CESI@noon on affordable housing

The report puts forward recommendations to the European Commission/External Action Service and the Member States on how the EU’s security and defence doctrine should be further developed in the context of a new Strategic Compass, CSDP missions and operations, crisis management, resilience, capabilities, partnerships and parliamentary oversight of CSDP.

The European Parliament regularly assesses the developments the EU makes in the field of CSDP. And in 2021, they have been considerable. A so-called ‘Strategic Compass’ – “a comprehensive analysis on key threats and challenges to the Union, its Member States and citizens, including global and regional threats, conflicts in our neighbourhood by state and non-state actors” – has been developed, and the CSDP budget has been increased.

The adopted European Parliament report calls among others for a permanent high-level dialogue on Russia and improved relations with China. It underlines the fundamental importance of the transatlantic partnership, and it invites the EU to further bolster democratic alliances for the protection of the rule of law and human rights.

Thomas Sohst, President of CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Defence’ said: “Not least because of the increasing geopolitical instability in the past years, EU defence policy has moved into the spotlight. But the EU needs to further step up its efforts in order to become a credible and resilient global defence actor. Representatives of military and civilian personnel of the armed forces should be consulted and involved in all the stages of the design and implementation of defence policies. Moreover, if the EU wants to lead more successful civilian and military missions abroad, we must face the fact that more budget is needed.”

For a better protection of the healthcare workforce:

A larger scope of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive 37/2004

Today, the European Parliament plenary endorsed an agreement reached with the Council on December 16 last year on a fourth revision of the EU’s directive 27/2004 on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work.

For CESI it is a breakthrough: This fourth revision of the directive will include a reference to dangerous medicines, therefore guaranteeing a greater protection for healthcare workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic put health workers in the spotlight and emphasised the importance of PPEs (personal protective equipment). On the other hand, it overshadowed other risks that healthcare professionals are exposed to.

Dangerous drugs which are widely used in the treatment of cancer contain harmful substances for those handling them. Over time, this can cause serious illnesses, and even cancer. More than 12.7 million healthcare workers in Europe, including 7.3 million nurses, are potentially exposed to such dangerous substances[1].

Since 2018, CESI has firmly advocated in favour of expanding the scope of the 37/2004 EU Directive to include reprotoxic and dangerous substances. Following the 4th revision of the EU Directive 37/2004 on carcinogens and mutagens, the European Commission will set new standards and guidelines on the preparation and administration of these substances.

Esther Reyes, Chairwoman of CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Health’ welcomed the vote. “Of course, we are glad about the approval of the European Parliament plenary, which will hopefully further protect our affiliates. But there is more to it. For years we have asked for investment in the health sector; to increase human resources, and to improve working conditions. Altogether, a more inclusive, overarching protection of the healthcare workforce is needed.”

The agreement still needs to be formally approved by the Council at ministerial level, before the revised directive can enter into force.

[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0114_EN.html

The European Parliament’s resolution, which puts forward proposals to address the most vulnerable young persons, supports, inter alia, a reinforced Youth Guarantee and the EU’s new ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) programme and calls on the European Commission to “propose in 2022 new tools and initiatives aimed at developing youth entrepreneurship and youth social investment in the action plan for social economy”. Indeed, alarming statistics on NEETs, youth unemployment, mental health and social exclusion call for immediate intervention as part of the post pandemic recovery to bring back the wellbeing of young Europeans.

In 2019 one in four youngsters in the EU was at risk of social exclusion or poverty. High NEETs rates have staggering negative consequences for economies but more importantly they impact negatively the health, wellbeing and stability of young generations to come. Many fear that the perpetuation of this situation could lead to irreversible generational effects on youth.

In line with the European Parliament resolution, CESI advocates in favour of more decisive European and national responses to facilitate youth access to quality jobs and traineeships, affordable housing, mental health support mechanisms. To mitigate the negative consequences of the pandemic for the inclusion of young people in education, the European Union and Member States should invest more in labour market policies and in school-to-work transitions.

CESI welcomes proposals and demands put forward by the European Parliament on the European Year of Youth 2022, Erasmus+, a boosted Youth Guarantee, Youth Employment Initiative and new EU ALMA programme, and agrees that more investment in the future of young people should also be made also through the national plans of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

CESI also supports the resolution’s condemnation of unpaid work -be it as part of a professional internship, traineeship or apprenticeship-, salutes the resolution’s recommendation on including youth mental health recovery in the forthcoming EU Care Strategy, and notes that the inclusion of social partners in the design, implementation and delivery of youth policies, which is reiterated throughout the resolution, is instrumental in achieving effective and positive support for young people.

In support of the resolution CESI Youth Representative Matthäus Fandrejewski declared: “In order to prevent young people from losing themselves and maintain an economic, social and health-promising perspective, we need to invest in youth! Strong interest representation of young people is vital. CESI Youth continues to give youth workers a platform to advocate for their rights!”

Already now, under the current rules in EU regulation 561/2006, professional drivers (involved in the occasional international transport) of passengers may, under certain circumstances, postpone the weekly rest period for up to 12 consecutive days. This does not apply to drivers of goods. In addition to that, it appears that the European Commission is considering a further revision for bus and coach drivers in order “to adapt to the specificities of the sector.” This seems to aim in particular at allowing even more flexibility in terms of the respect of resting periods.

Against the background of a CESI contribution to a consultation by the European Commission, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “For us, it has never been fully understandable why derogations are allowed for the transport of persons. It simply begs the question why there should be different rules on resting and driving times in passenger transport by buses and coaches than there are for goods by trucks. More flexibility can too often and too quickly translate into undermining driver rights at the expense of working conditions of the drivers and the security of passengers. And that would be an absolute no-go for us. So I believe that the European Commission has to put more ‘flesh to the bones’ to explain why the (in this case international) transport of passengers may require even more derogations from the mandatory resting period to comply. Because at the end of the day, it is about the safety or lorry drivers, bus drivers and passengers alike.”

In order to achieve adequate participation in science for women and girls and contribute to their empowerment, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015.

According to a recent science report of UNESCO, 33 per cent of the world’s researchers are women. Female researchers are awarded less research funding than men and are less likely to be promoted. The report also shows that the presence of women in tech industries is very limited. Only 1 in 5 professionals working in artificial intelligence and 1 in 3 engineering graduates are women.

Education systems and professionals can play a key role: by encouraging female pupils and students and enhancing trust in their competences of those who would like to pursue a career in a STEM field.

Especially in the frame of its Commissions on ‘Women’s Rights and Gender Equality’ and ‘Education, Training and Research’, CESI honours this year’s international day and remains committed to the further promotion of equal opportunities between women and men.

According to CESI, the fundamental principle of equality between women and men is vital for the achievement of the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but it is also a common value of the EU and a necessary condition for achieving further growth, innovation, employment and social cohesion in the EU.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “In a changing world full of new challenges and risks, sustainable solutions require harnessing all talent of our communities. Diversity in research is vital in order to bring in fresh perspectives and deal with the complex issues of our times. And this means strengthening the role of women in these fields. Science must not miss the talents of women.”

He added: “Now is the time to stop systemic disparities, eliminate stereotypes and work towards a new culture in science and work that is free of biases and discrimination. As CESI, we stand ready to contribute our part in this.”

According to the Forecast, following a notable expansion by 5.3% in 2021 the EU economy will grow by 4.0% in 2022. The EU as a whole reached its pre-pandemic level of GDP in the third quarter of 2021 and all Member States are projected to have passed this milestone by the end of 2022. Moreover, after reaching a record rate of 4.6% in the fourth quarter of last year, inflation in the euro area is projected to peak at 4.8% in the first quarter of 2022 and remain above 3% until the third quarter of the year.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The European economy is recovering from the Covid crisis, growth is at very encouraging levels and many companies are comfortably back in the profit zone. At the same time, high inflation becomes an increasing problem for many citizens and workers. The net value of their savings decreases significantly, while wage increases have so far in general not kept pace with inflation. Workers in Europe need a pay rise to reflect at least inflationary developments. The purchasing power of workers must not decrease, workers must not pay the price of inflation. This is especially true for low-income earners that are threatened to face poverty or risks to fall into poverty through inflation. We should not forget that inflation for many goods that make up large shares of the expenditure of low- and medium-income households, such as energy, rents and basic foodstuffts, has recently been far beyond even ‘just’ 4 or 5%.”

More information about the Winter 2022 Economic Forecast is available on the European Commission’s website.

According to the European Commission, the Declaration should guide policy makers and companies in their dealings with new technologies and the digital transformation and recapitulate a set of rights and freedoms enshrined in the EU’s legal framework as values that all citizens in the EU should enjoy. The European Commission invites the European Parliament and the Member State governments acting in the Council to endorse this Declaration.

The proposed declaration spans to areas including access to internet connectivitiy, digital educaiton and skills, working conditions, digital public services, interactions with algorithms and artificial intelligence systems, and privacy and individual control over data as well as the proper protection of children online. Importantly, the ‘rights’ are not directly enforceable by individuals but rather serve as a compass that decision makers and managers should follow suit.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “A declaration to proclaim principles for a fair digital transformation is a welcome complement to the EU’s digitalisation agenda, which should above all be social. As CESI we have stressed that the principles for fair digital labour markets, employment and working conditions should not be missing. We welcome the planned commitment to ensure that everyone shall be able to disconnect and benefit from safeguards for work-life balance in a digital environment. However, it would have been good to clearly relate the right to protection of personal data online clearly to area of work and employment too. Surveillance at work is a clear no-go.“

He added: “We endorse in particular also the rights pertaining to accessible, seamless secure and interoperable digital public services, which are much-needed. Achieving this will require substantial investments in the hard and soft infrastructure and equipment of the public services and its staff. It is key to note however that public services will not work purely online. They should always also remain accessible to those who are no digital natives or prefer in-person services. Many public services also require human judgment and empathy towards the citizens to work. Not every service can work well purely online.”

Dear members, colleagues, friends and partners of CESI,

The population’s views on the Covid measures and vaccination (obligation) couldn’t be more divided, and the tone of the debate shows that the blocs are becoming increasingly irreconcilable.

According to a resolution of CESI’s Presidium from June 2021, “vaccinations are an indispensable tool to bring down Covid-19 in the long term and protect the health of the citizens, the continued business activities of companies as well as the seamless provision of public services. However, general obligatory vaccinations -enforced for instance by threats of dismissal of certain categories of workers in case of non-vaccination- are not an adequate way to proceed in the fight against the Covid pandemic. Threatening workers with the termination of employment contracts or work relationships burdens the functioning dialogue and long-established trust between workers and management upon which successful business and public service provision depend. More and targeted awareness-raising campaigns to encourage and convince all citizens and workers of the benefits of a vaccination against Covid-19 is a more effective and promising alternative”.

I believe that for us unions, there is more to it.

Recent studies seem to corroborate the assumption that vaccine opposition have, to a certain extent, been linked to precariousness. And in a recent article for the NZZ, Maurizio Ferraris, Italian philosopher and professor at the University of Turin, takes the position that the loss of social ties, loneliness as well the absence of perspectives are fertile grounds for conspiracy theories – and hence vaccine opposition.

Caroline de Gruyter, Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, writes in a recent opinion piece, that “social and political trust are declining. As a recent report by the University of Basel showed, one of the reasons why anti-vax movements in Germany and Switzerland radicalise so fast and so easily is precisely the fact that many citizens have drifted away from mainstream society – there is little that binds them together with other citizens, not even trust in scientists and doctors.”

Against that background, the societal bonds that trade unions bring cannot be valued enough. Beyond collective bargaining, social dialogue and interest representation, they can – and should – act as ‘intermediary bodies’ to engage with their membership to re-build social ties, re-connect citizens and re-store their trust in institutions. Trade unions can provide essential contact, empathy, understanding, dialogue, and not least persuasion.

They must play a mediation role. In a highly emotionalised context, where two sides face each other in a seemingly irreconcilable way, they are the glue that holds societies together. And they should be aware of it; in a determined, self-confident, and responsible manner.

Because all workers count.

As negotiations on a new directive on an EU minimum wage framework proceed, Eurostat published first data of the year on the national minimum wage rates of the 21 Member States that have statutory minimum wages; data on six Member States that have minimum wages through collective agreements were not included in the data set.

The statistics show that large disparities among the Member States persist. NineMember States, located in the east of the EU, have minimum wages below €700 per month, six Member States, located in the east and south of the Union, have minimum wages between €730 and €1,126, while in six further countries in central and western Europe statutory minimum salaries range between €1,500 and €2,257.

It is noteworthy that the highest minimum wage (Luxembourg) is almost 7 times higher than the lowest (Bulgaria). Moreover, even after adjusting national statutory wages to price differences across countries and expressing them in terms of purchasing power parities (PPPs), it appears that relative minimum pay is up to three times higher in countries such as Luxembourg and Germany than in countries such as Bulgaria or Latvia. As a general trend, minimum wages are relatively higher in Western Member States than in Eastern and Southern Member States

In a recent resolution, CESI expressed its support for the initiative of the European Commission to establish a framework that will ensure adequate wages in the Member States, noting that the new directive must:

-cover the bogus self–employed because they are de facto workers and should be recognized and protected as such,

-apply also to the public sector (but exclude civil servants falling under the so–called alimentation principle),

-promote collective bargaining and protect the role of social partners and trade unions in wage setting, and

-prevent Member States from applying exemptions for minimum wages at their discretion.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We need adequate and poverty-preventing minimum wages for every worker in precarious employment, in all sectors. The Single Market provides us with great opportunities regarding the free movement of capital, persons, goods and services, but it must always consider the interests of workers and citizens, because, otherwise, it can open doors to social dumping and social inequalities. The social disparities among the Member States that arise from widely differing relative minimum wages are unacceptable and a European approach that will bring upward covergence in this regard is extremely important.”

In view of the ongoing Corona crisis and impending digital and ecological transitions, the same question is being raised both in the Member States and political circles in Brussels: how can the Member States combine investment boosts and debt brakes in a sustainable and crisis-proof manner? For Europe’s trade unions, too, this is a question that doesn’t yet appear to have found an answer.

According to the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), Member States may not take on more than 3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in debt each year and the public debt ratio must not exceed 60% of GDP. Are these rules too rigid to allow governments to adjust national fiscal policies in line with economic cycles and crisis responses? Or do we in fact need these rules to keep debt in check without any ifs and buts?

Reflecting back over recent years, we see that many countries have not been meeting the Stability and Growth Pact’s targets for a long time now, and not only “in the South”, but also in countries such as Belgium and Austria. Germany first violated the SGP 15 years ago under Chancellor Schröder and is currently exceeding the 60% government debt ratio. These developments were triggered primarily because of a series of derogation and flexibility mechanisms that granted Member States temporary deviations from SGP rules.

Although these mechanisms always require the approval of national governments in the EU Council of Ministers, they are mostly based on political rather than economic considerations. This is how some individual countries have been repeatedly given a “reprieve” in the past; since March 2020 and probably lasting until 2023, the Pact has even been completely suspended through what is known as the “escape” clause, allowing governments to tackle the Corona pandemic with massive and urgently-needed expenditure whilst at the same time looking towards the digital-ecological economic transitions that lie ahead.

Brussels is now considering putting the EU’s economic and fiscal governance on a new footing for the post-2023 period so as to introduce a reformed system that better combines flexibility, investment stimulus and sustainable debt reduction; even across economic cycles, crises and asymmetric (i.e. country-specific) shocks. Europe’s aim here is to find an effective and universally-accepted solution; with all the reform-readiness in the world, highly indebted Member States need urgent to medium-term substantial assistance from the financially better-off countries for investments – to be used to a considerable extent for modernising their public services and administrations. And these financially better-off countries, for their part, cannot really afford to dismiss offering assistance out of hand if they wish to avoid further social and economic division in the EU at all costs.

The EU internal market is too economically and financially integrated, and “rich” countries such as Germany are the ones deriving excessive financial benefit from it. And last but not least: Isn’t the EU’s very raison d’être to pursue the objectives of convergence and solidarity, which the “richer” Member States are only too ready to call for in other political contexts?

Of course, in principle, it is only possible to distribute what has been generated beforehand, and every country should be able to stand on its own two feet in the long term; the German Finance Minister Christian Lindner recently emphasised this point at the dbb’s annual conference. However, it is equally true that investments sometimes create the framework conditions for prosperity, economic development and, ultimately, tax revenues. In his opening speech , dbb Federal Chairman Ulrich Silberbach emphasised that investments, not least in public services, mean investments in stability, economic activity and prosperity.

Of course, it could be argued that additional investments, i.e. expenditure, come at the expense of future generations, as the German Taxpayers’ Association never misses an opportunity to point out. But it has been repeatedly shown that upstream investment, for example in public services, makes States and society more resilient to future crises; rendering them worthwhile in the medium- and long-term. And surely no one would question the fact that especially in times of Corona and sweeping digital and ecological changes, large-scale expenditure is needed to safeguard the interests of those very future generations.

With all due criticism of the ‘Greek conditions’ 15 years ago: for many, the austerity policies imposed by the Troika have been a resounding failure. It is true that selling off a strategically important port (now in the hands of the Chinese) and mass emigration, especially of young and educated people, is hardly synonymous with glittering prospects of ‘resilience’.

In a recent opinion piece for the Financial Times, Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi argued in favour of reforming the Stability Pact to facilitate public spending in the future: “We need to have more room for manoeuvre and enough key spending for the future and to ensure our sovereignty,” wrote the two Heads of State and Government. This view clearly contradicts the ‘breaking even’ dogma, and to write it off as simply wrong (from a German perspective) would be presumptuous. Rather, it is based on differing interests, economic cultures and, not least, historical experience. And it must be said that both are not faring too badly in economic terms at the moment.
And this is Europe.

So, when the German Federal Minister of Finance announced at the dbb annual conference that the debt brake would be introduced again as of 2023 and that it would serve to guide public spending decisions, some fundamental disputes (within the German traffic light coalition too) naturally arose about what form and direction the SGP ought to take. The outcome will also have an impact on the interests of all employees and civil servants working within the public services of the Member States and Europe. As CESI, we must therefore keep a critical eye on the debate, but must also remain broad-minded and careful not to declare any thinking off-limits. Because for us too, the stakes are high.

In this context, see also the decision of the EU finance ministers from January 18 who approved this recommendation: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-5080-2022-INIT/en/pdf

CESI President Romain Wolff and CESI SG Klaus Heeger met in Madrid the ANPE (National Association of Teachers in Spain) President Francisco Venzalá González and Vice-President Nicolas Fernandez, to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”.

On the agenda, important points related to the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the #teachers in Spain.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

With a programme focused on the recovery and strengthening of Europe, the French Presidency aims to upgrade the European economic and social model and defend the European values and interests.

The programme of the new Presidency has three ambitions:

• A more ‘sovereign’ Europe with protected boarders, better security, and an improved asylum policy in line with Europe’s values.
• A new European model for growth with a focus on digital and green transitions and the creation of high-quality jobs.
• A humane Europe that gives voice to the citizens, defends the rule of law, and fights again every discrimination.

CESI welcomes every policy initiative that can lead to a more inclusive, resilient, and social Europe and expects that the new Presidency will pay particular attention to well-functioning and inclusive social dialogue, the mitigation of the profound social- and employment-related Covid fallout, and the protection of labour and the most vulnerable during the green and digital transitions.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The programme of the French Presidency includes some very important interventions in the field of employment that could upgrade working conditions and the labour markets of the Member States. Policy negotiations on adequate minimum wages in the EU, decent working conditions in the platform economy, a socially fair environmental-digital transition, the encompassing application of the principle of equal pay for equal work, and a better participation of persons with disabilities in the labour market are expected to be at the core of EU policy making in the coming months. And in all these developments, hearing all trade unions and social partners will be crucial.”

CESI President Romain Wolff and CESI SG Klaus Heeger met in Madrid the President Manuel Cascos Fernández and a delegation of Sindicato de Enfermería SATSE – Spanish Trade Union of Nursing Professionals to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”.

On the agenda, important points related to the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the nursing and physiotherapy professionals in Spain.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

CESI President Romain Wolff met in Madrid the President Miguel Borra Izquierdo and a delegation of CSIF Nacional – Spanish Central Independent and Public Employees’ Trade Union to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”.

On the agenda, important points related to the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the private sector workers and public administration staff in Spain.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

Without investment and innovation in public services, Germany will not be able to meet the existential challenges of the future, the dbb warns.*

“Digitalisation, climate protection (including the ecological transformation of the economy) education, social changes, social cohesion, immigration; we will not be able to tackle these future challenges without an efficient and motivated civil service that is properly equipped in terms of staffing and technology”, said dbb Federal Chairman Ulrich Silberbach at the opening of the dbb Annual Conference in Berlin on 10 January 2022.

With staffing stretched to an absolute limit and often antiquated technology, the civil service has practically been undergoing “a permanent stress test” for years. Employees have been waiting in vain for any display of appreciation and for employers and public authorities to realise “that it is high time to make long-term investments in their staff and to motivate them to stay by offering attractive working conditions”, criticised the head of the dbb. He also stressed that it was not the employees’ fault if the State was no longer functioning in ways that citizens had every right to expect. “If, as a result of political dithering and an obsession with the bottom line, we fail to futureproof our authorities and administrations over a period of years, we cannot feign surprise when disaster strikes”, said Silberbach. He went on to warn, “We cannot go on like this. A State that fewer and fewer people trust and that is failing to live up to their expectations is a State that can expect less and less from its people in return. If the cement holding our society together begins to crumble along with the civil service, if the system slowly but surely disintegrates into a number of component parts, we stand to lose social cohesion, respect for law and order, solidarity and respect.” There is also widespread frustration among employees about “staff shortages, increasing workloads, out-of-date technology and a web of bureaucracy which is stifling innovation and agility”.

The dbb chief outlined a clear roadmap for the sustainable modernisation of public services and stressed that time was of the essence, “We simply have to act now”, Silberbach urged. In addition to adequate staffing levels and attractive working conditions, public administration must finally enter the digital age. “Currently, we have a shortage of over 330,000 employees in the public sector. And that’s not all: almost 1.3 million colleagues are over the age of 55 and will therefore be retiring in the next few years. 1.3 million. How the federal, state and local governments are intending to compensate for this loss of know-how and manpower is still a mystery”, Silberbach emphasised. The already sluggish pace of digitalisation will not be enough to solve the problem alone, he said. Without people, there can be no State, and politicians should finally stop “constantly viewing employees as merely walking cost factors. Investments in public services are investments in stability, economic activity, education, security and prosperity.”

The dbb chief also called for greater respect and appreciation for the civil service in general. “Colleagues in the civil service must not be viewed as lightning rods for any policies attracting criticism. Those who bear political responsibility must make that clear time and time again and in no uncertain terms. Anyone attacking those who seek to represent and defend our State and the values it stands for is waging an attack on us all. That is why we expect more protection, more respect and more support from politics and society”, said Silberbach, also addressing the new Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, who is attending the dbb Annual Conference in person.

Livestream of the dbb Annual Conference 2022: https://www.dbb.de/veranstaltungen/dbb-jahrestagung/dbb-jahrestagung-2022/livestream.html

*Translation of the dbb Newsletter 04/22

In a proposal for a directive to help prevent the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes, the European Commission aims to ensure that letterbox companies -fake firms that have no or minimal economic activity- in the EU are unable to benefit from any tax advantages and do not place any financial burden on taxpayers. To become effective and legally binding, this proposal has to be adopted by the Member States acting in the Council.

A further proposal for a global minimum level of taxation for multinational groups in the EU aims to deliver on the EU’s pledge to be among actors to implement the OECD/G20’s recent global corporate tax reform agreement to bring a 15% effective tax rate for very large international companies. As foreseen by the OECD/G20, the tax rate would apply in at least 136 countries around the globe and represent more than 90% of the world’s GDP. This proposal, too, needs to be adopted by the Council.

CESI Sectetary General Klaus Heeger said: “We have been calling for an effective fight against tax avoidance by multinational companies for long. Taxes on labour are high, public debts increase in many countries, and governments in many places lack resources to finance quality public services for citzens – while big business can shift profits to tax havens and sneak away from taxation. One can always argue that 15% of minimum corporate taxation for very large multinationals is not sufficient, that the G20/OECD agreement contains too many loopholes, or that action by policy makers on taxation is too slow. However we should be aware that a deal that involves not only the EU Member States but all further relevant global actors as well, including many tax havens, is a complex challenge. In this sense we welcome and support the G20/OECD agreement as well as the European Commission’s plans to implement it and set additional rules to fight shell companies. The Member State governments acting in the Council must now quickly adopt the Euroepan Commission’s proposals and send a strong sign to global politics to follow suit. This should be considered a further important step towards fair taxation. There is still a long road ahead.”

A conversation with Marta Pilati, Policy Assistant in the Cabinet of European Commissioner Ferreira, on the EU cohesion policy 2021-2027 and the initiatives to strengthen social cohesion in the Union.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

In its proposal for a Council Recommendation, the European Commission suggests that Member States should “ensure that the Union’s transition towards a climate–neutral and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050 is fair and leaves nobody behind” and take the necessary measures “to adopt and, in close cooperation with social partners as relevant, implement comprehensive and coherent policy packages, addressing the employment and social aspects to promote a fair transition across all policies, notably climate, energy and environmental policies, as well as to make optimal use of public and private funding.” Specific measures a proposed to ensure that green transition will not bring adverse effects for citizens and employees. The role that quality green job creation, the maintenance of working conditions as well as inclusive access to education, training and life-long learning in green skills have for a socially fair transition is highlighted.

The proposal now needs to be deliberated and agreed on within the Council. The European Parliament is not formally involved.

In line with a consultation statement submitted to the European Commission during its drafting phase of the text, CESI:

• welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to address social and labour aspects of the just transition towards climate neutrality, as part of its European Green Deal. The objectives laid out in the proposal are generally correct and important to attain.
• stresses however that unfortunately a Council Recommendation is an insufficient legal tool to achieve socially fair and sustainable green transitions. Experience has shown that Member States implement (or not) non-binding Recommendations at their convenience. CESI questions the impact that a Recommendation will have.
• moreover underlines that a more holistic approach and streamlining across EU legislation would instead be necessary, comprising, most notably: (1) further reviewing EU legislation with the aim to better enforce existing legislation and identify legislative gaps to close and make labour markets and working conditions fairer and fit for the green age, (2) further binding measures for a strengthened participation of workers and their representatives in change management, and (3) more emphasis in the EU macroeconomic governance system and in EU funding tools, e.g. through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Just Transition Fund European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, to ensure that the necessary resources and infrastructure are provided to give to the at-risk jobs of today a future.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Already during CESI’s last Congress in 2020, we demanded a Social Deal to accomany the Green Deal at par. The EU imposes new rules for energy transitions and climate protection which will also involve significant costs for many citizens and employees. It is irreponsible that the EU set rules with impacts down to the level of the individual but then leaves the management of these impacts at the entire discretion of the Member States. A recommendation will likely be a paper tiger that Member States can just ignore without any consequences if it suits them.”

The aim of the online meeting was to explore concrete links between digitalisation and third-party violence and harassment at work. Together with other trade unionists as well as managers and researchers, CESI and its members had the opportunity to share their views on timely questions such as: Which are the specific impacts of digitalisation on third-party violence? What dimensions does cyberviolence have in the world of work and how widespread is it? Why is data security so important for workers and why is personal data considered a concern for occupational health and safety? Are the European multisectoral guidelines on third-party violence which were adopted in 2010 by a variety of European social partner organisations, including CESI, fit for the challenges raised by the recent digitalisation of work? What can social partners do to protect workers in the digital era?

The webinar started with an introduction to a recent report by the European Parliament on ‘Combating gender-based violence: Cyber violence’. It was mentioned that from a trade union perspective it is regrettable that the report fails to mention workplace and social dialogue issues but that it nevertheless includes relevant data to show the overall scope of cyber violence, noting that for instance that 4 to 7% of women in the Union experienced cyber harassment during the 12 months prior to report, while between 1 and 3% suffered from cyberstalking.

Jane Pillinger, independent researcher and consultant for the project, presented the key conclusions of a previous third webinar of the project which had been devoted to the creation of a preventative risk assessment culture at work. She also gave an overview of the results of an ongoing survey on the matter under the project which focusses on hospitals, prison services, employment services, front-line workers in local and regional government, secondary schools, urban public transport as well as telecoms, and mentioned that 15% of the respondents reported that cyber harassment is a predominant type of third-party violence.

Mathias Wouters, postdoctoral researcher at the Labour Institute of KU-Leuven University and co-author of a recent ILO report on links between digitalisation and violence and harassment at work presented possible concrete measures to constrain such behaviours. In particular, he underlined the role that persistence and repetition as well as an unequal power relations play in the act of ‘bullying’, which can be found also in ‘cyberbullying’. He explained how in cyberbullying one can also lead to multiplying ‘snowball effects’: Online aggressions can circulate a lot faster than in the analogous world and aggravate exponentially.

Tim Tregenza from the EU Agency for Safety and Health at work (EU-OSHA) described how occupational health hand safety-related risks in ICT can be prevented by holistic, systematic and systemic approachs and stressed the need of a coherent framework which brings together aspects of data security, harassment, telework and occupational health and safety. As Mathias Wouters, he confirmed that the social media have become an established vector of harassment and online violence. He also pointed out how data protection has become a health and safety concern as new technologies and social media blur private and work life.

For CESI, this webinar constituted the continuation of an awareness-raising action on the topic started with its own project on third-party violence at work (2019-2020) and particularly including an own #NOVIOLENCEATWORK campaign based on a video and manifesto against third-party violence at work, be it offline, or online.

The speakers’ presentations of this fourth webinar, as well as a report in English, will be available here.

About the multisectoral European social partner project

“The role of social partners in preventing third-party violence and harassment at work” is a joint project of HOSPEEM, EPSU, CEMR, CESI (co-applicants) and ETF, ETNO, ETUCE, EUPAE, UITP (associated organizations), co-funded by the European Commission, for the years 2021 to 2023.

The project aims to assess the effectiveness at the national level of the EU multi-sectoral social partners’ Guidelines to tackle and prevent third-party violence and harassment related to work (2010), which CESI signed in 2018, as part of the TUNED delegation, for the central government administrations’ sector. It will identify areas for improvements and explore possibilities for reviewing the Guidelines’ content and nature considering recent legislative developments and the ILO Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment (2019). The final objective of the project is to become an awareness-raising tool on a gender-sensitive approach to third-party violence and harassment at the workplace.

In a hearing on July 1 in the run-up to the drafting of an own-initiative report of the European Parliament on ‘Democracy at work’, Aleardo Pelacchi, a long-standing Confsal trade unionist from Italy and expert in European Works Councils, had in particular

• pointed to the need to strengthen the right to unionise as a basis for functioning worker representation at company-level, noting that trade unions can only defend the rights of workers effectively is their overall coverage and involvement is high;
• emphasised the urgent need to establish better guidelines for more effective worker participation processes at company level;
• stressed the necessity to further strengthen meaningful worker participation in European Works Councils in particular. “This should include real, ex-ante involvement and not just ex-post information transmittance after corporate decisions have already been made”, he had noted.

The final version of the report adopted by the European Parliament plenary last week, on December 16, takes up much of these considerations. The report, which is non-legislative, makes recommendations towards the European Commission for instance to:

• “put forward without further delay a directive on binding environmental and human rights due diligence and responsible business conduct, including workers’ rights such as the right to organise and collectively bargain”. It notes that “workers’ rights to organise, to collective union representation, to freedom of assembly and association, and to collectively call for reforms within their workplaces are fundamental aspects of the European project and core principles of the social model.”
• boost the role and functioning of European Works Councils (EWCs), stressing “the importance of ensuring timely and meaningful information and consultation [of EWCs], before management decisions are made” and highlighting that “workers’ representatives, including trade unions [in the EWCs], must have access to the requisite expertise and support documentation regarding management decisions” to ensure that “a genuine dialogue” and “meaningful participation” can take place in re-structurings.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Workplace democracy and workplace participation of employees is an important element for a sustained success of firms and business. Only when employees are engaged, involved and heard will they be able to adjust successfully to the diverse and profound social, economic, green and digital transitions that we are experiencing. Without employees taking ownership, without the insights of the workers that actually fulfill and deliver job functions, company and workplace changes will only be imposed top-down and risk to fail in their practical implementation. We are glad that the report of the European Parliament gives a number of key proposals to the European Commission to improve employee participation at the workplace both in general and in the context of the European Works Councils in particular.”

Further information about the report of the European Parliament is available here.

A conversation with Eszter Sandor, researcher at Eurofound, on teleworking and the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of workers.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Oliver Röpke, President of the Workers’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee, on the the green and digital transitions and the lessons learned from the pandemic.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Maria Teresa Fabregas Fernandez, Director of the Recovery and Resilience Task Force at the European Commission, on the social elements of the RRF and her expectations towards CESI’s ‘Summer Days 2022’.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Birgit Wintermann, Labour Law Specialist at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, on the impact of the green and digital transition on our societies and labour markets.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Daniela Rondinelli, MEP, on the proposed Directive on adequate minimum wages.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

CESI SG Klaus Heeger and the representatives of USLIP IASI News, Laviniu Adrian Lăcustăand Alupoae Laura, met today to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”, the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the teachers in Romania.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

A conversation with Rainer Lindholm, member of the Federal Government of TVML. TVML (Customs Officials Association/ Tullivirkamiesliitto- Tulljänstemannaförbundet) represents workers in all areas of customs in Finland in a variety of different positions.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Vic Van Vuuren, Director of the ILO Enterprises Department, on the mandate of the Enterprises Department, Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) policies, and the role of the EU in promoting decent work.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

Dear members, colleagues, friends, and partners of CESI,

As we are approaching the end of the year, time to look back at 2021. What are our findings?

Of course, the sentiment of an everlasting COVID-19 ‘déjà vu’. Our 2021 new year’s wishes where: “Looking back at an extremely difficult year, we would like tot thank you for the great cooperation, strong support and overwhelming trust that came to the fore over the last twelve months.” I believe we could recycle it for our 2022 new year’s wishes.

And yet, despite the feeling of being caught in an eternal COVID measures loop, I believe this year was not in vain, at least not in terms of activities. Many, many events, encounters, online debates and positionings took place in the frame of our ‘CESI@homes’ and ‘CESI@noons’, our ‘PULSER’, ‘DiWork’, and ‘WeEP’ projects, our ‘CESIInsides’ and ‘CESITalks’ interview series, and of course in the context of the activities of the Board, Presidium, CESI Youth, Commissions and Expert Commissions.

From minimum wages to pay transparency, from the fight against precarious work to combating third party violence, from the challenges of the future of work to the importance of public services, from green and digital transition to the central role of trade unions: I believe we left marks in the national and European agendas.

By focussing also on specific interests of the workforce in some of the sectors that have been particularly hit by the pandemic –public administrations, education, defence, civil protection, and, last but not last, health- we did not shy away from sometimes difficult debates; and I very much hope that this truly reflected the interests of our members and their affiliates.

2021 has been, yet again, a tough and challenging year. Our activities, plans, expectations and objectives had to be adapted repeatedly to unexpected and rapid changes. We had to remain flexible and, at the same time, effective.

And I believe that we managed to do it – together with the support and the commitment of our secretariat, our members, our partners, and our friends. And I hope we were able to give some support and commitment back.

And if we look at 2022? A lot is (and remains) on our plate. We aim to further improve our yearly planning and activity implementation cycle, our internal and external communication channels, and our visibility. We want to continue to establish and strengthen partnerships and relations both with our members and external organisations – having an open door for everyone who wants to get engaged and committed with and within CESI. In this sense, allow me to congratulate the new CESI Youth leadership for its (re-)election. We look forward to continuing a great journey with you, even (or especially) through troubled waters.

Yes, we will pursue our objectives as a trade union umbrella organisation with passion, enthusiasm, collegiality, empathy, and helpfulness. The human factor counts. Now more than ever.

And we count on you.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – to our members, to our political representatives, to our staff, to our partners and to our friends.

A conversation with Rade Panic, President of the Serbian Trade Union of Doctors and Pharmacists (Синдикат лекара и фармацеута Србије- SLFS). SLFS represents doctors and pharmacists employed in the private and the public sector.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Francesco Corti, Associate Researcher at CEPS, on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the implementation of national execution plans, and CESI’s ‘Summer Days 2022’.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Diederik Samsom, Head of cabinet of EVP Frans Timmermans at the European Commission, on the social dimension of the European Green Deal and its impact on workers and jobs.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

Today, the European Commission proposed a set of measures for the protection of platform workers and the sustainable growth of platform economy.

The proposed package includes three interventions:

-A non-legislative communication on the EU approach and initiatives on platform work.
-A legislative proposal for a Directive on improving working conditions of people involved in platform work.
–Draft guidelines interpreting the application of EU competition law to collective agreements of the solo self-employed, including the self-employed in platform economy, which will be open to feedback from stakeholders and will, if applicable amended, be published in their final version in the second quarter of 2022.

The proposed Directive is based on a legal rebuttable presumption that if a person working through a platform meets two of a series of pre-established criteria, then he/she is to be considered as an employee enjoying the rights linked to the employment status, meaning labour rights (a minimum wage, working time, collective bargaining, paid leave, protection against work accidents) and social benefits (unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, old-age pensions). Additionally, the proposed Directive includes provisions regarding the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms and the balance between human monitoring and automated decisions when they affect working conditions.

The proposed draft guidelines on the application of EU competition law to collective agreements of solo self-employed persons aim to ensure that certain agreements will not trigger the European Commission’s intervention under the EU Treaties, for instance where solo self-employed struggle to influence their working conditions because of a weak bargaining position.

The European Commission estimates that its proposed measures will create better working conditions for more than 28 million people working through platforms and may lead to the re-classification of up to 4.1 million people as employees.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: ”After two phases of consultations among the social partners on the content of the suggested measures, we are pleased to see that our voices have been heard to a considerable extent. The new rules will provide increased legal certainty, homogeneity and transparency in platform economy, something that will benefit workers, customers, and also platforms themselves.”

A conversation with Erzsébet Boros, President of the Hungarian Civil Servants and Public Employees Trade Union (Magyar Köztisztviselők, Közalkalmazottak és Közszolgálati Dolgozók Szakszervezete- MKKSZ), which represents workers from national and local administrations and economic and civil organisations financed from the national budget.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

Sara Rinaudo, Chair of CESI’s working group on the future of work, talks with Dragoș Tudorache, MEP and Chair of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA), about the impacts of the use of Artificial Intelligence on our labour markets and the world of work.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Albert van der Smissen, Chairman of the Dutch Categorial Financial Union (Nederlandse Categoriale Vakvereiniging Financiën- NCF), which represents staff of the Dutch tax and customs administration.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

On Thursday, 2 December, CESI’s Board approved the membership of the French National Union of Professional Firefighters and Technical and Specialised Administrative Staff (Syndicat National des Sapeurs-Pompiers Professionnels et Personnels Administratifs Techniques et Spécialisés- ‘SNSPP-PATS’). Founded in 1975, the French trade union represents firefighters and other personnel in fire brigades.

Following the positive vote by the Board, CESI’s President Romain Wolff said: “CESI continues to grow. The accession of SNSPP-PATS further upgrades CESI’s role as an EU-level confederation in the emergency services sector. We are ready to support our new member and we are looking forward to a successful cooperation.”

The membership approval of SNSPP-PATS complemented a Board meeting that provided the participants with the opportunity to share their views on the implications of the Covid pandemic in their countries, sectors and unions and on the related needs of the workers they represent. The members of the Board commented on the new Covid-measures that have been/are going to be imposed across Europe and discussed best practices regarding the protection of workers and their rights under the current circumstances.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger praised the high level of solidarity among CESI’s members and presented the latest achievements of CESI’s General Secretariat and the organisation’s work priorities for the next year. He said: “2021 has been a tough and challenging year, with the Covid pandemic and crisis persisting. One more year in this tremendous health crisis started with plans, expectations and objectives that had to be adapted to unexpected and rapid changes. We had to be flexible and, at the same time, effective. I believe that we managed to do it with great success, together with our members.”

And he added: “When I look back at all these Covid-related difficulties and obstacles we faced this year, I realise how well we have worked together and how important our mutual support was within the CESI network. Indeed, CESI is not ‘just’ an organization: CESI is a real family!”

A conversation with Arvydas Dambrauskas, Chairman of the General Trade Union of the Republic of Lithuania (Respublikinė Jungtinė Profesinė Sąjunga- RJPS), on the impact of the pandemic on public services. RJPS represents staff in health care services, social services, transportation, local and regional governments, libraries and further cultural institutions.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

A conversation with Véronique Trillet-Lenoir, MEP, on the role of the EU in ensuring safe workplaces and its initiatives to protect workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

CESI SG Klaus Heeger and the representatives of CNV Connectief, Patrick Fey and Daniëlle Woestenberg, met today to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”, the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the public services in The Netherlands.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

CESI members in the Expert Commission raised serious concerns about challenges that demographic ageing and lacking recruitment of young personnel mean for a persisting understaffing in the public sector in many Member States. It was made clear that more investments are needed to hire and retain more staff in key areas of public interest like the care and nursing in particular, and that more investment in the training and recruitment of personnel in the public services at large are also needed if they are to be performing for citizens and business and help implement key EU measures for them, including the post-Covid EU Recovery and Resilience Facility and the green-digital transition which the European Commission currently drives. Better intergenerational exchanges were considered necessary for the transfer of expertise and institutional memory and trade unions were named as a potential intermediary for such experiences. Digitalisation was considered a step forward by most of the representatives of central, local and regional administrations. Otto Aiglsperger (Eurofedop), President CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Public Administrations’ said: “The Covid pandemic experience has shown everyone how resilient and flexible the European public sector could be in adopting new ways of working remotely and delivering quality public services”. Carlos Martinez (CSIF), Vice-President of the Expert Commission, stressed how, before the pandemic, only 0.5% of the Spanish public sector employees could telework, but that during the lockdowns the rate increased to even 80%.

The members of the Expert Commission noted positively the European Commission-hosted large-scale conference ‘Supporting Quality of Public Administration in the European Union Member States’ on November 25 as a sign of the EU to jumpstart a strong public service agenda for Europe which CESI has demanded for long.

Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We are encouraged to hear European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira stressing the role that public administrations play in the realisation of key initiatives for citizens and business such as the implementation of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility in the Member States. Also the green and digital twin-transition will not be possible without administrations and the support of public services. Citizens and workers cannot do without public administrations, and public administrations cannot do without sufficient investments in its facilities and equipment and adequate levels of well-trained personnel. We see the conference on November 25 as a successor to our noted conference on public services of October 5 and hope that the European Commission will now jumpstart a new strong public service agenda for Europe which CESI has been demanding for long.”

A conversation with Laviniu Lacusta, President of the Romanian Free Trade Union in Pre-University Education (Uniunii Sindicatelor Libere din Învăţământul Preuniversitar- USLIP), which represents the personnel of the education sector mainly in primary and secondary and other pre-university education.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger talked with Oliver Denk, senior economist in the Jobs and Income Division of the OECD, about the impact of the pandemic on our labour markets and the expectations towards CESI’s ‘Summer Days 2022’.

Oliver Denk said: ‘COVID-19 has been a massive shock to Europe’s labour markets. Decisive policy action and the move to the digital workplace limited the decline in employment. But the differences across sectors and groups of workers have been huge. People in precarious jobs and young workers have been particularly affected. At the same time, we see shortages of workers in healthcare and other frontline occupations. And all these changes happen in the face of megatrends such as digitalisation and AI, the ageing of the population, and climate change.’

He added: ‘Our policy priority now should be to improve the quality of employment. The vaccination of the working population will create safer workplaces. Active labour market policies will help workers to re- and upskill. And we must find ways to finally lift productivity and pay in the post-COVID world of work. To achieve all this, the role of trade unions will be very important.’

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.” The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

CESI Talks con Francesco Cavallaro, Segretario Generale della CISAL, Confederazione Generale dei Sindacati Autonomi dei Lavoratori.

I temi principali dell’intervista:

-Le conseguenze della pandemia sui lavoratori italiani e il ruolo del sindacato CISAL.

-Le istituzioni europee e le priorità politiche nel futuro dell’Europa.

Maggiori informazioni: https://bit.ly/3c0jrUE

#CESItalks

CESI Talks con Raffaele Margiotta, Segretario Generale della CONFSAL, Confederazione Generale dei Sindacati Autonomi dei Lavoratori.

I temi principali dell’intervista:

-Le conseguenze della pandemia sui lavoratori italiani e il ruolo della sindacato CONFSAL

-Le istituzioni europee e le priorità politiche nel futuro dell’Europa.

Maggiori informazioni: https://bit.ly/3c0jrUE

#CESItalks

A conversation with Luc Viehé, President of the French Free Catholic Education Professional Trade Union Federation (Syndicat Professionnel de l’Enseignment Libre Catholique- SPELC), which represents educational staff in the scope of free cathoic education.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

The project wants to raise citizens’ and workers’ awareness of the role of the European Union – and of the European Parliament in particular – in the design of social standards.

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

More info: https://www.cesi.org/posts/weep-the-ep-and-workers-a-well-designed-post-covid19-recovery-plan/

#CESItalks

On November 24, the Brussels appeal court ruled that a decision by the Dutch-speaking Brussels commercial court in 2015 that banned the operation of the ‘UberPop’ services, which connected unlicensed drivers to customers, applies to all of Uber’s services, including professional drivers. The ruling follows a temporary suspension of Uber’s services in Brussels in September.

The predominant legal issue of the longstanding legal battle has been the notion of “taxi service” under the provisions of the Ordinance of the Brussels Capital Region of 27 April 1995 on taxi services and vehicle location services with driver (Ordonnantie van het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest van 27 april 1995 betreffende de taxidiensten en de diensten voor het verhuren van voertuigen met chauffeur/Ordonnance de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale du 27 avril 1995 relative aux services de taxi et aux services de location de voiture avec chauffeur – the “Ordinance”)- a regulation which does not take into account the technological developments which occurred with the widespread use of smartphones and gig economy applications.

The publication of the recent ruling, which is expected later this year, will shed light on the reasons behind the court’s decision and the issue of (un)fair competition in ridesharing.

In the meantime, 2000 private licensed UBER drivers in Brussels will no longer be able to pick up customers.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: ‘The absence of targeted legislation regulating platform work together with an outdated legal framework in the domain of taxi services dating back to 1995, years before the advent of smartphones, are putting drivers, their services and not least the customers at risk. We understand that the legal aspects of this issue are complex, but we cannot accept that this legal uncertainty results in leaving thousands of workers and their families unprotected. They need a fair and inclusive legal framework for platform work.’

In particular the Autumn Package‘s Annual Sustainable Growth Survey (ASGS) puts forward a correct analysis of many of the disruptive impacts that the Covid pandemic, digitalisation and green transitions have and will have on labour markets, employment, job functions and working conditions. It rightly stresses the need for a just transitions, comprising a focus on re- and upskilling, the provision of quality jobs and the fight against poverty and the related need to investments in this area. The accompanying Joint Employment Report, too, emphasises the need for a fair, inclusive and sustainable recovery.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We are generally encouraged by the tone of this year’s Autumn Package. During the last years, it has been getting increasingly social even if by now attention must be paid that it does not overly focus on green and digital topics at the expense of social ones. A focus is needed on workers who are facing financial hardship as a result of the Covid pandemic turmoil and financial insecurities as a result of green-digital disruptions in labour markets.”

The ASGS takes this analysis further to call for “a coordinated and sustained effort over several years is necessary to ensure a persistent and sizeable increase in private and public investment proportionate to the needs of the twin transitions and economic, social and territorial cohesion.“

Klaus Heeger said: “Generally, the urgency of investment is duly noted but a very clear message misses on the need for a strong public service agenda in Europe and the need to invest massively in the resilience of public services and its personnel – as a lesson learned from the Covid pandemic. This is very unfortunate.”

He added: “We agree with the European Commission’s assessment that higher public investments should be financed also by means of better tax compliance. However, the Commission fails to conclude on what is the main challenge in this: For better compliance and a more effective collection of taxes, next to better tax legislation and cooperation between administrations, more personnel is needed in tax authorities to keep pace with the evolving creative strategies of evaders and avoiders to circumvent taxes.”

He concluded: “Moreover, just increasing revenues through better tax collection will not suffice. The European Commission already announces plans to phase out the escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact in 2023. Under current EU fiscal rules, this would mean that Member States will face substantial difficulties in investments on the expenditure side. A clearer call would have been vital to assert them that EU rules will not inhibit them from investing in workers and citizens until a sustainable and socially fair modern economy is achieved.”