Strengthening ALMPs and European cooperation: ACTIVER seminar in Romania

CESI Talks – The EU and workers with Cyrus Engerer, MEP (MT)

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), every year 317 million accidents occur on the job, and more than 2.3 million people die worldwide because of occupational accidents or work-related diseases. Although the international community has adopted more than 40 Standards dealing with occupational safety and health and over 40 Codes of Practice, in large parts of the world safe working environments are not still the rule.

At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has had dramatic impact on almost every aspect of the world of work: viral exposure means that the mere presence at the workplace poses risks for the worker’s health, especially in workplaces without health protocols; or, in other cases, the measures to prevent transmission at the workplace have adverse effects on the safety of the workforce and increase the safety risks instead of mitigating them (e.g., overload/ excessively long shifts for some workers because others must work from home, or dangerous work without supervision, because of restrictions in the number of people that are allowed to be present at the same place). Moreover, shifts to flexible forms of working arrangements, such as teleworking which has seen a rapid rise, pose new dangers for the working population, including mental health issues.

For these reasons, today’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work is focused on the strengthening of national workplace safety systems and strategies that build resilience, in order to prepare for future crises.

On this occasion, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger stresses the importance of effective occupational safety and health policies and recalls that CESI has been for long a strong proponent of resilient protection schemes for workers: “We have been advocating workplace safety long before the COVID crisis. But it is never too late. Even now, we must learn from the lessons and the mistakes we did during the pandemic and work together towards the creation of safe and healthy working environments that withstand future crises. Next to physical health, this concerns especially mental health: The lockdowns and the decoupling of the work patters have led to psychological strains among many workers and this mental dimension of work-related risks is here to stay.”

CESI Talks – The EU and workers with Petros Fassoulas, SG of the European Movement International

Road to Porto: Delivering Social Rights for Young People

How to ensure youth & employment policies reach their final ‘destination’ under the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan

Thursday, May 6th from 10.00 – 11.30 AM

Based on a recent research paper the European Policy Centre (EPC), developed in cooperation with CESI, on ‘Well-performing public services for a fair and resilient European society’, trade union experts in the field of employment and social investments discussed about the significance of effective public services and ways to make them resilient.

Mihai Palimariciuc, one of the authors of the paper at the EPC, presented the key findings of the study, noting above all the recent significant decline in public investment across Europe, the impact of ageing on the functioning of public services, and the increase in flexible forms of work which does not always come to advantage of the staff. He particularly referred to a surge of atypical work in healthcare, insufficient training for teachers in education, and understaffing in justice systems leading to problems of timely accessibility to judicial recourses for citizens. According to the study, elements for a possible solutions would include a strong EU public services agenda, more national governmental support for public services and measures that focus on the improvement of service quality by addressing labour shortages and upskilling the workforce.

Otto Aiglsperger, Board Member of the Public Services Union of Austria (GÖD), agreed that there is a vital need for functioning civil services especially in times of crises and confirmed that the EU should launch a public service agenda to address the multifaceted challenges that public services and its staff face. In this framework, he added that an improved digitalisation can facilitate the provision of efficient public services but stressed that it must be an instrument for all and take due consideration of the needs of the workforce.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger underlined especially the importance of targeted public investments and laid emphasis on the increasing needs of civil servants which have arisen as a result of the Covid pandemic.

In the same vein, CESI President Romain Wolff concluded that the public sector and its workforce proved to be the most robust pillar during the recent crises: “What happens in crises if we cannot rely on well-performing public services? No health care provision, no public order and safety, no post and telephone services, no public transport, no schooling, no rescue workers, no correctly functioning administration that collects taxes needed by the state to support those in need. Now, in the face of the Covid experience, more than ever, it is obvious that we need efficient and accessible public services – and this means investments in staff, equipment and facilities!”

CESI remains committed to the strengthening of the public sector and the protection of civil servants before, during, and after the pandemic.

Read the full study here: CESI-EPC-Sudy-on-well-performing-public-services-for-a-fair-and-resiliant-European-society

CESI Talks: Im Gespräch mit Gabriele Bischoff, MEP, stellvertretende Vorsitzende des Ausschusses für konstitutionelle Fragen, Mitglied im Ausschuss für Beschäftigung und soziale Angelegenheiten, über EU-Standards bei Arbeitsrechten und im Arbeitsschutz, über Solidarität in Europa zu Zeiten von Corona, über sozialpolitische Komponenten bei den nationalen Wiederaufbauplänen, und über die Erwartungen hinsichtlich der Konferenz zur Zukunft Europas.

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

#CESItalks

CESI Talks – The EU and workers with Manuel Pizarro, MEP (PT)

Condemning Turkey’s recent decision and Poland’s announced intention to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, in a new report the European Women’s Lobby, of which CESI is a longstanding member, calls attention to the Treaty’s crucial role in protecting women and girls from male violence. Simply put: the Istanbul Convention saves women’s lives.

To mark the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, the European women’s Lobby (EWL), of which CESI is a longstanding member, has launched a new report called “Towards a Europe Free from Male Violence Against Women and Girls”.

This report was developed with expert analysis from the EWL Observatory on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and looks into the state of play of the implementation and impact of the Istanbul Convention within the context of an alarming surge of male violence against women and girls due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The analysis details the achievements made to date across the 23 countries that have ratified the treaty, underlining the Convention’s key role in fostering positive changes across the prevention, prosecution and protection measures to combat violence against women and girls. Among the main findings:

• In 14 out of the 23 countries analysed (61%), efforts to prevent violence against women and girls and domestic violence have intensified;
• in 15 out of 23 countries analysed (65%), improvements in investigations and prosecution are already visible;
• 19 out of 23 countries examined (83%) have improved protection services for women victims of violence and victims of domestic violence.

However, the report also shines a light on the deep and persisting inequalities that impede progress on eliminating male violence against women and girls, sounding the alarm on the current growing political backlash against the Istanbul Convention witnessed in some European countries and the political block preventing EU accession to the treaty.

The analysis also underscores the grave concerns and condemnation expressed by EWL on the occasion of President Erdoğan’s decision to withdraw Turkey from the Convention, and Poland’s recently announced intention to do likewise, setting out recommendations for urgent collective address of these barriers.

“Our report couldn’t be more timely. With the increased risk of violence brought by the COVID-19 crisis and the current intention of some countries to undermine the key role of the Istanbul Convention, women and girls in Europe are facing greater threats to their safety. Despite the important gains made so far, collective action is still urgently needed in Europe to promote the ratification and implementation of the Convention, which remains the most comprehensive legislative instrument to date aimed at preventing and protecting women and girls from violence. Opposition to the Convention is opposition to EU fundamental values, including women’s human rights, and our right to live our lives free from violence – said Joanna Maycock, Secretary General of EWL.

“This report shows that concerted action to prevent violence against women and girls and protect them from domestic violence does work, and that the Istanbul Convention has played and will continue to play a fundamental role in setting national realities on the right path. We invite political figures to join the voices of women and girls across Europe: loud and united in calling for strong action to counter dangerous misogynist tendencies and promote the values of equality and democracy” said Laura Albu, Vice President of EWL and Observatory on VAWG.

Download the report: womenlobby.org/ICreport
Download the Executive Summary: womenlobby.org/ICexec

Photo credit: Grzegorz Żukowski on Flickr

CESI statement on possible EU measures to improve work in the platform economy

As a first social partner consultation by the European Commission on possible action addressing challenges related to working conditions in platform work came to a close, CESI issued a contribution with its priorities for better work in the platform economy.

According to CESI, the following priorities should be considered by an EU policy measure:

• It is essential to recognise that the contractual relationship with the platform worker is at the core of this consultation. As many social security entitlements and fundamental working rights are linked to an employment status, and since the distinction between employment and self-employment is increasingly blurred, it is important to cover as many platform workers as possible with core social and labour rights. On the one hand the employment status should be recognised for as many platform workers as possible. On the other hand, it is about establishing minimum standards even for those not classified as employees.

• Platform workers should be classified as employees in the absence of evidence to the contrary (a rebuttable assumption). This approach would facilitate the collective representation of labour in the platform economy and help mitigate another challenge that needs to be addressed: The low degree of participation of platform workers in trade unions. In line with CESI’s recent contribution to a roadmap consultation of the European Commission on the right of collective bargaining to the self-employed, it is especially the vulnerable self-employed that would benefit from a right to collective bargaining, as it would help them to avoid being excessively sold out by market powers

• Because of its task-based nature, platform labour often consists of very short tasks (sometimes as short as one click), each of which can be extremely low-paid. In the absence of any minimum pay standards (e.g. in the form of minimum fees per task, or minimum working time) platform workers struggle to accomplish micro-tasks with very little economic value and the total benefit derived from the performed tasks is minimal. Ideally, they should hence be covered by either minimum wage or income schemes.

• The precarious nature of platform work mandates effective measures for the adequate, affordable, and effective social protection of the involved persons. The principles established in the Council recommendation on access to social protection of 2019 should be guiding social protection in the platform economy too.

• EU action should address specific data-related risks that platform workers face in the digital environment in which they operate, most notably concerning (1) the collection and processing of sensitive information, (2) profiling of workers, (3) information sharing to third parties and the provision of personal data that has economic value, as well as (4) matters related to the portability of data (the ability of workers to transfer data to another platform) and data deletion (the so-called ‘right to be forgotten’), and (5) invasive and deceptive practices such as de-anonymisation (re-identification of private encrypted information), spamming (unwelcome messages), stalking (systematic surveillance), malware attacks, and scams.

• Although there is a considerable number of recent court decisions on the working rights of platform workers both at the EU and national level, this is not sufficient to ensure legal certainty since the existent case law is not consistent. A binding framework for the protection of platform workers would represent an important commitment of the EU to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. A bold legislative initiative can contribute to the enhancement of all the rights included in the Pillar.

CESI’s full position is available here

Photo credit shopblocks on Flickr

Dear members, colleagues, friends and partners of CESI,

This morning, on my walk to the office (NB: Despite the local telework obligations, I must go there occasionally to keep things running) I passed by one of my favourite restaurants – well, one of my favourites in the past. Now it´s closed. As it seems not temporarily. A big banner had been placed in front of it “Le télétravail nous a tué!”. Telework killed us. In my office, I opened the newspaper I had bought on the way. Headline: “Wann hört das endlich auf?“ When will this finally end?

A Brussels Court has recently declared all Corona measures of the Belgian government as unlawful. The response from the Belgian Health Minister: “I am not impressed.”

Never-ending lockdowns, travel bans and curfews are the new normal. Previously self-evident freedoms the exception. And as I wrote recently, we must be continue to stand for democratic principles and fundamental rights. As citizens. As trade unions.

And more than this. In the past weeks, CESI has been focussing on sustainable health services, the implementation of the Pillar of Social Rights, investments in resilient public services, the future of work and mental health (when will this finally end?).

Regarding sustainable health services -and in light of the recent World Health Day- we have yet again brought forward our key demands: more investments in national health care systems, with more flexibility under the EU’s fiscal rules and public deficit criteria, a common aim for a ratio of healthcare professionals per X inhabitants, as well as, importantly, an adapted focus on EU health, cohesion, and neighboring policies.

We have stressed again the need for more investments, not only in health systems but in public services at large. Following the publication of study of the European Policy Centre (EPC) on this matter earlier this year in February, developed in cooperation with CESI, we have held and will hold further public events and internal meetings for members to drive the policy agenda on this matter.

In advance of the EU Social Summit in Porto on May 7, we are gearing up for a social media campaign and the launch of a resolution with priorities for a proper implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights in the Member States. Stay tuned for news later this month!

On the topic of future of work, we organised a highly publicised CESI@noon together with the Bertelsmann Foundation further work within CESI, among other a CESI@noon event. In our dedicated working group on the subject, a discussion paper on the regulation of telework in a post-pandemic world is being finalised. The working groups aims to finalise its paper during the next weeks. More news to follow on this too.

The worrying trends regarding citizens´ and workers´ mental health were discussed in a recent CESI@home, attended by various CESI members and affiliates. It showed to what extent mental health has to be tackled in a determined manner and remains a key topic for health and safety, especially during times of a pandemic. We will follow the subject in more detail in the future.

In terms of organisation, CESI´s Presidium has now established new commissions and expert commissions for the coming mandate. The commissions ‘Women’s Rights and Gender Equality’ (FEMM) and Commission on ‘Employment and Social Affaires’ (SOC) will tackle horizontal issues. Sector-related expert commissions, as our previous trade councils have been re-named, will deal with ‘Defence’ (DEF), ‘Education, Training and Research’ (EDUC)’, ‘Public Administrations’ (PA), ‘Post & Telecom’ (P&T) and ‘Health’ (SAN). The nominated chairs and vice-chairs of these internal commissions will now coordinate the activities – with the full support of the secretariat.

Finally, something to celebrate: Please check our new website, just launched. And please give us feedback!

Take care of yourself – and keep the spirit!

Photo credit Travis Wise on Flickr

CESI Talks – The EU and workers with Radka Maxová, MEP (CZ)

On the occasion of the World Health Day, April 7th, and in the frame of the EU-funded project ‘Social talks – social dialogue for a better tomorrow’, CESI and its member Trade Union of Montenegrin Physicians organised a round-table reflection on the needs of our healthcare systems in a post Covid-19 setting for better healthcare provision – with a particular focus on the Western Balkans.

The Coronavirus outbreak provoked a global reassessment of values and placed healthcare systems at the heart of every society. In this window of opportunity it is time for both policy makers, experts and practitioners to come together to create a shared vision and a well-thought action plan for building a genuine and resilient healthcare provision of services.

Long before the crisis, and as a conditio sine qua non for the resilience of any society, CESI has advocated for more investment in the health sector and in its professionals. Due to the pandemic, health staff has faced greater safety risks at work and suffered additional major work overload.

Challenges related to lacking capacities in terms of personnel and equipment, as well as deficient work organization, worsened. Good working conditions, fair equal pay and access to enough effective remedies for fighting understaffing are a major issue.

Trade unions and social dialogue are of major importance for the efficiency and the sustainability of our healthcare systems. To strengthen our healthcare systems, deficient infrastructure, the lack of equipment and staff, and not least poor working conditions and remuneration need to be addressed.

Added to (or because of this), regions like the Western Balkans suffer from tremendous brain drain of qualified workforce. Social dialogue and effective interest representation in the process of the design and reform of the healthcare systems are crucial.

In many countries of the Western Balkans, social dialogue structures have only reluctantly been put in place over the years. This particularly applied to the public health sector. Due to the ‘essentiality’ of the services provided, social dialogue and involving the workforce in decision-making seemed unfitted for the sector.

The round-table brought together European and national policy makers, practitioners and policy experts from the EU and Western Balkans. The detailed agenda can be visited here (add PDF). The testimonies from TU representatives and practitioners from Montenegro, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia, Austria and Italy underlined the urgency of investment, recruitment, improvement of working conditions and social dialogue. The Montenegrin Health Minister Jelena Borovinić, the deputy Chairwoman of the Parliament Branka Bosnjak, and MEP Lukas Mandl highlighted the fundamental importance of public health for the resilience of societies and the well-being of the people, and the crucial role of trade unions in delivering high quality public health services. Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General stated: ‘A well performing public health system needs the involvement of the workforce. Information, consultation and participation of the workforce remains decisive for the sustainability of our healthcare systems.’

Milena Popovic, representing the Montenegrin Trade Union of Physicians, emphasized the importance of improving working conditions for medical staff: ‘In order to build resilient health systems at national level we need to invest in our healthcare provision and to offer good working conditions for our doctors: it is the only way to ensure quality medical service while preventing their doctors from ‘migrating’ towards private healthcare systems or in other EU countries.’

CESI Talks – The EU and workers with professors Dr. Luca Ratti and Dr. Sonja Bekker

The pandemic has impressively (and painfully) demonstrated how decisive and essential public services are and how urgently their further improvement through a stronger European dimension is needed.

#CESItalks

#PULSER – Performing public services and performing public service personnel for the best possible implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights

Summary of the action

Crises may become the new normal, but they remain unpredictable in nature and scope. As public services cannot be equipped overnight in a tailored manner, the foresighted investment appears to be increasingly necessary. Public services care for, protect and support – the citizens, the society and the economy. They determine whether societies are sustainable or not. They are crucial to implement the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

CESI’s particular strength lies in the public sector but CESI also represents private-sector workers. Most of CESI’s affiliates are employed in the central, regional and local administrations, security and justice, education, training and research, healthcare, postal services and telecommunications, defence and transport.

The PULSER project supported the recognition of the European public sector workers, the implementation of the Commission’s political guidelines and the full ownership of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Main objectives of the action

In the first phase, the PULSER project aimed to organise sectoral training and work groups about the European Pillar of Social Rights, data collection and valorisation of public services in the following sectors:

• 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;
• Security and defence services, representing police personnel, soldiers, prison wards and justice sector staff in all levels of the judicial systems;
• Health services, representing hospital staff, nurses and physicians;
• Education, Training and Research, representing teachers and educators in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as in VET and further professional training;
• Post & Telecoms, representing the personnel of national postal and telecoms service.

The sectoral work groups generated an expert study carried out in collaboration with the EPC – European Policy Centre on ‘Well-performing public services for a fair and resilient European society’. The focus of the study is on the performance of public services and the role of public service personnel in Europe, highlighting also the social return on investment that they generate.

In the second phase, CESI targeted a second (larger) group of trade union representatives and experts with the EU Conference in Brussels and online entitled ‘‘Towards a strong European public service agenda: How to (re)build a social Europe in a resilient way after Covid-19?’’. The conference, with the participation of EC policy officers and EP legislators, provided additional information and shared opportunities for public services personnel to develop new skills and boost the quality of work.

During the European conference, CESI presented the full communication package developed for the campaign comprising the full study in English, the executive summaries (EN, FR, DE, ES, IT), visual identity for the website and social media, infographics and awareness animated video.

A total of 8 CESI member organizations (from Italy, Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania and Poland) used the opportunity of the CESI PULSER project to bring the Pillar closer to their member organisations and workers from different sectors.

Key results

The specific results/outcomes delivered by the project:

1. Support in public recognition of the value of public services and the work public services personnel provide especially during the Covid-19 global pandemic with a series of public events, the European conference and awareness-raising digital campaigns;
2. Information dissemination about the EC President’s political guidelines, the DG Employment’s work priority and the Action Plan for the 20 key principles and rights of the European Pillar of Social Rights within the mentioned above work sessions;
3. Update and support from EC experts to trade unions’ representatives on the legislative priorities and training on how to enrol in national and European programs for public services personnel with the focus on future digital skills, quality at work and management of change in the abovementioned sectors/working groups;
4. Made a case for adequate underpinning public resources management to support the implementation of policy responses by the public sector and its employees and officials with a study published by the EPC – European Policy Centre;
5. Raised awareness among policymakers and the general public about the added value of performing public services as a backbone to achieve more sustainable and inclusive economic growth and more social equality.

Duration of the activities

The project started in January 2019 and continued until December 2021 for a duration of approx. 24 months, plus the reporting phase.

HERE the deliverables of PULSER project

Project Manager: Tomasz Koguc

Project Coordinator: Marcella Migliori

‍

CESI Secretary General critises high dividens for Daimler shareholders

In a reaction to Daimler’s announcement to dispurse high amounts of dividends to its shareholders this year, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger criticised that taking public financial support on the grounds of an economic crisis and the paying out of dividends do not go together.

Earlier this week, Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Management Board of Daimler, announced that this year Daimler will pay out €1,35 of dividends per share to its shareholders – up from 90 cents last year. In total, 3.6 billion Euros are planned to be dispersed to the shareholders.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “During the Covid-crisis Daimler has received 700 million Euros of public money to send workers to short work and allegedly face the Corona crisis. Now it turns out that Daimler increased its profits by 50% last year, equalling 6.6. billion Euros. This begs the question: Was Daimler really in need of taxpayer’s money in the first place? And now that the company has profited from it, is it OK to pay out profits made with the help of public funds to shareholders? “

He added: “We need to think about how we use taxpayers money and how we distribute it. The Covid crisis means hardship for many, but Daimler apparently is not affected. We should spend money on the vulnerable members of society who are in need for it – not on big business that will just transfer taxpayers’ money to its shareholders.”

CESI broadly supports the rationale and the objectives which the European Commission lays out in its roadmap of March 2021 on a future Communication on business taxation for the 21^st century.[1]

CESI stresses that inadequate or ineffective taxation levels for firms and companies are a problem for the sustainability of public finances and prevent appropriate financing in essential public services and performing administrations for citizens. This hurts especially the most vulnerable members of the societies that cannot buy in substitutive private services, thus leading to further increasing socio-economic inequalities. The Covid-19 crisis will likely accelerate already existent socio-economic polarisations and fragmentations in European societies, -still scarred by the financial and public debt crisis of a decade ago- leading to further inequalities and disparities, social exclusion and poverty. Additional public and social investments will be necessary and require substantial fiscal space. Against this background, CESI agrees with the European Commission’s roadmap’s stance that an effective fair taxation of business is acutely needed.

This acuteness is further increased as demographic change, and the green and digital transitions will require even more public investments than in the past if Europe’s social living standards, its infrastructures and its economic competitiveness are to be maintained and enhanced.

CESI agrees with the view of the European Commission, as laid out in its roadmap, that the current corporate tax frameworks in Europe need swift, comprehensive and ambitious reforms to meet the realities of a post-Covid green, digitalised, competitive and social market economy.

CESI emphasises that, as workers pay their share of taxes and are hardly affected by tax avoidance or tax evasion, tax systems need to ensure a fair burden-sharing and make sure that firms and companies contribute their fair share too.

To this end, CESI:

• calls for a holistic and ambitious EU business taxation environment where adequate taxes are paid effectively and where companies are taxed where they operate and make profits. This environment must be based on a level-playing field with common rules that prevent a race to the bottom in corporate taxation rates and close loopholes that allow for aggressive tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion. Central tools for this include the establishment of a common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB), measures to bring down base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), and the introduction of a substantial and ambitious digital GAFA tax for companies with mobile business income.
• reiterates the importance of investments in the (digital) equipment and resources and as well as in the training, employment and working conditions of staff of national tax administrations and tax inspectorates. Tax rules and systems on paper are always only as a strong as tax administrations are effectively able to collect due taxes. Through tools such as the European Semester, the European Commission should encourage Member States to address understaffed and under-resourced tax administrations, based on the very plausible assumption that the work of tax staff against tax evasion and tax avoidance can generate high revenues to public finances and pay off multiple times, if the framework conditions are right. The European Commission should complement this by ensuring that there is sufficient flexibility in the EU’s economic governance framework (Stability and Growth Pact) to allow Member States to engage in the necessary investments in tax administrations.

CESI notes that the Communication on business taxation for the 21^st century should emphasise the central importance of a meaningful inclusion of the personnel, its representatives, and the social partners in the design of reforms of taxation and tax administrations. Often, they know best how their own performance and those of their administration could be improved.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12930-Business-taxation-for-the-21st-century

#CESItalks è una serie di discussioni con eurodeputati e funzionari/esperti del PE sulle priorità politiche e legislative del Parlamento Europeo in materia di occupazione, ambiente e trasformazione digitale.

La serie fa parte di un progetto più ampio cofinanziato dal Parlamento Europeo: WeEP – Il Parlamento Europeo e i lavoratori: un solido piano di ripresa post-Covid19.

Il progetto intende contribuire a sensibilizzare i cittadini sul ruolo e i valori democratici dell’Unione Europea, ed in particolare, sulle priorità politiche e legislative in materia di occupazione, ambiente e trasformazione digitale.

Maggiori informazioni https://www.cesi.org/academy/weep/

CESI calls for investments in the health sector in all EU and neighbouring countries

For many years now, CESI has been advocating for sufficient investment, equipment and resources for the public health sector.

In the EU-28, the shortfall of health workers in the overall sector was estimated at 1.6 million in 2013 and is predicted to grow to 4.1 million by 2030.

The most important factors that condition nurse shortages relate to inadequate employment and working conditions which nurses face as well as to an ageing of the nursing workforce and of the general population.

Understaffing among nurses poses risks and real consequences for both nurses (in terms of stress, illness, absenteeism), patients (in terms of morbidity and mortality) and the sustainability of public finance and public health systems (in terms of long-term economic costs).

Following a CESIathome on the subject, the Presidium of CESI has now addressed the following demands to EU and national policy makers:

• the establishment of a target of a common average nurse-patient quota in the EU Member States.

• more sensitivity in the EU’s financial and economic governance system to allow Member States to finance this without being penalised by the Stability and Growth Pact.

• the review of the EU social legislation to allow for better and safer employment and working conditions for nurses, with a view to better staff attraction and retention in the sector.

• EU funding for social partners and trade unions for awareness-raising campaigns to raise the public appreciation of the profession of the nurse.
• a new of focus on EU cohesion policy, pre-accession assistance and neighbourhood policy to reduce push factors for nurses to seek employment in richer areas of the EU.

Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General underlined the urgent need for more medical staff but also the requirement to address staff shortages in a fair and sustainable way: “The times when qualified workforce was simply imported, and politicians celebrated themselves for it should be over. This is neither sustainable, nor fair. In addition to investments in the health sector in all EU and neighbouring countries, we need frames for ethical, sustainable and fair migration of the health sector workforce.”

Photo credits: Alberto Giuliani, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In preparation of both initiatives, the European Commission, in association with leading global child rights organisations, had collected the views of over 10,000 children. In a first reaction, CESI Secretary General welcomed the Strategy and the proposed Guarantee.

The European Child Guarantee complements the second pillar of the Strategy on the Rights of the Child. It is also a key deliverable of the European Commission’s European European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, adopted on 4 March 2021, and answers directly to the Pillar’s principle 11: ‘Children have the right to affordable early childhood education and care of good quality; children have the right to protection from poverty. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds have the right to specific measures to enhance equal opportunities.’ In this context, the Action Plan already proposes a target for the EU to reduce by at least 15 million the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 2030, including at least 5 million children.

This week’s EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child is built around six thematic areas, and as part to the second thematic area on socio-economic inclusion, health and education, a Child Guarantee is proposed which recommends to Member States to provide free and effective access for children to:

• early childhood education and care – for example, avoid segregated classes;
• education and school-based activities – for example, adequate equipment for distance learning, and school trips;
• at least one healthy meal each school day; and
• healthcare – for example, facilitating access to medical examinations and health screening programmes.

The Strategy and Guarantee stress the importance of these services being free of charge and readily available to children in need.

In a first reaction, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger welcomed the Strategy and the proposed Guarantee: “It is in the whole society’s interest to invest in affordable and quality for all children, leaving no one behind, let alone the most vulnerable. It is essential to provide a favourable environment to guide children into becoming the responsible citizens, and workers, of the future.”

He added: “If implemented by the Member States, the measures set out by the European Commission should translate into more investment in affordable and quality childcare. According to CESI, this must also mean investments in the initial education and further training of teachers and care workers in early childhood education and care, as well as in their employment and working conditions, in order to attract and retain a motivated, dedicated and well-trained workforce. Free care and education is important, but quality is equally important. We must be aware that care and education can only be as good as those providing the service are well-resourced, well-trained, well-equipped – and well-supported by the public, the parents and politics. This all starts with societal appreciation and the right employment and working conditions. This is a topic dear to the many teachers and child care workers which CESI represents across Europe.”

Photo credit (CC BY-SA 2.0) to pml2008 on fickr

CESI Insides mit Thomas Sohst, Vertreter des Deutschen Bundeswehrverbands und designierter Vorsitzender der CESI Expertenkommission „Verteidigung“, zu den besonderen Aufgaben und Herausforderungen für die Streitkräfte in Corona-Zeiten, zu den Erwartungen des zivilen und militärischen Personals für die Zukunft, zur Aufgabe nationaler und europäischer Gewerkschaften, und zum verteidigungspolitischen Zusammenwachsen Europas.

www.cesi.org

#CESI

The Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, commonly regarded as a landmark treaty to prevent and combat violence against women and signed and ratified by a large majority of European countries, entered into force in 2011 and has been a central instrument to combat both psychological and physical violence, including rape, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and sexual harassment.

Kirsten Lühmann, designated President of CESI’s Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Commission, said: “Violence against women and girls is an issue around the globe, and the Covid crisis has further adverse consequences. In particular, domestic violence surged significantly as lockdowns persisted. Withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention is a major setback from for women in Turkey, and it is even more dramatic in the current circumstances. Disrespect for the Istanbul Convention is against everything the EU stands for. President Erdogan must reverse the decision if he ever wants a prospect of EU membership for Turkey.”

“President Erdogan justified the move by saying that the Convention harms the unity of families and promotes divorces. According to this logic, continued marriage is more important than the prevention of violence against women. This is an alarming argumentation”, she added.

Carmen Jaffke, designated Vice-President of CESI’s Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Commission and CESI’s representative in the Board of Administration of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), stressed: “There is a serious risk that the intended Turkish withdrawal also gives additional momentum to governments in EU countries such as Poland to withdraw from the Convention. The EU must make sure that no Member State drops out and it must also prioritise a ratification of the Convention in all EU countries. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania and Latvia – these countries all still have to act on this. If they continue to show to no willingness to do so, President von der Leyen must table a proposal for an EU directive to have the essential elements of the Istanbul Convention made binding law in all Member States, achieved by a qualified majority vote in the Council.”

Three current fields of action which could hardly be more complex

It is also important to keep an eye on the fallout from Brexit. It could be assumed, and justifiably so, that Brexit would have more serious consequences for the UK than for the EU. The tonnes of rotting fish in the lorries lining up at the Eurotunnel at the start of the year shone a spotlight on what Brexit really meant. The British Prime Minister is staying true to his techniques of distraction and bluster and was described scathingly in an interview with the former French ambassador in London on 24.2.2021, Sylvie Bermann, as an inveterate liar, who accepts no rules and thinks and governs by the principle “the ends justify the means”. She predicts that he will brush the Brexit bill under the carpet and pin the blame on the efforts to tackle Corona. Meanwhile, the problems with Northern Ireland are moving into a new round; the laboriously-negotiated Northern Ireland protocol, which came into force at the beginning of the year, is being called into question once more. To avoid a flare-up of old conflicts, the agreement states that the rules of the EU Internal Market and Customs Union continue to apply to Northern Ireland. The resulting customs border in the Irish Sea saw not only empty shelves in Northern Ireland at the start of the year, but also created a mass of additional red tape that has been almost unmanageable. The EU Commission President’s misstep in demanding export licences for vaccine deliveries from the EU to Belfast (with Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol as the legal basis) was grasped by Boris Johnson as a prime opportunity to water down the Northern Ireland protocol. With the Northern Irish Unionists breathing down his neck, Johnson threatened in the House of Commons to invoke Article 16 so that there would be “no barrier down the Irish Sea”. This sequence of events shows just how much potential for conflict there is in the question of Northern Ireland.

Another simmering conflict is the Rule of Law question with regard to Member States Hungary and Poland which, because of the what many perceived as long-overdue departure of Victor Orban’s Fidesz Party from the European Parliament’s Christian Democrat EPP Group, is massively in the spotlight once more. Orban declared the EPP Group an “annex of the European Left” and announced that he would rally the right-wing forces in Europe around him. The fact that a State must fulfil certain accession criteria when joining the EU but then afterwards is seemingly given broad leeway to act as it pleases is being described as the Copenhagen Paradox. Moreover, the Community’s core standards represent a certain grey area. The EU’s Rule of Law report published in September 2020 continues to have no impact in the short term. Despite the fact that Hungary is being challenged over a breach of EU basic values according to Article 7 of the EU Treaties, the process looks set to rumble on for years. Hungary and Poland’s tactics of delay and blackmail have paid off and it is becoming abundantly clear that the EU may have small hand tools at its disposal, but certainly no large weapons in its arsenal.

In Poland, the national conservative PiS party has been in government since 2015 and is attempting to take control of the judiciary by, for example, appointing judges. The ECJ recently stated that when it comes to appointing judges, there must be the possibility of judicial review, especially if there are already doubts about the independence of the Council for the Judiciary, which proposes judges and then proceeds to elect them. Both parties, Poland’s PiS party and Hungary’s Fidesz, have mistaken the EU’s fundamental philosophy as being first and foremost a community of values which all signatories accept and respect as being inalienable. Eyeing up the massive payments from Brussels whilst simultaneously shunning European values is undignified and shameful for the EU Member States.

In view of the lamentable shortages of vaccines, the EU Commission and in particular its President have been on the receiving end of accusations for weeks that far too few doses have been ordered, and far too late in the day. This is worth examining more closely: Biontech and Pfizer are initially said to have demanded 54 euros per dose from the EU, whilst the EU ultimately paid just 16 euros. Given the enormous quantities at stake and the vast sums of money involved, the Commission cannot have fared too badly in the negotiations. Nevertheless, the EU has failed to organise a coordinated European procurement process that has met with widespread approval. For example, Hungary and Slovakia are looking beyond the EU to the Sputnik V vaccine and the Danish Prime Minister has embarked upon a vaccine-buying mission in Israel. At the same time, a Danish-Austrian cooperation for vaccine procurement has recently been set up.

Clearly, not everything is going according to plan. There is intransigence, a shortage of solidarity and mistakes have been made. This is nothing new: the problems are well-documented. But doesn’t this and our unwavering belief in a properly functioning Europe offer a solid basis to keep deploying courage and persistence and developing the Community for the sake of its 447 million citizens? So, let’s follow the example of Europa when coming face to face with the transformed King of the Gods. It’s time to take the bull by the horns.

Bernd Saur, dbb

8.3.2021

By Pierre Joassart
Associate – Deckers & Joassart

First, a little background: initially, the CJEU’s case-law considered that on-call periods spent in the workplace constituted working time, whereas on-call periods spent outside of the workplace (also known as “stand-by” time) would not constitute working time.

In the “Matzak” ruling on 21 February 2018, concerning a volunteer firefighter from Nivelles, the CJEU “shifted the boundary” between working time and rest time, by considering that “stand-by time which a worker spends at home with the duty to respond to calls from his employer within 8 minutes, very significantly restricting the opportunities to have other activities, must be regarded as ‘working time’.”

Whilst the Matzak ruling meant that it was possible to consider on-call time spent at home as working time, in an identical case to that of Mr Matzak (recalling the 8 minute arrival time), it was not very explicit on the “factors” that determine precisely whether on-call time at home constitutes working time.

The two rulings issued by the CJEU’s Grand Chamber on 9 March 2021 therefore provides welcome clarity.

In one of the two rulings, a German firefighter was on-call at home at nights and weekends. At all times, he had to have his uniform and emergency vehicle on hand and be able to reach the city limits within 20 minutes. When necessary, he could switch on his “siren” and be exempt from the highway code in order to get there faster.

In the second ruling, a technician working for a Slovenian television station had to spend his on-call periods close to transmission centres located in the mountains. It was impossible for him to stay at home whilst on-call, given how far away the transmission centres were. In an emergency, he had to be able to reach the workplace within an hour.

In these rulings, the CJEU reverted to its Matzak case-law, specifying that the notion of working time is designed to cover all on-call periods, including as part of a stand-by regime, when “during which the constraints imposed on the worker are such as to affect, objectively and very significantly, the possibility for the latter freely to manage the time during which his or her professional services are not required and to pursue his or her own interests” (D.J. ruling, C-344/19, paragraph 37).

We therefore clearly see that it is “quality time” and the freedom to use this time to pursue his or her own interests that constitute the evaluation “criteria”.

Against this backdrop, the Court insists upon two “sub-criteria” when evaluating the notion of freedom:

• the required time of arrival (8 minutes in the Matzak ruling, 20 minutes for the German firefighter, one hour for the Slovenian technician…)

As far as this time is concerned, the Court stipulates that “a period of stand-by time during which the time limit within which the worker is required to return to work is limited to a few minutes must, in principle, be regarded, in its entirety, as ‘working time’, within the meaning of that directive, since in that case the worker is, in practice, strongly dissuaded from planning any kind of recreational activity, even of a short duration” (D.J. ruling, C-344/19, paragraph 48).

The Court underlines, however, that this reaction time must be examined under specific circumstances, taking into account the restrictions and facilities granted to the worker, for example:

• the obligation to remain at home
• the obligation to carry specific equipment
• the availability of a service vehicle equipped with a siren
• the option to intervene remotely, from his/her location.

• the average frequency of the actual services normally carried out by that worker.

On the latter point, the Court underlines that if the worker is called upon to act on numerous occasions during a period of on-call time, he or she has less scope freely to manage his or her time, especially if the activity normally required of the worker is of a “non-negligible” duration.

Furthermore, the Court stipulates that “only the constraints that are imposed on the worker, whether by the law of the Member State concerned, by a collective agreement or by the employer pursuant, inter alia, to the employment contract, employment regulations or the system of dividing stand-by time between workers” may be taken into consideration in order to determine whether a period of on-call time is ‘working time’.

By contrast, the Court adds that certain aspects must not be taken into account:

• Organisational difficulties that a period of stand-by time may generate for the worker, which are not the result of such constraints but are, for example, the consequence of natural factors or of his or her own free choice;

On this subject, the Court mentions a substantial distance between the worker’s residence and the place that he or she must be able to reach within a certain time. In this case, the worker has freely chosen to live far away from his or her “place of work”.

The “limited” nature of opportunities to pursue leisure activities in the area where the worker has to be on-call;

• The difficulty in accessing the place of work;
• The employer making service accommodation available to the worker.
• Finally, the Court adds two important clarifications.

On the subject of remuneration, the Court confirms that this is not a matter of European law. It concludes that European law does not preclude an on-call period being remunerated to a lesser degree than a period in which work is actually performed, in the same way that it does not preclude the payment to the worker concerned of a sum intended to compensate him or her for the inconvenience that those periods of stand-by time cause to the organisation of his or her time.

Finally, the Court states that regardless of whether or not these on-call periods are classified as working time, they may still have a psychological impact on the worker. The Court notes that, taking into account the European obligations arising from Directive 89/391, “employers cannot establish periods of stand-by time that are so long or so frequent that they constitute a risk to the safety or health of workers”.

What have we learned?

On 9 March 2021, the Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled on the method of determining whether on-call time spent at home constitutes working time.

The main assessment criterion is the freedom that the worker has to manage his or her free time during these on-call periods. This criterion is chiefly evaluated on the basis of two factors: the response time and the frequency of calls.

At the conference, Matthäus Fandrejewski brought to attention the importance of European and international standards. “In the current pandemic our mobility is limited, but we know that the labour market of the future will be a European one. Therefore, the barriers that still prevent young people from taking full advantage of Europe’s opportunities must go away” he said, referring to shortcomings in the current framework for the recognition of qualifications in Europe.

“In VET and labour mobility, it is high time for more Europe and more sense for the common global challenges”, he continued, adding that it is necessary to orient vocational education and training more strongly towards sustainable innovations, especially in view of climate change, and to intensify the international exchange on excellent vocational education and training. “Sustainability-oriented qualification significantly increases professional opportunities and thus secures jobs,” he stressed.

Stefan Nowatschin emphasised the importance of digitally supported and sustainability-oriented centres of excellence for vocational training, in which teaching staff must be prepared for the global challenges and new requirements in vocational training. “We need to firmly integrate the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our curricula and thus help the next generations to cope with the tasks ahead of them.”

Further information about the conference is available on the European Commission’s website.

Since the beginning of the pandemic millions of EU workers have switched from office work to home work. New flexible working arrangements have been essential in safeguarding economic activity and in preserving jobs in times of lockdowns. But they have also entailed many dramatic challenges: the blurring of boundaries between ‘work’ and ‘home’, organisational challenges, and not least isolation and loneliness with severe impacts on our mental health.

Which are these impacts? Which are the specific vulnerable groups? And what can be done by legislators, employers, colleagues and trade unions to alleviate harmful impacts and to ‘recouple’ the employee to decisive ‘anchors’?

• Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary-General
• Rocio Diaz Conde, psychologist, Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants Central (CSIF)
• Laura Marchetti, Mental Health Europe
• Daphne Ahrendt, Eurofound
• Marta Fana, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC)

will introduce into the debate.

The event is part of CESI’s ongoing EU co-funded PULSER project which focuses on capacity-building ad support for performing public services personnel in Europe.

If you wish to participate, please register here https://forms.gle/LSQ8dwVePmEqkWX66

The working language of the meeting is EN.

#CESItalks

Based on a discussion paper of CESI on ‘Our post-pandemic world of work: Focusing on telework or ICT-based mobile work (TICTM)’ and the recent European Parliament legislative initiative report on a right to disconnect, trade union experts and policy makers discussed the lessons learned from mobile work during the pandemic and presented their ideas regarding the future of teleworking. The panel consisted of:

• Sara Rinaudo, Chair of CESI’s working group on the future of work
• Alex Agius Saliba, MEP (S&D), European Parliament Rapporteur on the right to disconnect
• Birgit Wintermann, Programme Manager ‘Business in Society’ at Bertelsmann Stiftung

During the debate, which was moderated by CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger together with Jürgen Noack, Head of Brussels Liaison Office at Bertelsmann Stiftung, timely questions were addressed regarding the regulation of teleworking and the fundamental rights that should be protected:

• What elements need to be regulated and at what levels?
• How can we create an organizational culture which ensures that that telework will stay a part of working life also after the Covid pandemic has been overcome? What is the role in this of the EU institutions, national governments, social partners, and trade unions?
• Which parameters determine whether a right to disconnect is effective and working out without disadvantages for neither employers nor employees?
• How to rule out digital surveillance of workers?
• Who should be responsible for occupational health and safety during mobile working?
• Who should pay for expenditures incurred by mobile working: the worker, the employer or, via tax relief, the state?

During the discussion it emerged that smart working is here to stay and that our societies should find the right balance in this new landscape. On the one hand, teleworking offers new significant opportunities that cannot be overlooked (such as better opportunities to reconcile job and domestic responsibilities, an improved accessible of labour to people with disabilities, and positive environmental benefits because of reduced fuel and power consumption), while, on the other hand, there emerge important risks most notably related fundamental working rights, human communication, and mental health.

The participants focused on the right to disconnect and agreed that the recent report of the European Parliament is a first attempt to guarantee that the TICTM workers do not need to remain at the disposal of the employer during non-working hours. But important issues are still open, it was said: Should the disconnection be automatic, or would this restrict flexibility? Is the disconnection only a right, or also an obligation? And also, how can we measure the working time at home?

Other issues that were discussed included the protection of TICTM workers’ personal data (and the need for transparent data collection and processing, a right to access information regarding actual working time, and protection against surveillance), occupational health and safety concerns (especially regarding increasing invisibility of psychological risks), and, of course, the role of trade unions that can prove useful in guaranteeing smart workers further and more detailed rules than the minimum protection set by regulations. The speakers agreed that further interventions are needed, including the strengthening of social dialogue on these matters and the establishment of new rights in mobile working, such as the right of a worker to choose between telework and work at the office, or the right of a teleworker to return to his/her office.

In his conclusions, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger highlighted the importance of social dialogue in the new world of work, and sketched the features that the legislation covering these issues should have: “It has to be simple, it has to be clear, but it should apply according to the classification of work schemes and workers, their special needs and the work organisation. Social partners and social dialogue have an important role to play in this, both at sectoral and at company level.”

Three years after the significant ‘Matzak’ verdict of the Court of Justice of the European Union (C-518/15), according to which stand-by time which a worker spends at home with the duty to respond to calls from his employer within a short timeframe must under certain conditions be regarded as working time, the Court addressed again the fine line between working time and rest periods under the provisions of Directive 2003/88 and came to new refined conclusions regarding the interpretation of stand-by periods.

On 9 March 2021, the CJEU published two judgments with particular significance for workers involved in stand-by schemes. In the first case (C-344/19, D.J. v Radiotelevizija Slovenija), a technician who was responsible for ensuring the operation of TV transmission in a hard-to-reach territory (mountain) in Slovenia, provided stand-by services for six hours per day, according to a stand-by system. Although he was not obliged by his employer to remain at the transmission center, he could not go to his home during the stand-by time because of the difficulty to return to the center quickly if needed (in 1 hour after the call). For this reason, he had to stay in service accommodation placed at his disposal by his employer.

In the second case (C-580/19, RJ v Stadt Offenbach am Main), the Court was asked to give a preliminary ruling upon a request that was made in proceedings between a firefighter and Stadt Offenbach am Main concerning the remuneration claimed by the firefighter for services consisting in stand-by time according to a stand-by system. The firefighter was a public official who in additional to his regular service hours was obliged to be reachable at any time. More specifically, he had to have his service uniform and vehicle with him and be able to reach the Offenbach am Main town boundary within 20 minutes after the call. For this service, the firefighter requested that his waiting time be recognized as working time and that he be remunerated accordingly.

To answer to the question when and under which circumstances stand-by time constitutes working time under Article 2 of Directive 2003/88, the Court expressed the following considerations:

• With regards to both cases, it recalled that the national courts are responsible to examine whether the periods of stand-by time must be classified as “working time” within the meaning of Directive 2003/88 based on objective criteria.
• In relation to both cases, it noted that the terms “working time” and “rest period” of the Directive are mutually exclusive, meaning that a worker’s time on stand-by periods must be classified as either ‘working time’ or a ‘rest period’, since the Directive does not provide for any intermediate category and it also confirmed that a period during which no actual activity is carried out by the worker for the benefit of his or her employer does not necessarily constitute a “rest period”.
• On case C-344/19, it noted that, when the worker does not have a realistic option of leaving the workplace after the completion of his or her working hours, these periods automatically constitute working time only when there are objective and very significant constraints that prevent the worker from leaving the workplace, such as “the obligation to be immediately available to his or her employer”, and not solely due to the particular nature of the territory of the workplace that may be difficult to approach.
• Regarding both cases, it ruled that the concept of “working time” under the provisions of the Directivecovers the entirety of periods of stand-by time, including those according to a stand-by system, during which the constraints imposed on the worker are such as to affect, objectively and very significantly, the possibility for the latter freely to manage the time during which his or her professional services are not required and to pursue his or her own interests. Conversely, when there are not such constraints, only the time linked to the provision of work actually carried out during that period constitutes working time. Furthermore, these constrains should be imposed on the worker by the law, the collective agreement, or the employer, while organizational difficulties are not considered as relevant.
• Finally, also in relation to both cases, it emphasised that Directive 2003/88 does not cover the remuneration for stand-by periods. As a result, the remuneration for these periods can differ from the remuneration provided for periods during which actual work is provided.

Based on these thoughts, the Court held that only in case C-580/19 there were “objective and very significant constraints” that justify the classification of the stand-by time as working time. More specifically, the verdict of the Court was that the stand-by time during which a worker must be reachable within 20 minutes, in uniform and with their service vehicle, constitutes, in its entirety, working time.

On the contrary, in terms of case C-344-19, a period of stand-by time, during which the worker is required only to be reachable by telephone and able to return to the workplace in 1 hour, while being able to stay in service accommodation at that workplace, without being required to remain there, does not constitute, in its entirety, working time.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger highlighted the importance of the recent Decisions and underlined their significance for workers who are involved in stand-by schemes:

“The Court confirmed that intense constraints imposed on a worker during his or her stand-by time do not allow the worker to freely manage this time and for this reason this period consists real working time that should be remunerated. Whether these constraints derive from the national law, a collective agreement, or the contract of employment, the ruling is clear: stand-by time that is subject to such constraints and does not allow the worker to pursue his or her interests is to be considered as work. These Decisions are another important step to bring clarity to the principles governing the application of the Working Time Directive.”

The full judgments as well as a press release with further information is available on the website of the CJEU.

ABOUT CESI

The European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) is a confederation of 40 trade union organisations from 20 European countries and 4 European trade union organisations, with a total of more than 5 million individual members. One further trade union enjoys observer status. Founded in 1990, CESI advocates improved employment conditions for workers in Europe and a strong social dimension in the EU. CESI’s particular strength lies in the public sector, but CESI also represents private-sector workers. Most of CESI’s affiliates are employed in the fields of central, regional and local administration, security and justice, education, training and research, healthcare, postal services and telecommunications, defence and transport.

www.cesi.org

Tender specifications for research in the framework of CESI’s project “DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers”

Deadline for submission extended: 19.04.2021

To be sent to [email protected]

PDF Version

TENDER SPECIFICATIONS

To ensure large visibility, the tender will be publicly available for one month on CESI’s communication channels.

1. Background

The impact of digitalisation, especially the therefore required competencies, equipment as well as working conditions and organisation, are increasingly challenging public services and their personnel. The COVID-19 crisis has impressively (and partly also painfully) demonstrated how decisive and essential public services are – and also how urgently their further improvement, among others through digitalisation, is needed.

Against this background, it is a priority to approach the challenge in a broad, yet incisive way, laying the focus also on the ICT competencies in the public sector. What are the concrete steps needed to meet the demands of the citizens and the economic actors?

The digital transformation of public services requires wide and heterogeneous skills at all levels. The European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) wishes to support this process, by identifying the necessary methodology, the required tools, and the needed skills for the workforce.

The project aims to make a distinction between different sectors and selected countries with the final goal of strengthening and consolidating the basic and advanced digital skills of the employee.

It also aims to investigate the evolving realities, to provide trade unions’ representatives with a better understanding of how employees can benefit from new technologies, but also to assess and tackle associated risks in terms of working conditions and occupational health and safety.

2. Purpose of the contract

Support is being sought from a researcher or team of researchers (Think Thank / Institute / University) to help to facilitate the implementation of the project run by CESI together with its national members.

In particular, the researcher(s) will be in charge of carrying out:

– A survey on the impact of digital transformation, including artificial intelligence, on the public sector workforce.

– A study on the challenges and opportunities coming from the digital transformation for the public sector workforce.

The researcher(s) will carry out comparative research on the digital transformation of the public sector in the targeted sectors across the EU.

The researcher(s) will be in close contact with the project applicant to ensure that the appropriate initial research is prepared and presented in due course and that the final research report is useful for European organisations and their affiliates to anticipate the digital transformation.

The researcher(s) is/are also expected to attend the online events (to be agreed upon with the organizers) and the final conference. The evidence provided by the research will help CESI in drafting recommendations on how to provide trade unions’ representatives with a better understanding of how employees can benefit from the whole digitalization process, taking also into account the potential impact new technologies may have on working conditions and occupational health and safety.

3. Tasks to be performed by the Contractor

3.1 Description of tasks

• Analysing the need for/and the impact of digital transformation where CESI represents most of its members:

1. Central government administrations as well as local and regional administration, in all levels and sections of government, agencies and public bodies;
2. Education and training, with a focus on teachers and educators in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as in VET;
3. Health services, in particular, hospital staff, nurses and physicians;
4. Postal services

• Drawing up survey to gather the point of views and the experiences of the personnel and their representatives, showcasing exemplary or inappropriate practices to prepare and open the workforce for digital transformation.

• Showcasing good practices from public services and public administrations in implementing the digital agenda.

• Drawing up a final study in English, based on the working groups’ contributions, the survey and the review of the latest publications on digital transformation.

• Presenting the main results of the study at the online CESI working groups (to be agreed upon) and at the final conference.

3.2 Guidance and indications on tasks execution and methodology

The study will consist of comparative research on the impact of digital transformation in the public sector and its workforce also thanks to a survey addressed to CESI members. But also review of European Policies and take into account national specificities of the various sectors.

The contracting party is free to choose the methodology applied. However, a few video-calls will be scheduled to discuss the progress of the work and its direction. A draft report must be delivered by end of January 2022.

4. Expertise required

• Having at least three years of experience in the field of public services, policies related to the use of ICT and digital transformation, occupational safety and health at work, with a focus on the importance of the information, consultation and co-decision of workers, and national and European social dialogues.
• Being familiar with the European Commission’s strategy “Europe fit for the digital age” and related policies of DG Connect, DG Digit and DG Employment.
• Ability of becoming familiar with the project leader’s and the EU institutions’ publications on similar topics.

5. Timetable

The project´s duration is from February 2021 until February 2023. The survey must be launched by the end of May 2021 and be completed by the end of November 2021. The study should be finalised by the end of February 2022.

6. Payments and standard contract

CESI will sign a contract with the subcontracted researcher(s).

Payments will be made in three instalments as follows:

The first payment of 20% of the contract value upon signature of the contract, a further payment of 40% of the contract value upon delivery of the survey´s results, and a final payment of 40% upon finalisation of the research report.

7. Price

The total budget for the research is 37 000.00 EUR (all taxes and charges included).

Travel and accommodation expenses for the contractor to attend potential physical events, like the final conference (all depending on the evolution of the pandemic and lockdown measures) or meet with the project partners will be covered by the overall travel and accommodation budget of the project and paid separately from the abovementioned instalments.

8. Selection criteria

• Verifiable expertise, experience and skills, as required and described above;
• Proven knowledge/ evidence/track record of research (supported by publications, academic articles etc.) on sectoral social dialogue, in particular focusing on the targeted sectors;
• Respect of the budgetary constraints and timeline.

9. Award criteria

The contract will be awarded to the tenderer whose profile and offer best reflect the selection criteria. The principles of transparency and equal treatment will be respected.

It should be noted that the contract will not be awarded to a tenderer who receives less than 70% on the Award Criteria.

10. Content and presentation of the bids

Tenders must be written in English.

They must be signed by the tenderer or the duly authorised representative and be perfectly legible so that there can be no doubt as to words and figures.

Tenders must be clear and concise. They must make it clear that they can meet the requirements of the specifications.

All tenders must include at least two sections:

1) Technical proposal

The technical proposal must provide all the information needed for awarding the contract, including:

• The relevant professional experience with an emphasis on the specific fields covered by the invitation to tender.
• The documents necessary to enable the project partners to appraise the bid based on the selection and award criteria set out above.
• A detailed CV of the expert(s) involved in the project activities.
• Specific information concerning the proposed methodology for delivering the tasks listed in part 2.

2) Financial proposal

Prices of the financial proposal must be quoted in euros, including if the sub-contractor is based in a country that is not in the euro-area. As far as the tenderers of those countries are concerned, they cannot change the amount of the bid because of the evolution of the exchange rate. The tenderers choose the exchange rate and assume all risks or opportunities relating to the rate fluctuation. Prices shall be fixed and not subject to revision during the performance of the contract.

11. Selection of the bids

Offers must be received within 30 days of the date of publication of this call for tender by CESI, i.e. by 19.04.2021.

Applicants may be invited for a video interview in the week(s) following the submission’s deadline.

Offers must be sent to CESI by e-mail to Tomasz Koguc, Project Manager: [email protected].

The project is co-funded by the European Union

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The action is part of a larger project co-financed by the European Parliament: WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-Covid19 recovery plan.

The project wants to contribute to raising citizens’ awareness of the role and democratic values of the European Union especially related to the political and legislative priorities on employment, environment and digital transformation.

More info https://www.cesi.org/academy/weep/

#WeEP #CESI #AllWorkersCount #WorkersRights #TradeUnions #WorkersRights

CESI Talks – EU und Arbeitnehmer mit Lukas Mandl, Mitglied des Europäischen Parlaments (EVP, AT)

Die Covid-19-Pandemie hat eindrucksvoll (und schmerzhaft) gezeigt, wie entscheidend und unverzichtbar öffentliche Dienste sind und wie dringend ihre weitere Verbesserung durch eine stärkere europäische Präsenz notwendig ist.

#CESItalks ist eine Gesprächsreihe mit Abgeordneten und Beamten/Experten des Europäischen Parlaments zu den politischen und legislativen Prioritäten des Europäischen Parlaments in den Bereichen Beschäftigung, Umwelt und digitale Transformation.

Weitere Infos https://www.cesi.org/academy/weep/ #CESItalks #Arbeit #Gewerkschaften #WeEP

“On this year’s International Women’s Day, I warmly welcome a legislative proposal for an EU directive which the European Commission just tabled a few days ago. After European Commission President von der Leyen had promised this proposal already last year, I now call on the European Parliament and on the Member States in the Council to move swiftly to adopt a strong legislative piece that will bring effective pay transparency to as many workers as possible. An EU directive can be a powerful tool to bring change, and a powerful tool is necessary to arrive at more pay transparency – which will have a direct effect on reduced gender wage gaps in Europe. This opportunity for more gender equality should not go wasted.

On this year’s International Women’s Day, we also look back to one year of Corona crisis – which has also become a crisis for women in many respects. Above all, lockdowns have led to an unacceptable surge of violence against women. This reminds us that decisive steps are now needed even more acutely than before to make the lives of women safer and more secure. The European Commission should swiftly come forward with a clear plan on how to have the Istanbul Convention adopted and ratified in all Member States, or alternatively propose a directive that will ensure that the essential provisions of the Convention become binding law in all Member States.”

Secretary General Klaus Heeger, the proposed measures are a significant step into the right direction for workers in Europe. The European Parliament, the Council and, above all, national governments and social partners must now take the proposed measures forward.

The proposals and decisions issued by the European Commission on Wednesday and Thursday this week include:

• An action plan for an effective implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and its 20 principles at the EU level and in the Member States.
• A proposal for an EU directive on pay transparency, to help reduce gender pay gaps, which will now be negotiated and adopted by the EU’s two co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council
• A new EU strategy for the rights on persons with disabilities, which outlines scope of EU measures to support equal rights and opportunities for the less abled, also in occupational matters.
• A recommendation on effective active support to employment, which includes guidance on how to use EU funds to support national active labour market policies and the role of national social partners therein.
• A plan to maintain the so-called ‘escape clause’ of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) also in 2022, which has been applied already since 2020 in order to make it easier for Member States to indebt themselves by investing in jobs and financing the economy’s recovery from the Covid crisis without being penalised for a breach of the public budgetary deficit rules under the Stability and Growth Pact.

In a first reaction CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said:

“The action plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights includes a series of useful headline targets to achieve for a more social fairness by 2030. It will be key that Member States take real and effective ‘owernship’ of the Pillar and act in line with it. The EU has limited competences, and at some point it is the Member States that need to do their homework and prioritise decent work and social protection.”

“The proposal on pay transparency is long awaited and overdue, given the large gender wage and pension gaps especially in the private sector. A directive, once adopted, can be a powerful tool. The European Parliament and the Council need to strike a balance between effective pay transparency for as many workers as possible – while also considering bureaucracy concerns of micro enterprises. Here, social partners need to work with governments to provide practical reference frameworks, templates and digital solutions to keep pay transparency manageable.”

“Access to healthcare, lifelong learning, leisure and also employment remains difficult for many disabled persons. We welcome very much the Euroepan Commission’s new disability strategy, with further efforts to lay out possible actions and measures to support active inclusion in the Member States. We appreciate in particular envisaged initiatives to making job selection, recruitment, employment and retention processes more disability-inclusive.”

“A recommendation for active support to employment is coming at the right moment. Although recommendations are usually little considered by the Member States, this one may attract attention because it explains how EU funds can be deployed for more effective support to employment by the Member States. This might be an additional incentive. And I believe that also social partners and trade unions must play a more prominent role in the future in supporting active labour market policies.”

“Maintaining the escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact is an important political sign towards Member States to invest in resilience. Already before the Covid crisis, we have called to invest in particular in public services in order to make them performant also in times of crisis, which regularly arrive, albeit in different forms and natures. The Stability and Growth Pact must target keeping public debts at a minimum, but it should not prevent necessary investments in key areas that allow the state to function and societies to become fairer.”

Klaus Heeger also underlined the need to carefully assess and, in case of approval, promote and support the different tools and proposals: “The Pillar can only have concrete impacts on citizens and workers if we all seize and use it – politically, financially, legally. And this we will do in the coming years, with the support of our members.”

During the pandemic it has become even more obvious than before that military and civilian armed forces are indispensable resources. A crisis of such magnitude revealed the crucial importance of well- trained, well-equipped, motivated and not least available military personnel to compensate for the deficits of distribution, public health and law enforcement: from the transport of patients, medical equipment, medicines and vaccines, to the provision of medical assistance, the enforcement of lockdown measures and the maintenance of public safety and order – military forces were of vital value.

Together with CESI members, think-tanks and representatives of EU institutions the most striking backlashes and developments in the Corona year were given a closer look. The participants agreed that, to be successful, the ESDP (European Security and Defence Policy) and the EDU (European Defence Union), should allow a structured commitment and engagement not only of lawmakers, but also by the citizens, the civil society and, not least, the military and civilian personnel of the armed forces itself.

“We need a democratic vision for our defence future” MEP Lukas Mandl underlined. And Thomas Sohst, representative of the ‘Deutscher Bundeswehrverband’ (Association of the German Army) added: “We need to introduce a social dimension into the EDU. Soldiers are citizens in uniform, and they must benefit from and be protected by the same fundamental rights.”

The participants agreed on the presence of a window of opportunity: “The main actors should capitalise on the great efforts of the civilian and military personnel to alleviate the consequences of the pandemic. Now they return to their initial tasks – and continue ‘winning’ the support of EU citizens,” Thomas Sohst concluded.

CESI will continue to advocate for the formal establishment of a inclusive EDRT.

“DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers”

Over the last years, many programmatic interventions have gone in the direction of technology-driven public services. However, the actual realization of this transformation has proceeded slowly, often due lack of resources and insufficient consideration of workers’ experience and point of view.

In February 2020, the European Commission has launched the strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”[ii]. The EU’s digital strategy aiming to make this transformation work for people and businesses, while helping to achieve its target of a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. Throughout the strategy, the EC will focus its attention on three key objectives: a technology that works for people, a fair and competitive economy and an open, democratic and sustainable society. It aims at a European society powered by digital solutions that put people first, opens up new opportunities for businesses, and boosts the development of trustworthy technology to foster an open and democratic society and a vibrant and sustainable economy.

Dear members, friends and partners of CESI,

According to the latest Eurobarometer on Social Issues released some days ago, EU social policy is important to 88% of the citizens in Europe. Over seven in ten Europeans consider that a lack of social rights is a serious problem. Large majorities of the people believe that there should be more decision-making at European level in areas such as decent work or social protection.

At the same time, less than three in ten Europeans appear to have heard about the European Pillar of Social Rights – in the Brussels bubble referred to as a landmark project of the EU.

These figures confirm the impression that we as CESI have been having for some time already: EU social policy is a high priority for workers, for our members, for us. We believe, they believe that the EU should deliver more. At the same time, many of our affiliates are still too unaware of achievements of EU social policy and of commitments of the EU institutions to hear the concerns and deliver on the problems that trade union and workers face.

We agree that many central employment and social policy issues indeed remain to be addressed and solved by mainly national, but also by EU decision-makers, considering tangible positive results that EU social policy has already made for workers. And we also recognise that there is often a clear communication problem that prevents a more positive public picture and appreciation of the EU in social affairs. Many achievements and initiatives of the EU do not receive the public appreciation and support that they deserve.

CESI is the voice of more than five million employees and public servants across Europe. We see it as an obligation to reinforce links between policy makers on the one side and workers on the other. We take the promotion and strengthening of dialogue between citizens and decision-takers very seriously. To explain social Europe enormous challenges, yet also achievements in simple and clear terms.

In this context, we call on you today to join with us in our efforts to help trade unions, social partners, governments and authorities across Europe implement the European Pillar of Social Rights. The European Commission has put a proposal on the table this week on how this could be achieved, and we are determined to seize this matter together with our members.

We look forward to working with you on this.

The next occasion will be an online CESI@home on March 12 where we will exchange on the matter with all interested members and affiliates. We encourage you to register numerous!

#CESItalks

One of the major impacts of the lockdowns during this disastrous Covid-19 pandemic has been an acceleration of previous trends towards increasing levels of mobile and home working. In particular, with the rise of digital working, the fragmentation and de-limitation of working time has further proceeded. Working in the evenings and during weekends is increasingly common and indeed expected by many employers. This increases stress for workers while it affects their work-life balance; and this compromises the health and wellbeing of workers, making them not only sick in the long run but also causing increasingly more often their absence from work due to psychosocial illness for sustained periods of time.

According to the European Sunday Alliance, a broad network of more than 100 national Sunday alliances, trade unions, employers’ organisations, civil society associations, churches and religious communities in the European Union of which CESI has been a member sine 2017, a full day of rest per week is indispensable to recover. Indeed a common day of rest can truly increase wellbeing and brings a positive effect on health: Only during a common day of rest is it possible to pursue volunteer work, civic engagement, joint social, sports or faith-related activities, family time and, more generally, to spend time together. Humans are social beings, and for many of them their health requires more than individual time off at scattered, random moments of the week to spend alone. The challenges of the pandemic have highlighted the need of human beings for structure in their daily routine. A day recognised by tradition or custom is essential as a day to disconnect, literally and figuratively.

Establishing a European right to disconnect is currently – and rightly so – debated throughout Europe. Work-life balance, as well as healthy, safe and well-adapted work environments, are at the heart of the European Pillar of Social Rights, which all EU institutions and Member States government have committed to implement.

On March 3, the annual European Day for a Work-Free Sunday, CESI joins the the European Sunday Alliance to call on political leaders in Europe to put synchronised free time as a priority on the social policy agenda and help make a tangible, visible and cherished improvement to the lives of citizens across Europe. In particular, the European Commission should align its upcoming proposal for a directive on a right to disconnect with article 2 of the Council of Europe’s Social Charter which already requires “a weekly rest period which shall, as far as possible, coincide with the day recognised by tradition or custom in the country or region concerned as a day of rest.”

Message of CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger on the occasion of the annual European Day for a Work-Free Sunday on March 3 2021

Future of Work: Mobile working in a pot-pandemic world of work

An online CESI@noon brought to you by the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung

March 17 2020, 12:00-13:30

Online (Zoom)

Registration

With sustained lockdown periods, the Covid pandemic measures have imposed mobile and home working for large parts of the workforce. While this has revealed that working away from office locations can truly ‘work’ and bring multiple benefits to both workers and employers, it has become equally evident that rules need to be put in place to make it a fair, safe, legally sound and effective method of working for both sides.

Since we can expect mobile and home-based work to further increase and lead to an overall digital transformation of the companies, even after the pandemic is overcome, what elements need to be regulated and at what levels? How can we learn to accept the digitalisation of work as a necessary change? What is the role in this of the EU institutions, national governments, social partners and trade unions?

And in particular: Do workers need a right to disconnect by themselves or an automatic disconnection to effectively eliminate permanent availability? How to rule out digital surveillance of workers? Who should be responsible for occupational health and safety during mobile working? And who should pay for expenditures incurred by mobile working: the worker, the employer or, via tax relief, the state? These and more questions will be addressed and discussed at this CESI@noon together with trade union experts and policy makers.

Sara Rinaudo (Italian ‘Confsal’ trade union), Chair of CESI’s Working Group on the Future of Work

MEP Alex Agius Saliba (S&D, MT), European Parliament Rapporteur on the Right to Disconnect

Birgit Wintermann, Programme Manager ‘Business in Society’ at Bertelsmann Stiftung

Moderators
Klaus Heeger, Secretary General of CESI
Jürgen Noack, Head of Brussels Liaison Office at Bertelsmann Stiftung

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). It will also aim to be an awareness-raising tool on a gender-sensitive approach to violence and harassment at the workplace.

It will include a mix of capacity-building among EU sectoral social partners and evidence-based policy recommendations addressed to the project partners, their members, and public authorities. It will consist of two European conferences with sectoral break-out discussions, seven webinars.

The project focuses on the public services sector, i.e., government, hospitals, education, public transport, supported by examples drawn from the private sector, allowing to compare sectoral specificities and produce general policy recommendations.

The project will run for 24 months: this will allow the delivery of a full project cycle, including preparatory activities, implementing the work plan, and disseminating results. The work plan foresees the organisation of seven webinars and two conferences.

The activities have just began this March with the launch of a Call for Tender, open until beginning of April, with the aim of finding a researcher, or team of researchers, who will carry out comparative research on the prevalence and causes of third-party violence and harassment in the targeted sectors across the EU, legislative and social partner responses and assessment of the Guidelines’ effectiveness. The research will help social partners draw up their own conclusions on how to improve the Guidelines’ implementation and, if necessary, based upon evidence, their content and nature.

This joint social partners’ project will be a way for CESI to continue raising awareness on the crucial topic of third-party violence at work, after the successful conclusion of its own EU-funded project #NOVIOLENCEATWORK.

“CESI broadly supports the rationale which the European Commission lays out in its recent roadmap on measures to reduce the VAT gap in Europe in order to help the governments of the Member States finance the protection of jobs and the recovery of their countries in the current Covid crisis”, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said, and added: “We welcome in particular the recognition that the Member States’ tax administration capacity to collect VAT will play an important role for the recovery from the crisis.”

To this end, in a dedicated written response to the Euroepan Commission on its consultation, CESI:

• notes that capacity is always preconditioned by adequate financial resources: In its prospective possible Communication, the European Commission should encourage Member States to invest in the (digital) equipment, resources and staff of their tax administrations and tax inspectorates, based on the very plausible assumption that this generates high revenues to public finances and pays off multiple times. There are few investments in public finances and social fairness as effective as this. The European Commission should also make sure to promote this approach further in the European Semester and ensure that there is sufficient flexibility in the EU’s economic governance framework (Stability and Growth Pact) to allow Member States to engage in the necessary investments.

• welcomes the European Commission’s plans to strengthen exchanges of best practices between tax administrations in Europe on how to reform administrations (also digitally) in a way that supports a better collection of due VAT, and to promote EU level tools and financing to implement such reforms at the national levels. CESI notes that the Communication should emphasise the importance of a meaningful inclusion of the personnel, its representatives and the social partners in the design of any reforms of administrations. Often, they know best how their own performance and those of their administration could be improved. The Communication should also put a priority on the training and further training of staff, including on European and international administrative cooperation, as a core component to deliver the full capacity of well-resourced in tax administrations and tax inspectorates

CESI’s full contribution to the consultation is available here.

The beginning of March will also mark the start of a new joint project on the role of social partners in preventing third-party violence and harassment at work. This project is led by EPSU, with CEMR, CESI and HOSPEEM and as co-leaders.

CESI’s project “Trade unions for zero tolerance towards third-party violence at work: Let’s protect public sector workers in Europe!”was conceived as a series of actions meant to continue the work carried out by the European social partners in the area of third-party violence and to step up the European debate through a document of recommendations called the #NOVIOLENCEATWORK Manifesto.

The aim has been to ensure the full recognition and awareness of the specific nature of the phenomenon, as well as its impact on the working conditions of employees. Trade unions need the capacities and knowledge to fully address the issue, to protect workers from external violence, and to accompany victims of violence, either in legal proceedings or with psychological and/or practical assistance.

As many CESI members had been working on the topic at national level through own awareness-raising campaigns or other good practices, CESI’s project contributed to support them by adding a European dimension.

The project, chiefly financed by European Union’s funds, led to an awareness-raising campaign by CESI through an animated video entitled “Independent trade-unions gather for zero tolerance against violence. Let’s end third-party violence at work.”

This campaign was launched in 2020 – which also marked the 10th anniversary from the social partners’ multi-sectoral guidelines to tackle third-party violence and harassment related to work.

It appears that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to additional sources of stress to the work of public services, further challenging the prevention of violence in the workplace.

According to many testimonies, workers even in the healthcare sector (mostly considered at first as “heroes” in the fight against Covid-19) continued to be victims of external violence as a consequence of a rising social frustration and a changing society in which some forms of violence are simply and sadly trivialized.

The workforce in the education and security sectors have been particularly exposed to third party violence too. Recent reports confirm for instance that aggressions against the French police have more than doubled in twenty years.

The phenomenon of third-party violence against public sector workers, unfortunately, represents a deterrent against the attractiveness of several public sector professions and the recruitment of young people in these fields. This project has therefore ultimately shown the crucial role of trade-unions in revalorizing public workers and in raising awareness throughout the overall society, about the value of public services and public workers.

As Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General, concluded on the occasion of the final meeting: “We want to raise awareness to protect our members, to protect the victims. And we should not only do it as trade unions, but also as citizens. Because an attack against a nurse, a firefighter or a teacher is an attack against us all.”

Through its own #NOVIOLENCEATWORK campaign, as well as its participation in the joint social partners’ project on third-party violence, CESI is definitely committed to keep the spotlight on the topic in the years to come.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on the European Parliament’s political and legislative priorities on employment, environment and digital transformation.

The action is part of a larger project co-financed by the European Parliament: WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-Covid19 recovery plan.

The project wants to contribute to raising citizens’ awareness of the role and democratic values of the European Union especially related to the political and legislative priorities on employment, environment and digital transformation.

#WeEP #CESI #AllWorkersCount #WorkersRights #TradeUnions #WorkersRights

CESI, which also represents officials and employees from public administrations and the different public services at the European, national and local and regional levels, witnesses increasingly often reports from member organisations and affiliates about increasing levels of third party violence against public sector staff, including nurses, police forces, teachers and public administration personnel.

A recent manifest of CESI on a better prevention and management of such third party violence, developed in the context of an EU co-funded project on ‘Trade unions for zero tolerance towards violence at work: Protecting public sector workes in Europe’, confirms that the situation has recently been acutely worsening as Covid lockdown measures have been leading to increasing social and economic tensions for many people who then, increasingly often, discharge frustration as aggressive behaviour towards public service workers.

Secretary Genreal Klaus Heeger said: “It appears that the pandemic has brought an additional source of stress to the work of public services, hindering the prevention of violence in the workplace. Now more than ever, trade unions can and must play a central role in the fight against third-party violence, and they need to be supported by the EU and national governments and decision makers. The new EU strategic framework on health and safety at work should foresee a particular field of action for public sector personnel that faces violence at work.”

Responding to the consultation of the European Commission on priority fields for the next EU strategic framework, CESI thus makes a number of recommendations for the EU and the Member States to help fight against third party violence against public sector staff, inclucing:

• greater responsibility for employers and governments to tackle the issue and protect their workers, coupled with a greater involvement of trade-unions as ‘reliable partners’ both for governments and for workers on the issue of third-party violence.
• specific training to provide workers with the opportunities and the tools to know how act when encountering violent behaviour.
• supporting and funding more exchanges of best practices and capacity-building for social partners, including sectoral ones at the EU and national levels.
• supporting and funding more awareness-raising and communication campaigns for social partners, including sectoral ones at the EU and national levels.

In the context of the pandemic, the need to address staff shortages has become more stringent than ever. Even before the crisis[1], understaffing in the health sector has had major negative implications on health indicators such as safety, mortality and morbidity.

Dolors Montserrat, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the PETI Committee and a former Spanish Minister of Health, underlined that in spite of its catastrophic impacts the Covid-19pandemic nevertheless opens a window of opportunity to reassess public spending for healthcare: For each 10% increase in the number of nurses, the mortality rate of a hospitalised patient could decrease by 10%[2]. In terms of morbidity, studies reveal that an increase of the number of nurses could potentially lead to cost reductions for the health system through preventing adverse effects. For example, in the case of critical care nurses (intensive –care units) a 1 to 1 nurse-patient ratio is more cost efficient than a 1 to 2 ratio[3].

Simona Guagliardo from the European Policy Center presented the European Health Union initiatives made by the European Commission under the EU4Health programme. She highlighted the in light of the € 5.1 billion allocation for EU health policies, governments should support increased public health spending and investments in staff. She based her arguments on the findings of the PULSER study and in the context of the current European trends in terms of shortage of health professionals, an ageing population and workforce, a gender gap for the nursing and caring professions. According to her, the financing and equipment of public services and their personnel have to remain high on the agenda.

Manuel Cascos Fernandez, President of the most representative trade union of nurses in Spain – SATSE, showcased the citizen’s legislative proposal on a patient/ nurse ratio at national level and announced that the proposal will be voted in the coming weeks.

Esther Reyes, President of CESI´s former Trade Council Health, gave insights into the impact of Corona on the health workers. Although many signs of symbolic appreciation were made towards the medical staff, more action is needed to address the long-term effects of understaffing, i.e. the bad working conditions, accumulated stress and tiredness, as well as the lack of effective protective equipment.

Oliver Krzywanek (dbb, Germany) presented the situation in Germany where a patient/ nurse quota was introduced recently. Since the practice of ‘importing’ staff is not considered an option anymore due to brain-drain effects, Germany hopes that the introduction of quota will improve the working conditions for nurses. This could bring approximately 200 000 workers to return to exercise their profession.

Milena Popovic, an epidemiologist from Montenegro and President of the SDMCG, highlighted the immense problems linked to the emigration of doctors from the public to the private health sector where both working conditions and pay are higher. This emigration has caused many shortages in the public health sector in the Western Balkans, putting the provision of health services dangerously at risk.

Anneke Westerlaken from CNV-Connectief in the Netherlands focused her presentation on solutions to prevent understaffing of nurses: an increase of working time for part-time work, more attractive employment conditions, better pay, further improved possibilities for the unemployed to enter the labour market, and not least the easing of administrative pressure.

All trade union representatives in the meeting underlined the crucial importance of sufficient investment in healthcare. Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General, closed by concluding ‘The establishment of a target for nurse-patient quota in all EU Member States would be very concrete a step forward to address shortages. Of course, they would need flanking measures such as improved working conditions, reduced working hours and better pay. The public health care systems need more investment, otherwise all recruitment and retention strategies will fail.’

This event is part of CESI’s ongoing EU co-funded PULSER project which focuses on capacity-building and support for performing public services and public services personnel in Europe.

Photo credits: ReSurge-International (Flickr)

[1] https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/7/07-046474/en/

[2] Aiken LH, Sloane DM, Bruyneel L, et al. Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: a retrospective observational study. Lancet, 2014.

[3] Rothchild JM, Bates DW, Franz C, Soukup JR, Kaushal R., The costs and savings associated with prevention of adverse events by critical care nurses.