection. We have been preparing for that moment by closely watching the experiences and messages of colleagues from the countries that had already been facing all the challenges of this pandemic.

This is the moment that recognizes no borders nor nations. We are all in this task together and only in this way can we succeed. Let’s join forces and capacities. Let’s share experiences and information in one place. Information on the clinical picture, on treatment, the effects of treatment, on the protection of medical professionals and the equipment they use in particular situations. Countries that do not have enough equipment and human capacities will be at greater risk of spreading the infection among healthcare professionals, which will bring them before even greater challenge. Please share your experiences with us in the rare moments of rest.

Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude, my utmost respect to all my colleagues for everything they do to put the spreading of COVID-19 infection under control and to wish us all good luck.

Dr Milena Popović Samardžić

Epidemiologist

Union of Doctors of Medicine of Montenegro

In the position, the main issues raised by CESI relate in particular to the following:

• European legislators should make a clear commitment to the continued existence of an EU postal directive and advocate, in the case of a revision, for its further development. The central objective must be the maintenance/establishment of a balance between competition, consumer needs, a functioning and economically viable universal service as well as the maintenance of decent employment in the postal and parcel sector. Wage dumping, undue discrimination and the exploitation of workers must be precluded;

• Offering a universal postal service must be conditional upon the provision of a minimal postal infrastructure and the continued achievement of an ambitious minimum level of quality service;

• Given that the employment situation in the postal and parcel service sector often leads to marked social distortions and violations of the laws and rules, the EU should ensure appropriate national-level frameworks fit to counter this undesirable development. In so doing, minimum wage payments, for example, as well as the respect for applicable driving and rest times must be subject to permanent and transparent controls carried out by the competent national authorities. The legislator should intervene, should the rules not be adhered to.

• The distribution of letters and parcels could be subject to licensing for providers. Delivery licences c´should ensure the respect for environmental protection as well as, beyond, the obligation to provide social insurance as well as further non-environmental criteria. In the framework of binding licences, all companies that provide services relating to the delivery of letters and parcels should obliged to report to the national regulatory authorities in a standardised manner, on (1) social data such as number of employees, nature of contractual agreements, staff fluctuation, and pay gaps; (2) social standards including employment standards; and (3) environmental standards;

• The member states’ national legislation should also introduce subcontractor liability in the post and parcel industry. Should a service partner (subcontractor) of a postal service provide violate the law, it should also be possible to hold the postal service provider accountable;

• Beyond this, the legislator should encourage work in the sector within the EU to be part of a collective agreement. It is only through involving the social partners in all EU member states that minimum standards and acceptable wages can be guaranteed and any exploitation and old age poverty precluded;

• As work becomes increasingly digital and online-based, the protection of the personal data of employees and their private lives is more important than ever before. In the framework of the EU postal directive, but also beyond this in the context of the EU general data protection regulation (GDPR), employees and staff must be protected from inadequate surveillance and control by digitial technology potentially deployed by employers. Digital systems purely for the purposes of monitoring staff and employees should be rejected.

The full position is available in English and German language.

“As CESI Secretary-General and as President of the CESI Trade Council ‘Health’, we express our deepest gratitude to all health professionals EU- and worldwide.

The real impact of their work on our daily lives has never been as tangible as today.

We acknowledge the commitment of the hundreds of thousands of nurses and doctors, who do their utmost to care for citizens and patients, and who put our health and safety first.

Our European health systems are the backbone of our societies – and our lives. From the cradle to the grave we want to rely on viable, well-functioning health systems which can respond to our needs in a timely and trustworthy manner.

Despite these needs, and notwithstanding a further increase -such as an ageing population with increasing complex care needs-, the provision of health care has become increasingly difficult. This is due to a continuous lack of investment and an ongoing shortage of staff in the sector.

We, therefore, call for an overall societal reflection on the long-term sustainability of our health care systems. Europe needs better equipped and well-staffed health care services. And this requires more investment!

In concert with our member organisations, we insist on the necessity to pay more attention to the human factor as the key element in the provision of good and sustainable health services.

In light of the recent dramatic evolutions in the world and the drastic safety measures taken, we would like to reiterate our gratitude, appreciation and respect for the work of all our health professionals.

We care for those who care. Thank you.”

Versione in Italiano

“Just last week, the European Commission put forward a new gender equality strategy for the years 2020-2025. This responds to long-standing calls by NGOs and trade union organisations, including CESI and its Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, for a new, fully-fledged vision of the EU for more gender parity in Europe.

In its strategy the European Commission sets out targeted measures it intends to pursue for more gender equality, including in the areas of combating gender-based violence and challenging gender stereotypes, boosting women’s economic empowerment and ensuring equal opportunities in the labour market, achieving more equal pay, and giving both women and men the opportunity to lead and participate in all sectors of the economy and in political life.

If these initiatives are all fully realised and implemented, this would be a great leap forward for women across Europe. This will however require cooperation by the EU’s other institutions, above all the Council; a success depends on the commitment of the member state governments to support the European Commission. As European trade unionists, we call on them not to hesitate. In this way, 2020 can see real improvements for gender parity in Europe.”

The main considerations for a boosted EU Youth Guarantee scheme raised by CESI in its consultation contribution include the following key aspects:

• A reinforcement of the Youth Guarantee should in particular circle around a further promotion of social inclusion and assistance to the most disadvantaged among young people, above all the NEETs. This would help them further escape a vicious circle of precariousness and assist them in avoiding prospects of long-term unemployment and social exclusion.

• CESI generally advocates tri-partite approaches, bringing together employer organisations, trade unions and public authorities and educational institutions, not only for the implementation of the Youth Guarantee but also in the context of broader and further policies and measures to achieve better results in the transition of young people from education to work.

• CESI strongly advocates the need for decent remuneration of all types of internships, traineeships or apprenticeships. A decent and fair remuneration is not only important to fight social exclusion and in-work poverty at an early stage, but equally important to keep young people engaged in transitioning to the labour market and further develop their skills. Their taking-up of a Youth Guarantee should not depend on the ability of the parents to fund their lives.

• For the Youth Guarantee to be an effective instrument to help young people with education-to-job transitions, CESI supports the idea to extend the maximum age of a person eligible to benefit from a Youth Guarantee placement to 29 years. The current maximum age of 25 years means that the large group of young people that has not yet completed its professional degree in its mid-20s is outside the scope of the Youth Guarantee.

• Youth Guarantee should also be considered as one element only in the fight against youth unemployment – It is a reactive tool needed to try to repair damages which were caused by insufficient preventative public investments in social inclusion, quality early childhood education and care as well as primary and secondary education and, importantly, VET. For long, CESI has advocated higher levels of public spending in public care and education/VET, which is a crucial economic investment for the future and represents lower costs than reactive ex-post remedies.

CESI’s full consultation contribution is available here.

As Erdogan has opened the borders to the EU for refugees in Turkey, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on March 1st that Greece will not accept any asylum application for one month – which is, interestingly, in line with EU law. And while a confidential report of Frontex allegedly expects “massive migration flows” into the EU, an extraordinary meeting of the EU interior ministers has been convened for this week.

According to Politico´s Playbook, Manfred Weber, chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, had a wish: “When the EU Commission meets this week, the focus should not be on the pictures of Frans Timmermans with Greta Thunberg, but on the concerns of millions of Europeans about the protection of our external border “.

Not totally false, admittedly. In the light of the ongoing propagation of the Coronavirus Covid-19 and a new imminent migration crisis, it might not be the best moment to tan oneself in the recently heralded new climate change or digitalisation policies. At this very moment, citizens´ expectations could not be more concrete. And they may pitilessly unveil the EU´s (or rather the member states ’!) Blatant failure (especially in the aftermath of 2015) to adopt resilient common migration and asylum policies. For the time being, it´s all about solidarity with Greece and securing the EU´s external border, but how long this may resist to the certainly growing pressure will have to be seen – the stress-test for the new Commission could not be any harder.

***

Solidarity was already missing at the last EU Summit on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) of the EU. On Friday, February 21, EU leaders had to recognize that the gap between the so-called ‘Frugal four’ (the net contributors the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and Sweden) and 17 other member states (the ‘friends of cohesion’) was too big. While the former demanded an EU budget cap at 1.0% of the EU´s gross GNI, the latter advocated a 1.3% ceiling. Different proposals submitted by the EU Commission and the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, were rejected amidst a plethora of ‘red lines‘.

It is not without a certain irony that among the increasingly pressing debate to link EU spending to the respect of the rule of law and democratic checks and balances, countries such as Poland and Hungary -which are currently challenging the “delicate balance of powers that holds together consolidated democracies founded on respect for the rule of law and human rights“-, are among the fiercest defenders of a higher EU budgetary frame (for cohesion).

Migration, Coronavirus, border control, climate change, digitalization, Erasmus … Given the pressing challenges, more EU money is actually needed – while Brexit leaves a 75 billion hole in the 7-year-budget. (Reasons to assume that sooner or later cohesion policies and the Common Agricultural Policy will be subject to cuts.)

And some further food for thoughts: When comparing, these major challenges with the image of member states fighting over proposed 1.074% or 1.11% GNI caps, either our expectations or the EU´s financial envelope must be reviewed.

***

Regarding the Coronavirus Covid-19, EU solidarity (and the Four Freedoms of its Single Market) may be put to the test too. And images of busses carrying Ukrainian citizens evacuated from China being attacked by an angry mob should remind us that dark ages are far from being over and that our civilization´s layer remains wafer-thin.

It is not without a certain irony either, that we needed an outbreak of the virus to bring back to the spotlight CESI´s mantra-liked demands of the past years to adequately equip and staff the health care sector. But trade unions have to realize that they are more than ‘only’ specific interest representatives – they are overall societal mediators and stabilizers. Having been travelling a lot recently, it still strikes me how many committed activists, pro-Europeans and pro-‘CESIrians’ I meet during my visits in the member states. In French, you would say “Ce sont des gens bien!” Devoted, honest and credible. This is what I mean by mediators and stabilizers.

***

At the CESI General Secretariat, we have had quite some political meetings in the EC and the EP, and have also been busy answering to all the different consultations launched by the European Commission in the aftermath of its January 2014 communication on the future employment and social policy priorities: the EU gender equality strategy, the updated Skills Agenda for Europe, fair minimum wages in the EU, the reinforced Youth Guarantee. And more is yet to come in the coming weeks.

We also agreed with the Bertelsmann Foundation and the EUObserver on jointly hosting the 2nd edition of the Summer Days – mark June 17-18 in your calendars! -, and we look forward to welcoming many of you on that occasion. Because the future of work is our future.

The main considerations for an EU framework for minimum wages raised by CESI in its consultation contribution include the following key aspects:

• A binding framework for minimum wages would represent an important commitment of the EU to the implementation of principle 6 on minimum wages of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

• Action at the EU level for a binding minimum wage framework is necessary especially in the context of increasing numbers of persons being economically active in new and atypical forms of work, including via subcontracting and in (outsourced) bogus and/or dependent self-employment (the ‘independent dependent’) in which the risk of wage exploitation tends to be high.

• EU level action for a binding minimum wage framework is also necessary in the context of the single market which should ensure that workers and employees are granted the minimum wage applicable in the country where they effectively work, and not the minimum wage of the member state in which the employer happens to have its seat on paper.

• The EU cross-sector social partners should strive to reach an ambitious framework among themselves first; however if negotiations are not possible or fail, the European Commission should put forward a legislative proposal for ambitious binding framework.

• Beyond an EU framework for minimum wages, the European Commission should take steps to strengthen social dialogue and social partner negotiations with the objective to increase the share of workers and employees covered by collective agreements. This could include soft measures such as assistance to capacity-building for trade unions as well as hard instruments award criteria for public procurement which take into consideration the coverage and respect of collective agreements.

CESI’s full consultation contribution is available here.

The project has 2 key objectives: (1) to anticipate skills needs in the postal sector, by identifying labour shortages and future skills needed for specific postal occupational profiles; (2) to analyse the positive and negative consequences of digitalisation on working conditions for the identified occupational profiles.

The project seeks to assist the postal social partners to anticipate future skills needs with special regard to the digital ones. The project will assist in adapting social dialogue practices to accompany the postal transformation by addressing the consequences of digitalisation on work organisation patterns and working conditions.

In parallel, the project will enable social partners to exchange good practices in terms of training and re-training programmes and therefore to accompany the change process; it will allow social partners to issue recommendations for future training programmes. The project will also provide the social partners with a common reference framework of skills (digital and non-digital) needs in a time horizon of 3-5 years for specific postal job areas.

The European social partners in the postal sector are subcontracting external expertise to support us in our work on the above project objectives, for the 24-month duration. Specifically, we will require an external consultancy to carry out research and analysis on the impact of digitalisation in Europe’s postal sector, assess and bring together good practices from the social partners at the European, national and company levels in training programmes, skills analysis and in dealing with the impact of digitalisation and work closely with the project steering group to bring all these areas of research together to contribute to the project implementation.

Further details can be found in the call for tender application. All interested applicants must send in their application by March 27 2020 to UNI Europa Post & Logistics Director and project lead coordinator Dimitris Theodorakis at: [email protected].

Logos: © PostEurop/UNI Europa/CESI 2020

This year, the two-day event for think tanks, trade unions, employers, platforms, institutions, civil society and youth representatives will be focused on ways to face the future of the new workforce by analysing the challenges and by coming up with ideas and proposals to shape tomorrow’s world of work.

Workers are facing important changes in their working environment. The digitalisation of the workplace allows increasing flexibility, agility and productivity.

What are the needs and expectations of workers and employers, and which risks and opportunities do they face?

Will new responsibilities, rights and obligations for workers and employers arise? May new practical approaches and legal definitions for ‘worker’, ‘working time’, ‘workplace’ and ‘work’ itself be required? Which are the challenges in terms of occupational safety and health?

Will labour law and social security systems have to be adjusted to stay future-proof and protective? How decisive are workers’ participation, co-determination and social dialogue? Will trade unions and interest representation become more agile and flexible themselves?

And finally how and at what level (company, national, EU) should these issues be addressed?

These and other questions will be answered during the three-round sessions on:

Event cancelled due to COVID19

9.00-13.30

Venue: Bouche à Oreille, Rue Félix Hap 11, Brussels/Etterbeek

#SUMMERDAYSFOW

Participation at the event is free of charge, but registration is compulsory.

We encourage early registrations

Video interviews from the first edition

The main considerations for a new EU gender equality strategy laid out in CESI’s statement include to the following:

• The European Commission should make sure that the new Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers is implemented properly and swiftly in all EU Member States.

• As part of the European Semester and in line with a much-discussed Child Guarantee, the European Commission should encourage all Member States to invest in childcare with a view to establishing a legal right for all parents for free public early childhood education and care for their children.

• As an indirect way to help reduce wage (and thus pension) gaps, a new EU directive on pay transparency should give flesh to the already existing obligation for Member States to eliminate direct and indirect discrimination on grounds of sex with regard to all aspects and conditions of remuneration for the same work or for work to which equal value is attributed.

• The EU should swiftly advance in its agenda for a binding framework for minimum wages at national levels which should effectively eliminate exploitative and indecently low salaries especially in low-income sectors in which female employment is disproportionally high.

• The EU should also ensure a proper implementation of the directives on part-time work, fixed-term work and temporary agency work. There is an inherent gender dimension in this as, for instance in the case of part-time work, in some countries 96% of workers in this type of employment are women.

• The European Commission should monitor the implementation of the Council recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed by the Member States in particular with a view to detecting structural discrimination, disadvantages and/or risks for women in the area of access to social protection.

• As part of the European Semester, the European Commission should call on Member States to ensure that reduced working time, as a result of a special urgency to care for relatives in need to assistance, will be eligible for adequate pension benefits.

• As part of the European Semester, the European Commission should encourage Member States to attain gender parity in the management positions of their public institutions, entities, bodies and authorities. Moreover, the European Commission should continue to push the adoption of the Women on boards directive as a way to improve ratio of women in management positions in the private sector and help them break glass ceilings. Mandatory and functioning gender equality plans should be encouraged in all public and private bodies to ensure an adequate progress towards gender parity in management positions.

CESI’s full statement is available here. More information about the consultation in general is available on the European Commission’s website

Although I have ever since been advocating a clear cut instead of endless fiddling around, it was still a historically sad moment to see the UK leaving after 47 years of EU membership. For the first time in its history, the EU has declined in size. And not only that: It has lost an economic, military and political heavyweight – in times of increasing global challenges. Political tensions, migration flows, digitisation, artificial intelligence, climate change, demographic challenges will set the agenda for the coming decade, and it is hard to say if this tremendous loss is a first sign for a continuous decline of Europe’s geopolitical (and moral) weight in the world.

It will now be up to the negotiators to find new common grounds on which to place the EU-UK relationship. (According to the Withdrawal Agreement, a transition period will apply until the end of the year, and the Johnson government vehemently rules out a possible extension.) As Fabian Zuleeg, CEO of the European Policy Centre (EPC) and Brexit adviser of the Scottish government, stated during his intervention at a recent visit for a discussion in our premises: “It will either be a ‘no’ or a ‘bad’ deal, especially for the UK.” For Zuleeg, there will be no good Brexit and the blame game is far from being over.

***

Yet what will be the challenges for the remaining 27 members of the EU? After all, Brexit also opens a window of opportunity.

Firstly, Europe is probably well-advised to increasingly insist and set the tone in terms of soft skills: Diplomacy, negotiation, problem-solving, diversity management, awareness for non-discrimination etc. Many of the member states and the EU itself are already recognised mediators in many places of the world.

***

Secondly, however, it is not enough to preach soft skills: As generally known, diplomacy -the transformation of blood into ink- only functions if backed by credible power politics. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated recently, “Europe needs credible military capabilities.”

I would add: Europe not only needs capabilities but also the political will not to shy away from possible political conflicts if it wants to play a prominent role in the world and in crisis regions. If politics intend to be taken seriously, then ideas thrown into the ring without any readiness for commitment or engagement do not help – on the contrary. Only transparency and honesty can really establish credibility. For this reason, CESI has been advocating for quite some years for a more structured engagement of all stakeholders in the framing of the so-called European Defence Union (EDU). Last week, we launched the so-called European Defence Round Table (EDRT), hoping that this paved the way to a regular and formalised platform for stakeholders, including representatives of the personnel of the armed forces.

***

Thirdly, Europe can set global trends in terms of green policies – if it invests sufficiently and in the right places! I continue having doubts about the possibility to remain economically sustainable and competitive with insufficient public investments, average skills and education systems, radical energy transitions away from coal and nuclear energies and weakened key industries, like for instance the German car industry. Yet as a good European and a strong believer in the necessity of transforming the economy towards climate neutrality, I am willing to follow Ms von der Leyen and the general attitude that “supported by investments in green technologies, sustainable solutions and new businesses, the Green Deal can be a new EU growth strategy.” And by the way, this also seemed to be one of the key messages at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos: “Some say China has all the data, and the US has all the money. But in Europe, we have a purpose.” Let´s hope that all this is not just EU hubris, but that we can truly keep up with the US and China in the coming years and decades, not least to be able to stick to the green agenda.

At CESI, we will have to focus on the impacts and the policy choices flowing from the Green Deal, as we remain deeply convinced that such policies will fail if transitions are not socially fair. In the coming months and years, we will have to sharpen our positions and actions, and I am also planning to call for the establishment of a special advisory group on the subject.

***

Fourthly, Europe must continue its path towards more economic, social and political cohesion, meaning, let us be clear, more integration in some sensitive areas. According to the political guidelines of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission’s work programme for 2020 and the Croatian Council Presidency’s priorities, the challenges that Europe is facing can only lead to and be tackled by more European unity; there is no other way. As a European trade union confederation, we must accompany these processes in the best possible way, and our so-called ‘Programme Commission’ met last week to set the agenda for the trade councils and commissions for the year to come.

***

On a final note, and as you will probably be aware already, the European Commission just presented its first ideas on how to make Europe more socially just and fair. In a communication entitled ‘A strong social Europe for just transitions’, the European Commission set out its social timetable and initiatives for the year ahead. This will mean extensive commitments and investment from our side too.

As you can see, a full agenda is awaiting us in 2020.

Let’s get to work. And thanks for joining us!

All workers count.

The main considerations for an updated Skills Agenda for Europe raised by CESI in its consultation contribution include the following key aspects:

• Sufficient levels investments, especially public investments, in education and training are crucial in order to keep educational performing. Europe, as a continent relatively poor in natural resources, has no choice but to invest heavily in the capacity of its people and workforce in order to remain internationally competitive and well-equipped for the future.

• There is an important responsibility that lies with employers to embrace training for workers and invest in the further training and re-training of employees. The employers benefit greatly from the training of its workers; hence, next to monetary investments, they should also take a proactive role and ownership in terms of making training possible during working time.

• The Skills Agenda should avoid an excessive focus on a ‘utilitarian’ focus on education as a mere provider for technical skills needed in the labour markets. Instead, education must remain a stronghold for youngsters to be equipped with the ‘humanitarian’ background necessary to become open-minded, responsible and engaged citizens that appreciate the value of liberal democracy and pluralist societies.

CESI’s full statement is available here.

Like every year in January, the meeting of the ‘Programme Commission’ kicked off the new year’s activities of CESI’s Trade Councils and Commissions.

The work priorities were set for all of CESI’s Commissions and Trade Councils against the background of the general agenda of the European institutions and the CESI General Secretariat. The further implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the broader ‘Future of work’ agenda will be fundamental priorities for all sectors.

See here for further information on the topics which CESI’s Commissions and Trade Councils will focus on in 2020.

Against the background of the challenges public services are facing nowadays, digitalization and artificial intelligence, as well as sustainable developments goals on top of many others, the project’s main general objective is to underline the overall societal importance of public services and public sector’s personnel in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and the new social agenda of the European Commission.

The project will include sectoral working groups, a study featuring some key data on the public sector in the early 2020s, an EU symposium and an EU-level campaign on the value of efficient public services and public sector employees, stressing the social return on investment that they generate.

#PULSER specific objectives are:

• Provide knowledge on the political agenda of the European Commission and developments of the European Pillar of Social Rights to sectoral working groups
• Assess the problem through these sectoral working groups and an expert study which shall highlight in which sectors and in which Member States gaps still persist
• Raise awareness among policymakers and the public about the added value of performing public services with proper public services and its personnel.

The working groups with the representatives involved in the project are:

• Justice services, representing police personnel, prison officers and justice sector staff in all levels of the judicial systems
• Health services, representing hospital staff, nurses and physicians
• Central government administration and finance as well as local and regional administration, representing personnel in all levels and sections of government, agencies and public bodies
• Education and training, representing teachers and educators in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as in VET and further professional training

In the context of a modernisation of public services, CESI member trade unions will always speak up for the necessary investments in human resources and better equipment, to be considered not as a mere cost, but as a return for the economy and for society, thus supporting public recognition of the value and need for performing public services and public workforce.

Photos of #PULSER preparatory meeting

Video interviews of #PULSER preparatory meeting

Representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European External Action Service, NATO, civil society organisations, academia and trade unions discussed CESI´s proposal to establish a permanent platform on European defence policies. The breakfast was moderated by Steven Blockmans, head of the CEPS EU Foreign Policy unit.

According to CESI, the European Union of today needs to be based on more democratic and transparent practices, and this particularly applies to the defence sector. A 2017 Eurobarometer survey revealed that 55% of the EU citizens are in favour of creating an EU army and this opens a window of opportunity for a future European Defence Union (EDU). However, the complexity and lack of transparency endanger success.

MEP Lukas Mandl and CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger opened the event by emphasizing the importance of a more democratic and transparent frame when establishing the EDU and of taking into consideration the interests of civilian and military personnel of the armed forces and their representatives.

Trade unions are not only an important factor to make sure missions and restructurings are socially fair and sustainable. They are also the decisive link to make sure that EU initiatives in the defence sector are supported by those having to implement it – and not least by the citizens.

The EDU, in order to be successful, urgently needs to consider the “human factor”. “Soldiers are also citizens in uniform, the consideration and protection of their interests is urgently required“, Thomas Sohst, President of CESI´s Trade Council Security insisted.

CESI President Romain Wolff concluded the event as follows: “Today, a first important step was taken. Let´s hope to establish the ERDT as a permanent platform because involving representatives of the civilian and military personnel of the armed forces will be decisive for the success of the EDU.”

Photos of the #CESIBreakfastMeeting

Video interviews of the #CESIBreakfastMeeting

CESI breakfast meeting
‘A European Defence Roundtable: how to ensure better stakeholder consultation in the context of the future European Defence Union’

Realised by Lukas Mandl, Member of the European Parliament, and the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI)

A by invitation-only event
Wednesday, 29^th January 2020, 8:00 – 10:00 hrs
European Parliament (ASP 0 G saloon)

Working languages: EN/ DE; no simultaneous interpretation

Confronted with new geopolitical realities and security threats, the EU is under pressure to deliver progress in the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), with the ultimate aim of a genuine European Defence Union (EDU). Support of citizens is strong and a window of opportunity is given, while at the same time, the complexity and lack of transparency in the area of ESDP endangers the process.

Also representing the interests of military and civilian personnel in the armed forces, CESI advocates a more structured engagement in the frame of ESDP and the meanwhile heralded EDU. A European Defence Round Table (EDRT) as a formalised platform for stakeholders, including representatives of the personnel of the armed forces, is being proposed. A structured and regular exchange with key stakeholders is considered key for success. During the breakfast, the feasibility, composition, tasks and potential mandate of such EDRT should be subject to discussion.

Welcome

Lukas Mandl, European Parliament

Introduction

Klaus Heeger, CESI

Moderation

Steven Blockmans, CEPS

Statements

Thomas Sohst, German Armed Forces Association (DBwV)
Wilhelm Waldner, Austrian Armed Forces Union
Delphine Resteigne, Belgian Royal Military Academy
Georgis Bikakis, European External Action Service
Lisa Picheny, NATO
Raluca Csernatoni, Institute for European Studies
Sylvia Kainz Huber, European Commission/DG GROW
Alain Alexis, European Commission/DG GROW

Open discussion with the audience

Concluding remarks

Romain Wolff, CESI

In an explanatory communication entitled ‘A strong social Europe for just transitions’, the European Commission set out its social timetable and initiatives for the year ahead, all centrally bundled under the umbrella of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

We have very clearly welcomed the speedy start of the new European Commission and the swiftly tabled new ideas for more social justice and fairness in the EU and its Member States, and we stand ready to assist and advise the European Commission in shaping a future-proof Europe. We look forward to working to this end with Ursula von der Leyen, Valdis Dombrovskis, Nicolas Schmit and the college of Commissioners.

In 2020, therefore, CESI will, of course, make it a priority to lobby on the most important of the planned initiatives of the European Commission in EU employment and social affairs, which include proposals for an EU-wide minimum wage framework, binding measures for pay transparency and the regularisation of employment in the platform economy. Moreover, our internal trade councils and commissions –most notably those on education, health, defence, central administration and finance, local and regional administration, defence and security– will, of course, continue to drive CESI’s sectoral policy work also in 2020.

We will also continue branding our “own” topic and continue putting it on the EU agenda: The future of work, spanning across the aspects of adequate labour law, social protection and effective interest representation. In December, the Presidium of CESI paved the way for further CESI action when it adopted a first position paper on this topic. One of the centrepieces of our work in this area will be the second CESI Summer Days on the future of work on June 17-18 2020 in Brussels. The first edition last June was a great success, and we look forward to making the next Summer Days even bigger and better!

While our work in the different European social dialogue committees will continue in good cooperation with our employer and employee partner organisations, CESI will strive to further expand the consultation by the European Commission of our members in the annual European Semester process, an activity that we successfully jumpstarted last year as a test if on a small scale.

Our Europe Academy is also looking forward to another year, continuing its projects on precarious work and third-party violence at work, and starting a further project with co-funding from the European Commission on the role of public services and their personnel in the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. We look forward to the active engagement of all members!

Our year will then culminate in the next ordinary Congress, which will take place in Brussels on December 10-11 in conjunction with festivities on the occasion of CESI’s 30-year anniversary. Mark your calendars already now!

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “I welcome very much the quick action by the new European Commission to swiftly table fresh ideas for more social justice and fairness in the EU and its Member States. Certainly, the sketches of the plans can provide a significant scope for real improvements in the lives of workers and employees. CESI stands ready to assist and advise the European Commission’s work on shaping a future-proof Europe where people like to live and work in dignity, and I look forward to working to this end with Ursula von der Leyen, Valdis Dombrovskis, Nicolas Schmit and the college of Commissioners. ”

Social affairs initiatives announced by the European Commission

• A feedback period will start immediately and be open until the end of October during which public authorities, political actors, social partners and trade unions as well as NGOs and other interested stakeholder can provide the European Commission with expertise and input in relation to an action plan it intends to publish “in early 2021” on how to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights and make it a reality for the people.

• A first-phase social partner consultation will start immediately and run until February 25 in order to assess the need and desirable format of a European framework for a binding minimum wage.

• The Commission also pledged to explore ways to promote social dialogue and collective bargaining, since “strong, representative organisations and their timely involvement in policymaking both at national and European level are extremely important.”

• The European Commission aims to underpin its planned European Green Deal with a new Just Transition Mechanism and Fund in order to ensure that the desired economic shift towards climate neutrality will not have adverse social effects for workers and employees.

• Moreover, the European Commission will propose a European Unemployment Benefit Reinsurance Scheme with the objective to protect citizens and workers during external economic shocks.

• In order to arrive at and maintain high standards, the European Commission plans to review its occupational safety and health strategy and address new risks alongside the more traditional ones, such as exposure to dangerous substances and risk of accidents at work.

• The European Commission will issue a proposal for a European Vocational Education and Training (VET) recommendation and, following a currently ongoing ad-hoc European social partner consultation, update its Skills Agenda for Europe in the first quarter of 2020.

• Also in the first quarter of 2020, the European Commission intends to published an industrial strategy, setting out ways on how all citizens, businesses, regions and cities can benefit from current industrial transformations.

• Moreover, in the first quarter of 2020, the Commission will propose a new European Gender Equality Strategy along with, following an ongoing public consultation, binding pay transparency measures to help reduce the gender pay and pension gap, promote women’s access to labour market and increase the number of women in senior positions in businesses and organisations.

• The European Commission will also present a report on the impact of demographic change in the first quarter of 2020, followed by a Green Paper on ageing in the fourth quarter of 2020 to launch a debate on long-term impacts of ageing, notably on care and pensions, and on how to foster active ageing.

• In the second quarter of 2020, an updated Digital Education Action Plan will be published to help boost the digital skills of both young people and adults, and to ensure that every educational organisation is fit for the digital age.

• To step up the fight against youth unemployment, the European Commission will present in the second quarter of 2020 proposals to reinforce the Youth Guarantee.

• A new Digital Services Act, to be presented during the fourth quarter of 2020, will upgrade liability and safety rules for digital platforms, services and products. This will be preceded by, in the third quarter of 2020, a Platform Work Summit hosted by the European Commission to discuss priority issues and possible solutions, including for example employment status, working conditions and access to social protection of platform workers, access to collective representation and bargaining, as well as cross-border aspects of platform work.

• In the third quarter of 2020, the European Commission will establish a new education and training cooperation framework with the Member States, with a view to further developing the objectives of the European Education Area.

• In 2021, the European Commission plans to launch an action plan for the social economy to enhance social investment and social innovation and boost the potential of social enterprises to create jobs, including for those furthest from the labour market.

• In 2021, the European Commission will present a Child Guarantee to make sure that children have access to the services they need and are supported until they reach adulthood.

• Next year, the European Commission will also present a strengthened strategy for disability, building on the results of the ongoing evaluation of the European Strategy for Disability 2010-2020.

The full communciation along with further accompanying documents is available on the European Commission’s website.

Founded in 1990, the USLIP Iaşi represents education sector personnel mainly in primary, secondary and other pre-university education.

The membership application was approved unanimously by the Board of CESI. Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We are glad to welcome our new colleagues from USLIP in our CESI trade union family. Their expertise in the Romanian education sector will certainly bring further added value to CESI’s group of national education sector trade unions. We are looking forward to a lasting and fruitful relationship and working together for good employment and working conditions in the education sector in Europe and in Romania. I am sure CESI and USLIP will greatly benefit from each other’s experiences and engagement.”

Further information about USLIP is available in CESI’s membership website section.

The position paper argues that an ambitious common minimum wage framework would be essential to fight social dumping in the EU, prevent a race to the bottom, secure upward social convergence, ensure competitiveness and ultimately reflect the presence European Pillar of Social Rights in the economically and financially already well integrated EU single market.

It stresses that adequate minimum wages are an especially powerful tool to counter precarious employment – even if such a single tool for fairer pay is not sufficient on its own.

Considering that precariousness is about more than pay, further flanking efforts need to complement minimum wages in order to move towards more decent labour rights, social security, healthcare and accident prevention guarantees in so-far precarious employment.

The position paper also emphasises that any regulatory framework should not negatively impact collective bargaining and functioning agreements already established in the different EU countries. In this context, a minimum framework should ideally be established by the EU social partners; however, in the continued absence of an agreement it should be framed by the EU institutions by means of a legal act.

The full position is available in the resources section.

According to Javier Jordán de Urries Sagarna, an affiliate of CESI’s member trade union organisation CSIF (Spanish Central Independent and Public Employees’ Trade Union), it will be key that real improvements are brought especially to those in precarious work. He said: “The European Commission’s proposal for a directive contains some very constructive propositions on how to make sure that all people in de-facto dependent work relationships can enjoy basic minimum standards for decent and transparent employment and working conditions. The directive is a flagship initiative of the European Commission to deliver on several principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and I call on the European Parliament and the Council to adopt an ambitious piece of legislation. It would be an important message that Europe can deliver and improve the lives of the people.”

A critical aspect relates to a broad scope of application of the directive, Javier Jordán de Urries Sagarna said: “The directive must not only mitigate precarious work in yet unregulated and exploitative new forms of employment and for the many self-employed people which are in reality in dependent work relationships. Precarious work exists also in the public sector.” He added: “When the negotiators of the European Parliament and the Council discuss exemptions or derogations for public sector workers from Chapter III on minimum requirements for working conditions, I urge them not to apply a flat-rate scattergun approach. In article 10, why should certain groups of persons in the public sector be denied transitions to more stable forms of employment? In article 11, why should they not have rights to training like everyone else? In article 7, is there a reason for really many groups of public sector workers to be exempted from maximum probation period clauses?”

As a European trade union umbrella confederation, CESI has accompanied this dossier closely, having highlighted the merits of an ambitious and broad directive to the European Parliament rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs and to the Council Presidency on various occasions.

Javier Jordán de Urries Sagarna concluded: “Next to possible exemptions for public sector workers, it is a priority for us to ensure an EU directive with teeth: References to transitions to more secure (as opposed to only transparent) forms of employment should be maintained and the information provisions in Chapter II and clauses on minimum predictability of work in article 9 should not be watered down compared to the European Commission’s proposal. In article 10 we would also like to see a real right to more secure working conditions as opposed to merely a right to request this. This would not represent any improvement for workers in real life. Workers do not need a directive to give them a right to ask for something.”

For more information: European Commission proposal | European Parliament negotiation mandate plus Corrigendum | Council mandate (‘General approach’)

Picture: CESI Employment and Social Affairs Commission President Javier Jordán de Urries Sagarna (CSIF) © CESI 2018

In a debate with representatives from UNI Europa, -with CESI recognised European sectoral social partner on the employee side-, and the European Commission’s Directorate-General ‘Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs’ (DG GROW) on the current evaluation and a possible subsequent revision of the EU postal services directive 97/67/EC, the members of the trade council criticised the role of the directive to have contributed to the liberalisation of the sector, with subsequent deteriorations in the quality of delivery service and worsened working conditions for employees in the sector.

The trade council members emphasised in particular the key role of robust and extensive universal service obligations (USOs) for a continued maintenance of a high quality of postal delivery services. It was agreed to continue to push for strong USOs and decent employment in the sector, including together with UNI Europa.

A resolution spelling out CESI’s concrete priorities will soon be published in the resources section. Key issues will include the following:

• European legislators must make a clear commitment to the continued existence of an EU Postal Services Directive and work towards its further development. The top priority is to maintain or establish a balance between free competition, consumer needs, a functioning and economically viable universal service and the maintenance of job security within the postal and parcel industry.

• Appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that the national postal universal service provider does not experience any disadvantages compared to competing companies due to the task assigned to it.

• Since the employment situation in the postal and parcel industry regularly leads to strong social upheavals and violations of the law, the legislation of the member states should create the appropriate framework conditions to counteract this undesirable development.

• In case of a revision, the spirit of the green deal must flow into the EU Postal Services Directive

The next meeting of the trade council will take place in May 2020 in North Macedonia (tbc).

Also a result of the first CESI Summer Days in June 2019, the paper stresses the extent to which ongoing globalisation, rapidly-evolving digitalisation and the continuous development of revolutionary new technologies and mobility concepts on all levels have brought fundamental changes to our economies and societies.

It also underlines how more and more people work online, ‘in the cloud’, perform mobile work or engage in simultaneous employment for several employers, across borders or in different jurisdictions has all led to rapidly diversifying employment and social protection models.

Finally, it emphasises the need for trade unions to adapt or at least complement their role and portfolios if they wish to remain relevant actors and interlocutors to help shape employment, working conditions and social protection for people in de facto dependent, precarious employment and self-employment.

Key demands are in this context put forward in the fields of:

• labour law, including on retraining and skills training, working time, minimum wages, abusive uses of atypical employment models, and the classification of those in precarious atypical work or in bogus self-employment as ‘workers’ or ’employees’ that are subject to basic labour law
• standards for formal, effective and adequate social protection especially for all those in precarious employment, as well as further provisions to improve the transparency and transferability of social security entitlements
• more tailored interest representation of trade unions and ways for trade unions to expand and better represent individualising workforces

The full paper is available for download in the resources section.

The joint statement on the EU postal services directive was adopted following a request by the European Commission, which is currently drafting an evaluation report on the functioning of the directive. The statement acknowledges that the universal service is the core of the European regulatory framework for postal services and that the central focus on the provision of universal services needs to be maintained in the future. The text also recognises that fair working conditions support a sustainable and high-quality universal service provision.

The joint declaration on training of personnel in the postal services sector makes a case for the identification of digital skills useful for new jobs as well as for classic activities in the sector, and calls to monitor closely the impact of digitisation on training and retraining in specific sector activities that requqire new and advanced skills.

Full joint statement on the review of the EU postal services directive
Full joint declaration on training

Logos: CESI/ UNI Europa/ PostEurop logos © CESI/ UNI Europa/ PostEurop 2019

After the successful admission of the CESI Youth as a candidate member at the European Youth Forum (EYF) in November 2019, the Youth Board met to start developing a future-proof strategy

• to continue policy positioning on key youth priorities including better VET and apprenticeship systems in Europe and a strengthened Youth Guarantee,
• to further embed the CESI Youth in the Brussels public arena as a recognised and active advocate for good work for young people,
• to consolidate the CESI Youth’s voice within the CESI mother organisation and its member trade unions,
• to assist CESI and its member trade unions with expertise and strategic advice in their efforts to gain more new (young) members and better retain them in their organisations, which have in many cases been ageing demographically.

CESI Youth Representative Matthäus Fandrejewski said: “Since the inception of the CESI Youth in 2013, I am proud to see how long of a way the CESI Youth has come both within CESI as well as externally as a promoter of decent work for young persons. At the same time, we are all aware that a lot of work remains to be done.

I very much look forward to working with my colleagues in the CESI Youth Board to further root and consolidate our efforts and help making Europe an even better place for young people.”

Under the leadership of Matthäus Fandrejewski, the CESI Youth Board will process the strategic decisions that were taken at the meeting, thus jumpstarting another successful year as a strong voice of young workers and employees.

The project, -in which CESI, the World Employment Confederation (WEC) as well as Zurich Insurance were supporting partners,- saw interventions from the new European Commissioner for Jobs Nicolas Schmit, the national employment ministers of Finland (Timo Harakka), Germany (Hubertus Heil) and Norway (Anniken Hauglie) as well as from other high-level speakers including MEP Yana Toom, Member of the European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee, Heinz Koller, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and Joost Korte, Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission.

CESI was represented by its VET Spokesperson Stefan Nowatschin, who intervened in a panel on ‘Access to training in the 21st century’.

A study that the EPC published in conjunction with the conference takes an in-depth look at how labour is evolving throughout Europe and put forward a set of policy recommendations for the EU, which despite its limited competences, can still be the driving force behind a progressive agenda for the future of work.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The evidence that the EPC research team found suggests that despite a rapid evolution, how the future of work unfolds is still in human hands, and that with sound decision-making the EU and its Member States can harness the benefits of new technologies, counter the polarisation of labour markets and make sure that no one is left behind. This proactive attitude also reflects CESI’s stated take on the issue, and we call on the European Commission and the Member States to take the new EU legislative term to make labour markets and employment in Europe future-proof – based on the credo ‘All workers count’”.

Further information about the conference is also available on the EPC website. The full study is available for download here.

The focus of the discussion was on the latest case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), CESI´s upcoming European campaign on the re-valorisation of public services, the state of play of the third party violence in the public sector project, modernisation challenges faced by public Administrations, possible creative applications coming from “gamification”, the EU´s latest initiatives in terms of tax policies and the current developments of Brexit.

To convey the trade unions’ messages and have a direct exchange, guest speakers from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Policy Centre were welcomed at CESI premises.

CESI Trade Council ACF President Wilhelm Gloss highlighted the importance of the Trade Council to voice the specific interests and need of the governments´ central administrations and tax authorities:

“Without efficient and well-equipped central state authorities, societies cannot function. Politicians and media are increasingly becoming aware of the need to invest in those. One of the key challenges for the years to come will consist of re-equipping central state administrations and tax authorities. A way forward certainly consists of efficiently fighting tax fraud and evasion, in establishing more fair and just taxation principles throughout the EU.”

On behalf of ALR, TC President Hans Freiler insisted on the contribution of services of general interests to the societies´ well-being and sustainability:

“Data are clearly showing that societies able to guarantee well trained public employees and provide good services to people can expect significant returns, not only social ones but also economic and financial. The Member States of the EU which were the most resilient during and in the aftermath of the financial crisis were those which had invested in people and performing services for the common good. It´s time to rethink the role of the public sector in our societies, crises are mostly created by the private sector and mitigated by the public one.”

Link to CESI project #NOVIOLENCEATWORK:

Trade unions for a zero tolerance towards violence at work: Protecting public sector workers in Europe

Trade Council video interviews

As the Commission´s work program is not yet adopted, looking at the respective mission letters to Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis (An Economy that Works for People) and Commissioner for Jobs and Social Affairs Nicolas Schmit gives an idea of the initiatives to be expected.

As for Valdis Dombrovskis, he is, among other tasks, supposed to overview the action plan to coordinate the European Pillar of Social Rights, to lead the work strengthening the role of social dialogue and to refocus the European Semester on sustainability. In all three areas, CESI has vital interests and has been involved intensively in the different dossiers over the past years. We look forward to continuing the cooperation with Mr Dombrovskis, who has repeatedly shown his sensitivity for trade union pluralism.

The letter of mission to Nicolas Schmit highlighted his tasks as follows:

Delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights and its 20 principles, ensuring that every worker in the EU will have a fair minimum wage, monitoring and enforcing EU legislation for dignified, transparent and predictable working conditions, and looking at ways to improve the labour conditions of platform workers.

CESI has been deeply involved with all of these subjects, and in the first meeting with Nicolas Schmit, we had a tour d´horizon on the specific challenges of his portfolio. Interestingly, and in addition to his commitment for the tasks assigned, he both underlined his will to further include CESI in the EU decision-making process and highlighted the need to shift of paradigm regarding the importance of the public sector for the economic and social well-being of societies. Something we took positively notes of.

As for the upcoming Croatian Presidency, a “Europe that develops, a Europe that connects, a Europe that protects and a Europe that is influential” will lie/remain in the focus. Croatia´s Ambassador to the EU, Irena Andrassy, highlighted the key dossiers: the Multi-Annual Financial Framework, the European Green Deal and the EU´s enlargement to Western Balkan countries. Here too, CESI has some irons in the fire if one thinks of our new trade unions in the Balkans, our interests in avoiding budgetary cuts in the social sphere and in anticipating the future of industries (and trade unions) in the context of climate change.

***

Speaking of the future, CESI is partner of the EPC project on the future of work. On a major conference which takes place on Monday, December 9 in Brussels, the main findings of the project will be presented.

From CESI´s side, we are invited to comment on some of the aspects of the report, namely on how the actions of trade unions could be reinforced to improve trade unions density among atypical workers, on how to resolve the tension between the fixing of tariffs (e.g. through collective bargaining) of so-called dependent independent workers and competition law, and on how platform workers could be classified in the future. Furthermore, our VET spokesperson, Stefan Nowatschin, will also take part in the panel on Access to training in the 21st century.

One thing appears to be clear: A new systematic approach and strategy seem to be required. Hence, we will support a particular role and function of the EU in the clarification of the status and protection of atypical workers, self-employed and platform workers.

Remember: All workers count.

***

Finally, as this Newsletter is the last in 2019, I seize the opportunity to thank all of you for the great support and cooperation which we could benefit of.

At the last Congress in 2016, Romain Wolff and I highlighted that CESI has achieved a standing within the ‘fabric’ of Europe. And as it seems, this standing could be improved even further.

We would, therefore, like to express our sincerest thanks to all those who have actively participated in CESI´s work: the member organisations, the mandate holders and, last but not least, the staff at the General Secretariat which is as dedicated as ever.

In a recent meeting at the Leuven University, a Belgian professor for social law told us: “In the first time since 25 years, I am again positive when it comes to the social side of the EU.”

Enough reasons to be well-prepared and motivated for the years ahead, don’t you think?

In this spirit, we wish you all Merry Christmas and a happy new year 2020!

CESI Youth has been an observer member of the European Youth Forum since 2006. The pan-European organisation is important because it is the platform which reunites the most representative youth organisations in Europe. The Youth Forum works to empower young people to participate actively in society to improve their own lives by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organisations.

On this special occasion, CESI Youth Representative Matthäus Fandrejewski mentions: “I am very happy about the decision of the Council of Members of the European Youth Forum. In the past 6 years, we worked hard – we are proud that this work was recognized. Now we are looking forward to stronger cooperation.”

CESI Youth is pleased to be part of such a strong organization and it aims to reinforce their mutual interests by ensuring better representation of youth interests within workers organisations and to give a stronger voice to the young workers, unemployed and students in Europe.

With these goals in mind, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger appreciates once more the outcome of the vote on Saturday and hopes for a fruitful and long-lasting collaboration with the European Youth Forum and its affiliates.

According to the 2019 European Education Monitor, (only) 18% of teachers think that society values their profession, while at the same time 77% of teachers would still choose to work as teachers.

This edition of the monitor is focused on teachers and was presented in its main findings to the members of CESI Trade council EDUC by Bartek Lessaer of the European Commission DG EAC, followed by the presentation of Eurydice Network most report on teachers’ and school heads’ salaries and allowances in Europe by Sonia Piedrafita-Tremosa. Both publications aroused a lively discussion and confirmed once again the good timing of CESI Manifesto for the Teaching profession, which was officially presented to EDUC members. Following the publication of the manifesto in five languages, with the support of the European Commission through a Union grant, CESI secretariat has been working and will continue to work on its dissemination at European level, promoting it towards the new European Parliament and Commission.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We encourage all CESI members to widely spread and promote the Manifesto so that teachers’ rights are effectively put forward at all levels. As it can never be too much. Especially in times where teachers have to face a number of new challenges, including more stress, work overload and violence, which necessitates support at all stages of their career.”

Violence against teachers was namely high on the agenda of the trade council, also via the ongoing Europe Academy’s project on third-party violence in the public sector. While teachers were once highly respected professionals, valued, trusted and accepted as inspirational role models for young people, reported (or not reported) cases of violence against teachers are growing. Be it physical (in the worst cases), verbal (in most cases) and psychological (in a worryingly growing number of cases, also through cyberbullying and what is known as ‘cyberbaiting’).

As a trade union organisation representing numerous teacher trade unions from across Europe, support for the teaching profession has been a long-standing topic of concern of CESI. Now even more than ever through its Manifesto, which can be summarized into nine main key demands for teachers, including professional stability (#NoPrecariousWork), decent remuneration, basic minimum conditions for professional practice (including #NoViolenceAtWork), the provision of high quality initial and further training opportunities (including on digital skills) and the involvement of teachers in decision-making procedures.

Last but not least, some members’ project around vocational education and training were presented, thus highlighting the important role of vocational teachers in conveying crucial skills for the new world of work, and stressing once again the versatility of the (teaching) profession in the twenty-first century, high challenging time for teachers.

Link to the Manifesto for the teaching profession

Link to video interviews after CESI trade council ‘Education, training and research’

Link to a campaign of Romanian Trade Union USLIP on third party violence on teachers (subtitles)

Together with representatives from the European Commission, upcoming EU policy priorities were discussed, including a new European Unemployment Benefit Reinsurance Scheme, new legislation on pay transparency, a legal framework for minimum wages in Europe, measures to improve the labour conditions of platform workers, an action plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, a reinforcement of the Youth Guarantee, and a further strengthening of social dialogue.

In particular in the realm of gender equality and women’s rights, ways for topical advocacy collaboration were discussed with the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), an active member of which CESI has been for many years.

With input by Fabian Zuleeg, CEO of the European Policy Centre and Brexit adviser to the Scottish government, CESI’s members discussed the implications that Brexit will or might have on public services in the to-be-EU-27 and on the civil servants and public sector employees delivering them.

The next meeting of the SOC and FEMM Commissions will take place in spring/summer 2020.

Video clip of the meeting

Picture: CESI SOC and FEMM Commissions meeting in Brussels © CESI 2019

The event had 3 main objectives:

• to assess the current state-of-play in the up-take of apprenticeship schemes in the EU;
• to enable collaborative thinking and explore good practices in order to ensure more opportunities for young people’s transition to work through apprenticeships;
• to come up with policy recommendations on how to improve the up-take and the quality of the apprenticeship schemes in the EU under current frameworks, such as the New Skills Agenda and the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as future initiatives.

The event was opened by Tatjana Babrauskienė, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and rapporteur of two opinions on the EU Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships, and on skills mismatch, followed by an intervention Klaus Heeger, Secretary-General of CESI.

Both highlighted the contributions apprenticeships bring to the field of social inclusion and functional economic societies. Ms Babrauskienė further emphasized the importance to focus on inclusiveness and facilitating everyone’s access to the scheme regardless of gender, migrant background or social status. Norbert Schöbel, Team Leader in the European Commission for “Skills for the Young”, added that despite alarming trends in youth unemployment, the situation has improved since 2013 and continues to do so. He was glad to report that the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) together with other EU policy and funding instruments have facilitated the #TransitionToWork for many youngsters into professional jobs or higher education.

During an ensuing panel discussion, Matthäus Fandrejewski, CESI Youth Representative, stressed the importance of getting the right career orientation in order to follow a promising career path. From his personal experience, this was the cornerstone of starting an apprenticeship, he reported. He also highlighted the need for proper wage conditions and access to an appropriate ‘in-work’ education plan in order to perform well in both areas (educational development & employment).

Jan Wilker presented the StartNet network of the Goethe-Institut on young people’s transition, highlighting the importance of cooperation across all sectors at the grass roots as well as at the political level. Overall, quality apprenticeships are good for young people’s career path, for companies’ innovation, for youth employment, for the economy and society as a whole, he stressed.

Ben Butters, Deputy CEO at EUROCHAMBRES, welcomed the recent CESI Youth position paper on apprenticeships and underlined the need for improving life-long-learning. In EUROCHAMBERS’ annual survey with responses from over 50.000 small and medium sized companies in Europe, the second biggest challenge for companies in Europe is finding workers with the right skills, he said, adding that in this context, high-quality apprenticeship schemes are even more relevant and valuable.

Key recommendations flowing from the discussions at the event were:

• Relevant stakeholders across all sectors (including parents and youth organisations, employers, education providers, decision-makers and administration as well as civil society) should be more engaged and involved in contributing to quality apprenticeships and supportive policies;
• Apprenticeships should be both inclusive and excellent, providing valuable opportunities to all young people, avoiding any forms of social exclusion or discrimination;
• Career guidance and orientation is needed to reduce mismatches, as well as communication about quality apprenticeships as a first choice, acting against stigmatisation and wrong stereotypes;
• Empowering young people to voice their concerns themselves and to contribute to quality apprenticeships must be a central objective
• More funding opportunities for stakeholders in education/ employment/ support organisations at European and national levels is necessary;
• Reducing the administrative burden to increase the up-take of apprenticeships would be desirable;
• Creating more incentives for businesses to boost the up-take of apprenticeships is needed;
• Creating local and regional support networks for apprenticeships is of central importance;
• Improving the image of apprenticeships via campaigns could give them additional, much-needed visibility and public recognition.

The event ended with the conclusion that apprenticeships can provide suitable solutions to many current or future economic and societal challenges, and that such provisions depend on the support and action from all stakeholders, in policy and practice. These main ideas are also highlighted in the CESI Youth position paper on ‘Bridging education and the world of work – with a focus on apprenticeships’.

This Twitter moment may also serve as a summary covering main aspects of the event.

Picture: CESI Youth Representative Matthäus Fandrejewski moderating CESI’s last CESI@noon panel © CESI 2019

It is true that the Equal Pay Day has shifted by one day, from November 3 to November 4, in comparison to 2018, 2017 and 2016. However, this progress of just one single gained day in 4 years shows just how slow progress towards wage equality is in Europe. Since the first EU Equal Pay Day in 2012, the pay gap between men and women in the EU has been stagnating between 17.5% and 16.0%. “On average, women continue to work almost 60 days for free year after year. Real progress is missing and this is just insufficient”, Kirsten Lühmann said.

In a joint statement issued in advance of this year’s EU Equal Pay Day, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans and the Commissioners for Employment and for Justice, Marianne Thyssen and Věra Jourová, underlined that “pay transparency, combined with other solutions such as an equal distribution of caring responsibilities between women and men – enabled by new EU Directive on parental and carers’ leave – would help us tackle the root causes of the gender pay gap”, but acknowledged at the same time that “more needs to be done and faster.” According to Kirsten Lühmann, the incoming new European Commission needs to take on decisive measures.

She added: “I appreciate the new EU directive on work-life balance, and I very much welcome plans of the European Commission to look into more effective ways to ensure pay transparency in Europe. These are steps in the right direction, but work must not end until the gender pay gap is eliminated.”

CESI and its member organisations and affiliates will continue to stand up for quick and substantial progress.

Picture: Kirsten Lühmann © dbb 2019

As we represent both firefighters and police forces, it was a particularly sad moment, when it came to clashes between these two forces. Alain Laratta, President of “Avenir Secour” called above all for more security and respect from society and politics. “Being a firefighter is the most beautiful job in the world, but we demand more recognition,” Laratta said.

Against this background, a major CESI-Conference on third party violence against public sector employee took place in Budapest. According to major research findings, “having to deal with difficult customers, patients, pupils etc. are the major risk factors which lead to third party violence”. As a consequence, the public sector is particularly exposed.

In Budapest, more than 130 trade unionists have raised awareness for the problem, and have expressed clear political and legislative demands. “It is not only about our members and their interest representation. It is about society as a whole. We have to understand that safety, education, health and the common good, in general, is in all our interest.

“Violence against those delivering these services is an attack against us all and each one of us personally”, CESI-President Romain Wolff stated in a joint press conference with the Hungarian trade union MKKS and the new mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karacsony.

CESI will launch an EU-wide campaign in the aftermath of the conference on tools, demands and messages. #NoViolenceAtWork

***

This November 9^th, Germany is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A big moment, not only for the Germans.

On the 11^th of November 1989, I took the car and drove with friends from Bonn to Berlin. Although the big party was already over, the feeling was still historic. Open border controls, Trabbies in West Berlin, (Western) shops empty, East German friends crossing borders.

And now?

Although a long time ago, divergences between East and West are still strongly felt. East-Germany is lagging behind economically, many areas suffer from major brain-drain and the emigration of young people, and last but not least not few East Germans still feel like second class citizens.

Added to this comes general political sclerosis, with an extremely weakened Chancellor Merkel at the head of the big coalition government.

So alas, just at this very historic moment, Germany appears to be the sick man of Europe.

With the UK leaving and Merkel has become a “lame duck”, French President Macron is trying to step into the political vacuum.

With verve and enthusiasm, but, according to the NYT, also like a bull in a China shop.

Maybe true. As I wrote recently, compromises are at the very heart and essence of the European project. So bullying does not fit in.

But exceptional times require exceptional measures. And at the moment, a strong leadership may prove itself better for the European project than timid and erratic wavering EU policies.

In a recent discussion with an old friend, I expressed my concerns about the future of the EU and its survival. His laconic reply was simply: “It´s not the EU. It´s the world.”

Also true.

So as I don’t like self-fulfilling prophecies, especially the apocalyptic ones – regardless whether they refer to climate change or to the demise of the EU – I raise my head: Let´s be honest, we are not doing so bad.

Many jobs involve contact with the public, so the risk of falling prey to third-party violence at the workplace (also known as “external violence”) is very high. External violence can take on several forms: verbal, physical or psychological abuse, or rudeness against a worker doing his/her job. The symposium took place in the context of the rising violence at work registered by CESI member organisations representing public sector workers.

With the participation of the newly elected Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony, the symposium provided an opportunity for views’ exchange among CESI affiliates and members from the EU Member States. Important role in this process were the inputs by external experts Tim Tregenza, Network Manager at the EU Agency for Health and Safety at Work (EU-OSHA), Mariko Ouchi, Senior Specialist at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Janina Lara Dressler, Adviser for violence prevention at the Berlin fire brigades, Monique Van Limpt, Psychologist, Master of Labour and Organization. The event was moderated by Dirk Anton Van Mulligen, Leadership consultant at “Habilis Mens in Werk”.

The European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) considers essential to tackle the problem of third-party violence in public service with a #NoViolenceAtWork campaign to be launched in 2020, producing an animation video stressing the role and importance of public services’ workers for the entire European society.

Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary-General said during the event: “Whenever workers experience violence in exercising their functions, be it verbal or physical, or psychological they have to know that they are not left alone. Through this project and the campaign #NoViolenceAtWork, CESI also wants to convey the message that trade unions’ role is to support workers all over Europe with preventing and accompanying measures in situations of violent behaviours.”

The impact of the crisis, the restructuring processes that have taken place and resulted in a reduction of the number of workers, budget cuts and a shortage of resources have all worsened the situation because the services provided do not always meet the public’s expectations. Public services often become the target of dissatisfaction or social frustration for which the State and society get blamed. Research reports on the subject of third-party violence at work stress the greater vulnerability of women, particularly as regards violence of a sexual nature (whether verbal or physical).

CESI’s project began with two “CESI@home” regional meetings, one in Berlin on 29 March 2019 and the other in Madrid on 21 June 2019, and even before the official launching of the project a first regional event on the topic had taken place in The Hague in 2018. The aim of these regional meetings has been to provide a platform for true testimonies of such violence and present initiatives and best practices to prevent and deal with situations of violence in order to define efficient solutions for the field.

Romain Wolff, CESI President said: “Violence has risen in society in general, not only in the world of work. A general effort is needed by many actors to deal with this situation. Public sector workers work for society, to provide services of general interest to citizens, so it is important to guarantee good and safe working conditions.”

Programme of the symposium

Video Interviews

Photos of the event

Mayor of Budapest declarations

Project additional information

The European social dialogue committee on central government administrations, where CESI forms an employee social partner delegation ‘TUNED’ together with EPSU, had adopted a social partner agreement on more equal information and consultation rights for central administration personnel in December 2015. Since then, the European Commission has objected to propose to convert the agreement into an EU directive.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “This is a disappointing news for 9.8 million central government workers across Europe who are denied similar rights for information and consultation which private sector workers already enjoy under binding EU legislation.

Five years ago, the Juncker Commission promised a new start for social dialogue, but in this case support has been missing. For us, every worker counts.”

CESI will seek to consult with its social dialogue partner EPSU on how to help ensure that in the future all central administration personnel in Europe can be covered..

More information about the case is available on EPSU’s website. The full judgment, including all case documents, can be accessed in all EU languages via the Court’s website.

The objective of the symposium is to raise awareness about developing trivialisations or acceptances of violence against state representatives, to build capacity for improved occupational prevention and repression tools at work which also focus on the protection of victims of violence, and to discuss possible policy solutions for efficient legislation for improved occupational safety and health as well as an effective defence of the interests and rights of victims and more stringent sanctions of violence committed against state agents.

The conference will be held with the participation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the EU Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and feature case studies and best/worst practices presented by CESI members including the German dbb, the Spanish CSIF and Dutch CNV-Connectief, in addition to first-hand reports by employee-victims and insights from research experts.

More information about the conference as well as the broader project is available on the Europe Academy website section.

This year, during the 12^th anniversary, the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) brings to attention the principles laid down in the UN’s International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

As established in Article 7 ICESCR, just and favourable work conditions for everyone should ensure:

• remuneration which provides all workers, as a minimum, with fair wages and equal remuneration for work of equal value without distinction of any kind, in particular women being guaranteed conditions of work not inferior to those enjoyed by men, with equal pay for equal work, and with a decent living for themselves and their families in accordance with the provisions of the present Covenant;

• safe and healthy working conditions;
• equal opportunity for everyone to be promoted in his employment to an appropriate higher level, subject to no considerations other than those of seniority and competence;

• rest, leisure and reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay, as well as remuneration for public holidays.

Many of these principles are also inherent in national constitutions as well as in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers and the European Social Charter.

This year, CESI is also leading two key projects/advocacy campaigns related to the Decent Work Agenda:

• ”Precarious work: Empowering trade unions to address new challenges” with objectives 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.
• ”Trade unions for a zero tolerance towards violence at work” with objectives to raise awareness about developing trivialisations or acceptances of violence against state representatives, to build capacity improved occupational prevention and repression tools at work. The project also focuses on the protection of victims of violence, and to discuss possible policy solutions for efficient legislation for improved occupational safety and heal.

CESI strongly advocates to ‘seize’ these principles through advocacy initiatives, projects and conferences on core labour rights, adequate social protection and effective interest representation for all workers.

This is part of our work. Every day, not only today.

Decent work. A human right.

In a panel “Do teachers have the blues? The civil society’s point of view” representatives from the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE), the European Economic and Social Committee and CESI exchanged views on the future of the teaching profession, the challenges that lie ahead and the attractiveness of the profession.

In his introduction, Secretary General Klaus Heeger underlined: “Education of our children is the most important and challenging task in the world, and we hand over to teachers what matters most in our lives: our children. Despite all challenges and shortcomings, teachers should have tremendous professional pride. They deserve our deepest respect and appreciation”.

The Education Summit highlighted the need to further invest in education and teachers, to fight precariousness, to improve working conditions and, last but not least, to call for the appropriate appraisal of the profession. Trust, autonomy, empowerment, participation, sufficient time resources and support mechanisms were identified as key.

Against the major challenges identified, demographic changes and the professional and societal impacts of the digital transformation, many speakers underlined the need to recruit (and retain!) sufficient qualified and motivated young teachers.

In this context, the recently adopted CESI “Manifesto for the Teaching Profession” established the following demands:

– Social recognition of the teaching profession

– Professional stability

– Decent remuneration and standard of living

– Basic minimum conditions for professional practice

– Access to professional training and development

– High-quality basic and continued training

– Professional mobility (encouraging and promoting the value of experience and stays in foreign countries)

– Recognition of diplomas and professional experience

– Consultation and participation in decision-making procedures

“It is now time that, beyond trade unions and professional associations, teachers find overall societal support; by media, politicians, parents, pupils and the youngsters, “Klaus Heeger concluded his intervention. “To have chosen ‘Teachers first!’ as motto for the 2nd Education Summit reflects these ambitions!”

Programme and videos from the 2nd European Education Summit.

Video – Closing remarks from CESI SG Klaus Heeger at the end of the 2nd European Education Summit.