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Precarious work in Ireland’s public sectorPrecarious work in Ireland’s public sector
Main news
2021-02-24
2025-03-08

Precarious work in Ireland’s public sector

Government of Ireland's PhD scholar, Ashling Seely, writes this piece within the framework of CESI's EU co-funded project "Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges".

Starting with a reflection on the power dynamics in the context of precarious working conditions, Ashling Seely shows the example of the UK’s Supreme Court ruling which, in that case, considered Uber drivers as workers, thus significantly empowering them.

Providing examples on how the situation of public sector workers in Ireland has been worsening in recent times, Seely also indicates us what actions trade unions should be taking and putting their power resources to action.

This article certainly shows good practices interesting for all unions across Europe, such as building coalitions and embracing workers’ solidarity.

Read the article in full here.

To learn more about this topic visit #noprecariouswork website.

This project is mainly funded by funds from the European Union.

Government of Ireland's PhD scholar, Ashling Seely, writes this piece within the framework of CESI's EU co-funded project "Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges".

#NoPrecariousWork - Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges#NoPrecariousWork - Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges
Main news
2021-02-23
2025-03-08

#NoPrecariousWork - Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges

On 19th of February 2021 the final conference of CESI’s EU co-funded project “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges” took place online. While the event was moderated by Pierre Baussand, Chief of Eurofound’s Brussels Liaison Office, Joost Korte, Director-General DG EMPL, and Klaus Heeger, Secretary-General of the CESI, delivered the keynote addresses.

On the eve of the United Nations Social Justice Day, trade unions, lawmakers and other key players gathered to reflect on the different dimensions of precarity and to come up with concrete proposals on how to tackle them.

Some key criteria to identify precarious work were defined. One thig was clear from day one: precarity is not a choice. The feeling of insecurity often referred to by workers is transversal to all precarity dimensions, from access to social security protection to effective interest representation.

The potential impacts of new legislative and non-binding initiatives, such as the 2019 Council Recommendation on Access to Social Protection, the 2019 Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions and not least innovative initiatives put forward as tools to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic, such as SURE, the Recovery and Resilience Facility or the many income support programmes for the self-employed were discussed and analysed in detail.

Joost Korte, Director General of DG EMPL of the European Commission, strongly emphasized that the fight against of precarious work remains a top priority for the European Commission – particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. In his words “it is very obvious that those countries with a good coverage of collective bargaining do much better. (
) Access to social protection is key to protect workers against all kinds of risks”. After highlighting the recent initiatives, Mr Korte informed that the European Commission has proposed an additional 10M EUR package to support social partners.

CESI Secretary General, Klaus Heeger, highlighted that “while more countries formally guarantee more labour rights, less workers can exercise these rights, due to the rise of precarious work. Precarious work therefore a very serious threat to labour market regulation, and we have to tackle it – for the sake of the sustainability of our societies.”

The conference was divided into three panel: access to social security protection, EU labour law and interest representation.

While MEP Terry Reintke (Vice-President of the Greens/EFA) particularly highlighted the gender dimension of precariousness as well as the funds available to support youth employment, Ms Ilka Wölfle, President of the European Social Insurance, evaluated the potential impacts of the measures taken following the Covid-19 crisis on social security coverage in the long-term, and Paul Schoukens, Professor at the KU Leuven, analysed the content and possible influence of the Council recommendation on access to social protection on national social security schemes.

Regarding legislative loopholes, Sophie Robin-Olivier, Professor at the Paris University Panthéon-Sorbonne, and Sergio Galleano, a renowned labour law lawyer in Italy, shared their assessments of the EU directives on atypical work and the thereto related national and EU case law. According to both, a revision of these directives seems opportune. On behalf of the European Commission, Adam Pokorny, Head of Unit Working Conditions at the European Commission, dissected the recent EU initiatives aiming at further closing legislative gaps.

In the panel on efficient interest representation, Aurora Trif, Professor at the Dublin University, described the different strategies of trade unions to unionise atypical workers. In her view, the key element lies in convincing traditional membership of the advantages to open trade unions to new, atypical workers. Marcello Pacifico, President of Anief, described the endeavours of ANIEF to systematically denounce abuses in the application of the directives of atypical work, such as a complaint submitted to the European Committee of Social Rights at the Council of Europe – which was successful. And Henry Chango LopĂ©z, himself once a precarious worker and today leader of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), described the activities of the IWGB to unionise and protect atypical workers. (Ironically, a few moments before his speech, the UKÂŽs Supreme Court had ruled that Uber drivers are to be considered as workers.)

Sara Rinaudo, chairwoman of CESI’s working group on the future of work, concluded the conference by announcing the activities as a follow-up to the project. According to her, CESI should:

  • promote and contribute to the implementation of the Pillar,
  • follow-up on the implementation and the impact of the Council recommendation on access to social protection,
  • support the adoption of the proposal on minimum wages and monitoring its transposal at national level,
  • monitor the implementation of the directive on transparent and predictable working conditions,
  • advocate a revision of the directives on atypical work and fight for their uniform and fair interpretation,
  • share best practices among our members, and not least
  • increasingly reach out to precarious workers.

To learn about this topic visit #noprecariouswork website.

The project is co-funded by the European Union

On 19th of February 2021 the final conference of CESI’s EU co-funded project “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges” took place online. While the event was moderated by Pierre Baussand, Chief of Eurofound’s Brussels Liaison Office, Joost Korte, Director-General DG EMPL, and Klaus Heeger, Secretary-General of the CESI, delivered the keynote addresses.

The future of the European Defence Union in the context of multiple crisis: What are the new coordinates post Covid 19?The future of the European Defence Union in the context of multiple crisis: What are the new coordinates post Covid 19?
Main news
2021-02-23
2025-03-08

The future of the European Defence Union in the context of multiple crisis: What are the new coordinates post Covid 19?

During the COVID-19 pandemic European armed forces have proven to be an indispensable resource for societies: 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.

Furthermore, and considering the multiple geopolitical crises and challenges, security and defence issues will remain a decisive element for the political and economic future of the EU.

The EU is under pressure to deliver progress in the European Defence Union (EDU). Support of citizens is strong and a window of opportunity is given, while at the same time, the complexity and lack of transparency endangers the process.

The meeting therefore aims at exploring the next steps needed for the establishment of a genuine European Defence Union. And it should also illuminate ways for a more inclusive approach in EU defence policy making, based on prior engagement and consultation with military and civilian personnel.

With the participation of:

  • Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary-General
  • Lukas Mandl, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Chairman of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, EPP
  • Michael Gahler, Member of the European Parliament, member of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, EPP
  • NN, European External Action Service (tbc)
  • Thomas Sohst, President of Trade Council Defence of CESI and member of German Federal Armed Forces Association
  • Elena Lazarou, European Parliament Research Service, Acting Head of the External Policies Unit
  • Raluca Csernatoni, Visiting Scholar at Carnegie Europe and guest professor at the Institute for European Studies

If you wish to participate, please register here https://forms.gle/y2TVCUqNuJMKiVGJ6 .

The event will be moderated by Raluca Radescu and it 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.

The event will take place in EN & DE.

Photo by the European Defence Agency

The future of healthcare: Tackling the understaffing in the healthcare sectorThe future of healthcare: Tackling the understaffing in the healthcare sector
Main news
2021-02-22
2025-03-08

The future of healthcare: Tackling the understaffing in the healthcare sector

We are at a crossroad in our European health systems, as resources are being depleted and as our healthcare needs are more stringent than ever. Long before the beginning of this unprecedented pandemic CESI has been advocating for more investment in the health care structure and its professionals.

Public health has ever since lied in the competence of the Member States, and for an EU health competence have remained scarce. With the pandemic however, it has become clear that not only the fight against the virus, but also the just distribution of health equipment and workforce need to be addressed in a coordinated way. One of the major issues at stake is the lack of sufficient doctors and nurses.

On the one hand, the practice of ‘importing’ healthcare professionals to address the shortages has ever since been a short-sighted solution – an approach which led to severe brain drain and understaffing in the countries of origin. Does this issue need to be addressed as a part of the heralded ‘European Health Union’? What are the answers of trade unions and medical staff from different countries?

On the other hand, EU-wide guidelines or standards for patient-nurse of patient-doctor ratios could help anticipating staff shortages. Data shows that investment in the health care staff brings good externalities: more motivated personnel with better retention rates and less part-time work, and a European ‘patient-nurse’ or ‘patient-doctor’ ratio could lead to more investments in the sector and ensure that the healthcare systems are prepared for permanently increasing health care needs.

The debate shall look into ways to overcome the effects of the pandemic, but also on how to sustainably tackle the increasing care needs of ageing societies.

The following speakers shall introduce into the debate:

  • Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary-General
  • Dolors Montserrat, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the PETI Committee, EPP
  • Simona Guagliardo, European Policy Center
  • Esther Reyes, President of the former CESI trade council ‘Health’, SATSE, Spain
  • Oliver Krzywanek, dbb, Germany
  • Milena Popovic, SCMCG, Montenegro
  • Anneke Westerlaken, CNV Connectief, Netherlands

If you wish to participate, please register here https://forms.gle/5KroGcZwJPSSYFmj8 .

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.

We will reply as soon as possible with the link to the event and with other information.

The event will take place in Spanish and English.

Photo credits: ReSurge-International (Flickr)

CESI Webinar – EU directives on precarious work: what are the loopholes? – Sophie Robin-OlivierCESI Webinar – EU directives on precarious work: what are the loopholes? – Sophie Robin-Olivier
Main news
2021-02-17
2025-03-08

CESI Webinar – EU directives on precarious work: what are the loopholes? – Sophie Robin-Olivier

Precarious work takes different forms across Europe. The main problems reported to date include: frequent uses of atypical working contracts, an insufficient recognition of ‘on-call time’ as paid working time, a lack of sufficient and meaningful collective bargaining agreements, and a lack of access to social security protection.

Precarious work is not a new phenomenon, but recent evolutions such as digitalisation, gig economy and flexibilisation of work have been posing new challenges. To this end, the current EU directives in place, notably Directive 97/81/EC on part time work, Directive 1999/70/EC on fixed-term work and Directive 2008/104/EC on temporary agency work, are becoming more and more dated.

What are the advantages and shortcomings of Directive (EU) 2019/1152 on transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union?

To find out more about this topic visit the #noprecariouswork website.

This project is mainly financed by funds from the European Union.

CESI Talks – L’UE e i lavoratori al tempo del Covid19 con Brando Benifei, Deputato al Parlamento europeo (S&D, IT)CESI Talks – L’UE e i lavoratori al tempo del Covid19 con Brando Benifei, Deputato al Parlamento europeo (S&D, IT)
Main news
2021-02-15
2025-03-08

CESI Talks – L’UE e i lavoratori al tempo del Covid19 con Brando Benifei, Deputato al Parlamento europeo (S&D, IT)

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

La serie fa parte di un progetto piĂč 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/

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

Closing conference “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challengesClosing conference “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges
Main news
2021-02-15
2025-03-08

Closing conference “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges

CESI’s EU co-funded project on “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges” ends with this final conference after two years of intensive work of reflection, capacity-building and advocacy on the different dimensions of precarious work in Europe, notably in terms of widespread inadequate social protection, lacking effective interest representation by trade unions, and discrimination in labour law – especially through abusive uses of atypical employment contracts.

After two conferences, an online survey, four webinars, and several research initiatives, the objective of this final conference to present some of the most recent developments in relation to these issues and to outline next steps to combat precarious work across the EU. To pave the way for the road ahead, the impacts of Covid-19 on precarious work will be given a particular emphasis.

Through its assessment in the course of the project, CESI has highlighted the following key focusses:

  • Access to social protection for all workers, including young workers, migrant and seasonal workers, platform workers and all those coming from a disadvantaged background;
  • Proper and effective interest representation of all workers, in particular those in atypical employment;
  • An inclusive social dialogue;
  • The closure of existing legislative gaps (for instance in the EU directives on fixed-term contracts, part-time contracts, and temporary agency work);
  • Applying the principles of equal treatment as seamlessly as possible.

This event will count with the valuable contributions of:

Joost Korte, Director General of the DG-EMPL of the European Commission
Klaus Heeger, Secretary General of the CESI
Terry Reintke, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA
Paul Schoukens, Professor of social security law at the University of Tilburg and KU Leuven
Ilka Wölfle, President of the European Social Insurance Platform
Sophie Robin-Olivier, Professor of European Union law at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Sergio Galleano, Labour Lawyer at Studio Legale Galleano in Rome/Milan
Adam Pokorny, Head of Unit Working Conditions at the European Commission
Aurora Trif, Professor of employment relations at the Dublin City University
Henry Chango Lopéz, Secretary General of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB)
Marcello PacĂ­fico, President of the Associazone Sindicale Professionale (ANIEF)
Sara Rinaudo, Chairwoman of CESI’s working group on the Future of Work
Romain Wolff, President of the CESI
Moderator: Pierre Baussand, Head of Eurofound’s Brussels’ Liaison Office

Register by submitting this form by February 17.

To learn more about this topic visit #noprecariouswork website.

This project is mainly funded by funds from the European Union.

European Policy Centre (EPC) study makes the case for greater support of public services and its personnelEuropean Policy Centre (EPC) study makes the case for greater support of public services and its personnel
Main news
2021-02-11
2025-03-08

European Policy Centre (EPC) study makes the case for greater support of public services and its personnel

The European Policy Centre (EPC) has published a new study on ‘Well-performing public services for a fair and resilient European society’. Bringing forward evidence from the areas of administration, healthcare, education and public order and safety, the study showcases the importance of reinforced support and investments in public services and its personnel – needed urgently already before the Covid pandemic and even more so now as the socio-economic fallout of the Corona crisis unfolds.

The authors of the study, Simona Guagliardo and Mihai Palimariciuc, find in particular that:

  • The European Commission must encourage the national governments to “renew their support for public services, addressing the current financial and investment shortcomings” – not only but especially as a result of the Covid crisis. This relates both to country-specific recommendations to individual Member States at the end of the European Semester cycles as well as to more flexibility to remove investments from national debt calculations under the Stability and Growth Pact.
  • “EU member states must aim to improve the resilience and service quality of public services.” According to examples from the study, recruitment and career progression schemes must be modernised in many public administrations, staff numbers and equipment need to be boosted in numerous healthcare systems, more funding for the training of teachers is often necessary, and steps are necessary to fill gaps in the access to judicial services.
  • “The public sector workforce must be equipped with the right tools to face ongoing [digital] transformations” – which necessitates additional investments in lifelong learning and in the upskilling of the workforce.
  • Public services must be made more attractive to “new and young talent to address labour shortages” – which may require both higher wages as well as campaigns to raise the public and social recognition of public services and to further highlight advantages of public sector employment, such as working for the common good.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Boiled down to one point, the study concludes what CESI has been demanding for long: Resilient public services are indispensable, and in many Member States and sectors this requires significantly more public investments than in the past. And it appears clearly that investments must span not only to facilities and equipment, but also to working conditions, training and, where applicable, the decent remuneration of the staff. Without, existing personnel cannot deliver high quality services over time and too little new young talent will be attracted to the public services.”

He added: “Investing now may seem like costing a lot, especially now as money is scarce in times of the costly Covid pandemic, but it will pay off in the long run and be for sure cheaper than fixing problems once they inevitably come up at some point in the future. The study spells out clearly that the European Commission has, generally, an active role to play to enable and encourage the Member States to invest in their public services and maintain their quality.”

Read the full study here

This study is the result of a cooperation between the European Policy Centre (EPC) and the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), in the context of the EU-funded project, “PULSER –Performing public services and performing public service personnel for the best possible implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights”.

More info about the PULSER project.

The European Policy Centre (EPC) has published a new study on ‘Well-performing public services for a fair and resilient European society’. Bringing forward evidence from the areas of administration, healthcare, education and public order and safety, the study showcases the importance of reinforced support and investments in public services and its personnel – needed urgently already before the Covid pandemic and even more so now as the socio-economic fallout of the Corona crisis unfolds.

CESI Talks – L’UE e i lavoratori al tempo del Covid19 con Gianluca Sgueo, analista politico al Parlamento europeoCESI Talks – L’UE e i lavoratori al tempo del Covid19 con Gianluca Sgueo, analista politico al Parlamento europeo
Main news
2021-02-08
2025-03-08

CESI Talks – L’UE e i lavoratori al tempo del Covid19 con Gianluca Sgueo, analista politico al Parlamento europeo

La pandemia di Covid-19 ha dimostrato in modo impressionante (e doloroso) quanto siano decisivi ed essenziali i servizi pubblici e quanto sia urgente migliorarli ulteriormente attraverso una dimensione europea piĂč forte.

La pandemia di Covid-19 ha dimostrato in modo impressionante (e doloroso) quanto siano decisivi ed essenziali i servizi pubblici e quanto sia urgente migliorarli ulteriormente attraverso una dimensione europea piĂč forte.

#CESItalks

La pandemia di Covid-19 ha dimostrato in modo impressionante (e doloroso) quanto siano decisivi ed essenziali i servizi pubblici e quanto sia urgente migliorarli ulteriormente attraverso una dimensione europea piĂč forte.

Changing forms of precarious work and trade union responses in the post- Covid-19 times, Marta KahancovaChanging forms of precarious work and trade union responses in the post- Covid-19 times, Marta Kahancova
Main news
2021-02-08
2025-03-08

Changing forms of precarious work and trade union responses in the post- Covid-19 times, Marta Kahancova

In this article, Marta Kahancova looks at the different dimensions of precarity in public sector, highlighting the excessive pressures on working time (particularly for healthcare sector workers), the challenges of organising teleworking, and ensuring working conditions related to health and safety.

Covid-19 emphasized the importance of collective bargaining, the need for a stricter working time regulation, as well as for health and safety at the workplace. Trade unions should also reach out to precarious workers and inform them of their rights.

Read the article in full here.

To find out more about this topic visit #noprecariouswork website.

This project is mainly financed by funds from the European Union.

CESI Talks – The EU and workers in times of Covid19 with Alex Agius Saliba, MEP (S&D, MT)CESI Talks – The EU and workers in times of Covid19 with Alex Agius Saliba, MEP (S&D, MT)
Main news
2021-02-05
2025-03-08

CESI Talks – The EU and workers in times of Covid19 with Alex Agius Saliba, MEP (S&D, MT)

#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.

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

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

Some good perspectives | Editorial of the Secretary-General Klaus HeegerSome good perspectives | Editorial of the Secretary-General Klaus Heeger
Main news
2021-02-04
2025-03-08

Some good perspectives | Editorial of the Secretary-General Klaus Heeger

Dear members, colleagues, friends and partners of CESI,

With the beginning of 2021, many of the hopes we had by the end of last year have, to say the least, been ‘put on hold’.

Infection rates: they continue to grow in many places. New variants of Covid-19: they spread faster. Vaccines production and vaccinations campaigns: they fall behind, at least in Europe.

In these already sinister months of January and February, the current perspective is rather depressing.

But there are good perspectives too.

Firstly, Trump is gone. Probably such good news that many of those depressed may have healed instantly on January 20th. Of course, difficult to find a President older than Biden. And yes, watching the news with Trump in the picture was quite entertaining. But in the end, it became tiring. Simply too much screaming and hatred.

Secondly, restrictive rules (although to understand them just in Europe requires the instant cessation of any other activity) may be loosened. Some day. Maybe. Some say.

We all look forward to this day. To the perspective of the end of the endless shutdowns. Until then, we need indulgence. Indulgence with politicians and with citizens.

But to maintain a sense of the magnitude of the repressions does not do any harm. For moderation purposes. Because politicians may get tempted. No complicated debates, only incidence rates and ruling by decrees. Even no need for vaccines. Because lockdowns work.

Imagine other targets. Greenhouse gas emissions or traffic deaths. To stay in bed helps the environment and avoids car accidents. And no procreation either. A little creepy though. Even if frogs, lizards and toads would breathe fresh air, one could miss the voices of children playing.

Yes. We must follow the rules. But we must be ready to get our freedoms (and data) back. They are normal, not the exception. We should never get used to lockdowns, quarantine, PLFs, travel bans and human contact reduction. And yet we tend to, we may even want more. So we should remain vigilant, consider what is at stake and weigh up the options carefully against one another. As trade unions too.

And finally, we keep the spirit by planning our activities. Together in our CESI family. As we have done in these past days and weeks. Nothing better to heal wounded souls. You see familiar faces on Zoom. You gather around projects, preferably good ones. And you try to deliver.

The perspectives are there.

All the best to all of us for this hopefully better year!

CESI on collective bargaining for the self-employedCESI on collective bargaining for the self-employed
Main news
2021-02-03
2025-03-08

CESI on collective bargaining for the self-employed

CESI published a new position on the conciliation of EU competition law with the right to collective bargaining for the self-employed. In the position, which is part of a response to a consultation which the European Commission is currently undertaking, CESI calls on the European Commission clarify how those in precarious solo-employment may benefit from a right to collective bargaining, and hence higher and adequate wages, without interfering with EU competition law, which currently may forbid this right on the grounds that this would constitute an illegal cartel-forming.

In its position, CESI outlines the following considerations and priorities for collective bargaining for the self employed:

  • A general prohibition of collective bargaining for the self-employed via trade unions on the grounds that there may be cartel-forming through joint wage negotiations is not in line with the spirit and the purpose of EU competition law. Justifying the prohibition of collective bargaining by reference to the need to maintain the integrity of the single market (article 101 TFEU) is a misplaced contextualisation of EU law, especially when it is applied to vulnerable and precarious self-employed persons.
  • The extension of the right to collective bargaining especially to the precarious and the vulnerable self-employed would be desirable. To make it effective, such a right to collective bargaining should be embedded in a four-tier approach which gives the concerned self-employed (1) the right to join trade unions, (2) the right to collective bargaining, (3) the right to become a part of collective agreements, and thus (4) also the right to take industrial action.
  • EU competition law should be made compatible with collective bargaining at least for all solo self-employed providing their own labour through digital platforms or to professional customers of any size with the exception of regulated (and liberal) professions. This should be implemented by a clear Council regulation and coupled to a clear-cut definition and a positive list of regulated liberal professions which are not facing precarious employment as a result of their self-employment (e.g. heads of notary, auditor and tax advising practices, architect bureaus, pharmacies, dental practices).
  • This initiative should not be aimed to alleviate challenges for the bogus self-employed. Bogus self-employed are denied regular employee contracts because employers want to avoid higher social ‘costs’. Supporting the right of collective bargaining for the bogus self-employed would mean treating symptoms, not tackling roots. Bogus self-employed are, as the term reveals, false self-employed and de facto employees. What is necessary here is to ensure that they are considered as regular employees with all consequences (regular individual and collective labour law and rights and social security schemes applied to them), thus eliminating bogus self-employment in the first place. It should be noted that the problem of bogus solo self-employment currently also persists in regulated liberal professions (among lawyers, dentists, etc), where persons may be employed under precarious self-employment conditions while they are in fact dependent workers (in the law firm, dental practice), just like regular private sector employees.
  • Clear legal frameworks for the right to collective bargaining for the self-employed are required and (well-staffed and resourced) labour inspectorates need to be put in place to control their application and issue (deterring) sanctions for violations.

CESI’s full position is available here.

CESI published a new position on the conciliation of EU competition law with the right to collective bargaining for the self-employed. In the position, which is part of a response to a consultation which the European Commission is currently undertaking, CESI calls on the European Commission clarify how those in precarious solo-employment may benefit from a right to collective bargaining, and hence higher and adequate wages, without interfering with EU competition law, which currently may forbid this right on the grounds that this would constitute an illegal cartel-forming.

After the Congress in December: CESI Presidium constitutes CESI’s work structures for 2021-2024After the Congress in December: CESI Presidium constitutes CESI’s work structures for 2021-2024
Main news
2021-02-03
2025-03-08

After the Congress in December: CESI Presidium constitutes CESI’s work structures for 2021-2024

The Presidium set up the following commissions and expert commissions to help guide CESI’s horizontal and sectoral advocacy work until the next Congress in 2024:

The Presidium established that CESI will also continue to concentrate on challenges in the security and justice sectors. CESI will, as before, also prioritise transportation policy matters where they concern the working conditions of employees in the sector.

The Presidium also reviewed the work topics for 2021 that CESI’s Programme Commission had debated on yesterday, thus paving the way for CESI to proceed with the execution of its planned activities during this year.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “I am enthusiastic to delve into our advocacy work together with our members in what will be a year of key importance for workers and employees across Europe: While the Corona pandemic is still upon us, it will be imperative to ensure on all fronts that the post-crisis recovery will not only be green and digital but also socially inclusive and focus on decent work and high quality jobs. CESI as the voice of independent trade unions in Europe as a central role to play in this. All workers count.”

Programme Commission discusses CESI work programme for 2021Programme Commission discusses CESI work programme for 2021
Main news
2021-02-02
2025-03-08

Programme Commission discusses CESI work programme for 2021

Possible work topics were debated against the background of the political agenda of the European institutions and the priorities of the members of CESI and covered all of policy areas that CESI covers: Employment and social affairs, women’s rights and gender equality, public administrations, education and training, health services, postal services and telecommunications, and defence.

The preliminary list of work topics includes the following:

Horizontal employment and social affairs
‱ Adequate minimum wages in the European Union
‱ Sustainable corporate governance
‱ Fostering freedom of association for trade unions
‱ Enhancing occupational health and safety (esp. Covid-related)
‱ Future of work – Future of Trade unions – Future of industrial relations
‱ Implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights

Women’s rights and gender equality
‱ Preventing and combating gender-based violence
‱ Improving the gender balance of women in managerial positions in the private and public sectors
‱ Establishing an EU right to voluntary periods of part time work and a right to return to full-time work thereafter
‱ Avoiding gender-related disparities as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic fallout
‱ Mitigating the digital gender divide
‱ Implementation of the post-2020 EU gender equality strategy

Public administrations
‱ Professional space for civil servants
‱ Investments and support for public administrations and its personnel
‱ Rules and support for voluntary remote working (together with COM SOC/WG Future of work)
‱ Involvement of municipalities in the EU Green Deal
‱ Fight against in-work poverty and for minimum wages in the public sector
‱ Better public recognition of public services and of the personnel delivering them
‱ Role of public services to make states and societies resilient to crises
‱ Role of public services in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights
‱ Enhanced cooperation in the area of a financial transaction tax (FTT)
‱ EU Tax Observatory
‱ Digital tax
‱ Work topics of the European social dialogue on central government administrations and on local and reginal governments and of the Platform on Tax Good Governance

Education, training and research
‱ European Education Area: More investment in education systems (including through the Corona Recovery Plan) and greater recognition of the teaching profession
‱ The EU’s Digital Education Action Plan; digital equipment in education systems
‱ Introduction of a European Child Guarantee (EU legal right to affordable and high-quality childcare)
‱ Launch of an intergenerational alliance for learning, skills and employment
‱ Work topics of the European social dialogue on education

Health services
‱ More investment in health systems (crisis resilience, staff-patient ratio)
‱ Improved OSH and protective equipment for health care personnel
‱ Fostering affordable and high quality care facilities
‱ Greater support for & investment in caring professions (non-material & financial recognition; quality standards & mutual recognition for skills & training)
‱ European health union: Better crisis preparedness, management and resilience (incl. EU framework for production and stockpiling of medicines and medical material and equipment, a reinforced role for the EMA and the ECED, pharmaceutical strategy and the EU beating cancer plan)

Postal services and telecommunications
‱ Evaluation and possible revision of the EU postal services directive 97/67/EC, esp. in terms of decent work
‱ Decent employment & working conditions in parcel deliveries
‱ Combating precarious work in call centres and the logistics sector
‱ Implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on the work and occupational health & safety of telecommunications and postal service personnel
‱ Achievement of worker-friendly digitalisation in telecommuni-cations and postal services
‱ Identification of future professions and relating VET schemes in postal service companies
‱ Work topics of the European social dialogue on postal services

Defence
‱ More equal employment and working conditions of military personnel before, during and after joint operations (‘social dimension’ of PESCO)
‱ Establishing a personnel-friendly European Defence Union
‱ Defence of adequate health and safety standards of military personnel in regular operations

All preliminary work topics will be set definitely following a meeting of the Presidium of CESI on this topic on February 3.

Precarious employment and social protection systems, Ines WagnerPrecarious employment and social protection systems, Ines Wagner
Main news
2021-02-01
2025-03-08

Precarious employment and social protection systems, Ines Wagner

While full-time permanent types of contract remain dominant throughout Europe, there has been a rising trend in atypical forms of contract, which are characterised in most cases by their precarious nature.

In this article, Ines Wagner dissects the differences between the Nordic, Continental, Liberal and Eastern European types of welfare systems with regards to workers’ access to social security protection, and giving practical examples on gender equality and migrant workers.

As Wagner highlights, a true challenge in accessing social security protection schemes nowadays lies within a necessity for a clear legal definition of what constitutes “work” and a “worker”.

Read the article in full here.

To learn more about this topic visit the #noprecariouswork website.

This project is mainly funded by funds from the European Union.

CESI calls on EC to table proposal for directive on right to be disconnectedCESI calls on EC to table proposal for directive on right to be disconnected
Main news
2021-01-28
2025-03-08

CESI calls on EC to table proposal for directive on right to be disconnected

On January 21st, the European Parliament published a legislative initiative report, urging the European Commission to table a legislative proposal on a right to disconnect.

On January 21st, the European Parliament published a legislative initiative report, urging the European Commission to table a legislative proposal on a right to disconnect. CESI supports this call, stresses however the need for a right to be disconnected (automatically) from employment-related communcation rather than a (likely ineffective) right to voluntarily disconnect.

The report tabled by the European Parliament on a right to disconnect, which includes a concrete suggestion of a text for a new EU directive, represents a formal request by the European Parliament towards the European Commission to come forward with a proposal for legislation to make sure that an always-on culture is prevented in remote and home office work.

According to the European Parliament, the directive shoud “lay down minimum requirements to enable workers who use digital tools, including ICT, for work purposes, to exercise their right to disconnect and to ensure that employers respect workers’ right to disconnect” and “apply to all sectors, both public and private, and to all workers, independent of their status and their working arrangements.”

According to report, Member States should be obliged to ensure, specifically, that:

  • discrimination, less favourable treatment, dismissal and other adverse measures by employers on the ground that workers have exercised or have sought to exercise their right to disconnect are prohibited.
  • employers provide each worker in writing with clear, sufficient and adequate information on their right to disconnect, including a statement setting out the terms of any applicable collective or other agreements.
  • employers protect workers, including workers’ representatives, from any adverse treatment and from any adverse consequences resulting from a complaint lodged with the employer or resulting from any proceedings initiated with the aim of enforcing compliance with the right to disconnect.
  • workers whose right to disconnect is violated have access to swift, effective, and impartial dispute resolution and a right of redress in the case of infringements of their rights, and that they may provide trade union organisations or other workers’ representatives with a possibility, on behalf or in support of the workers and with their approval, to engage in administrative proceedings with the objective of ensuring compliance with or enforcement of the right to disconnect.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The lockdowns during the Covid pandemic have shown that remote working often results in excessive overtime for workers, where employers expect or even demand an ‘always on’-culture. We strongly back the European Palriament in its request towards the European Commission to address the matter via a directive. Especially if remote and home working will stay relatively common after the pandemic has been overcome, it is imperative for the health and safety and work-life balance of workers that rules are put in place to ensure that their working time is predictable and includes clear rules on rest periods and time off.”

Klaus Heeger added: “A right to be disconnected would however be much more effective than a right to disconnect. In the former case, digital communication with the employer is switched off automatically, while a right to disconnect is essentially voluntary: Even if the right exists on paper, pressure to stay online and to continue to work long hours increases where workers need to stay in good terms with their employers, for instance to get a promotion, and hence not disappoint them by going offline. This is especially true in larger teams where there is a natural competition among colleagues to advance their careers. We will make sure to raise this matter at the European Commission.”

The full report of the European Parliament is available here.

On January 21st, the European Parliament published a legislative initiative report, urging the European Commission to table a legislative proposal on a right to disconnect.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021
Main news
2021-01-27
2025-03-08

International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021

On January 27th, people around the world pay their respect to the victims of Holocaust and come together to say no to racism, anti-semitism and hate.

On January 27th, people around the world pay their respect to the victims of Holocaust and come together to say no to racism, anti-semitism and hate. CESI joins these voices to call for open-mindedness and tolerance among peoples.

Today, 76 years ago, towards the end of the Second World War, Soviet troops liberated the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, in Poland, the biggest Nazi death camp.

The United Nations Assembly adopted a resolution in 2005 to dedicate this day as commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, which took the lives of 6 million Jews – and 11 million further victims, such as homosexuals, disabled persons, political dissidents, Sinti and Roma, and other ethnic minorities.

In contemporary history, the Second War World and the Holocaust is a synonym for one of the most traumatic events humans have experienced around the world. Claiming the lives of approximately 80 million persons, the Second World War is the deadliest military conflict in human history, disrupting and destructing entire cities and countries around the world. The Holocaust was a central feature that remains connected to the Second World War.

Days such as this remain as important as ever to reflect on our actions as humankind. In a time where populist figures and far-right ideologies are gaining followers around the world, joining our voices together to say no to hate remains imperative.

The period of the Second World War and the Holocaust is not without its lessons: It has taught to appreciate and cherish differences among cultures and peoples, and most importantly it has taught the immense value of mutual respect, tolerance, democracy and peaceful cooperation. Values which should never be taken for granted, which need to be continuously nurtured and preserved.

CESI continues remembering this day, and as such, continues to defend the values of kindness, acceptance and tolerance in Europe and beyond. It is a priority an pleasure for CESI to work every day to assist, improve and strengthen the work of the institutions created after this conflict, to ensure that humanity will not repeat a dreadful mistake.

On January 27th, people around the world pay their respect to the victims of Holocaust and come together to say no to racism, anti-semitism and hate.

CESI@home on “EU responses to counter-terrorism: Are we tackling the challenges?”CESI@home on “EU responses to counter-terrorism: Are we tackling the challenges?”
Main news
2021-01-26
2025-03-07

CESI@home on “EU responses to counter-terrorism: Are we tackling the challenges?”

As the year 2020 saw, yet again, a series terrorist attacks, on January 22 a CESI@home online event edition addressed concerns about the security of European citizens and the place of police personnel in safeguaring security.

As the year 2020 saw, yet again, a series terrorist attacks, on January 22 a CESI@home online event edition addressed concerns about the security of European citizens and the place of police personnel in safeguaring security. With the participation of experts from member trade unions of CESI and EU instutitons and authorities, the event explored in particular the latest developments in EU policy-making to counter terrorism and assessed to what extent EU action effectively contributes to the support of national security authorities and their personnel.

Christiane Hoehn, Principal Adviser to the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator (European Council), and Steven Lambert, Senior Specialist at the European Counter Terrorism Centre, contributed with insights from measures taken by the EU institutions and security authorities, referring, among others, to the latest decisions of the European ministers of interior to step up counter terrorist action through a more intensive use of large data-scale bases like the Schengen Information Systems, the strengthening of the mandates of EUROPOL and its ECTC (European Counter Terrorism Centre), and the intensification of the fight against the prevention of radicalisation and extremist behaviours online.

Participants recalled that the EU counter-terrorism agenda has advanced considerably since the 2015 Paris attacks and continues to sharpen the ways it addresses terrorist threats, with the 2020 Europol TE-SAT report stating that in 2019, two thirds of cases in which jihadist perpetrators planned violent action in the EU were prevented by security authorities. However, participants also voiced concersn that information exchange on terrorism and other forms of crime can still improve, further building on the achievements made over the last few years, in order to avoid that information remains scattered amongst agencies and institutions. In this regard, the forthcoming EU Police Cooperation Code was welcomed as a step forward towards more cross-border cooperation.

CESI law enforcement representatives from France, Germany and the Netherlands shared their expertise about the national responses to terrorism. The President and Vice-President of the CESI Trade Council ‘Security’, who also represent police trade unions in the Netherlands (Gerrit van de Kamp) and Germany (Hermann Benker), mentioned the need for the EU to show more leadership in addressing security threats, and for the domestic actors to step up their efforts in implementing the EU Security Union Strategy. Laurent Arnaudas, Secretary General of CESI’s affiliate FA-Police, the French Autonomous Public Service Federation, highlighted the vulnerability of France and the challenges for the French security authorities in the are of anti-terrorism. All trade union representative underlined the crucial importance of sufficient investment in counterterrorism. They stressed that, in addition to further improvements of cross-border cooperation, data and information exchange and access to electronic evidence, security authorities need adequate human resources and equipment and taht personnel must be well-trained and protected properly. Moreover, they emphasised the importance of a widespread public recognition by the society for the work of police and security forces to keep the cititzens safe.

The event took place in the context of CESI’s EU co-funded PULSER project which focuses on capacity-building and support for performing public services and public services personnel in Europe.

As the year 2020 saw, yet again, a series terrorist attacks, on January 22 a CESI@home online event edition addressed concerns about the security of European citizens and the place of police personnel in safeguaring security.

Financial self-reliance of women in the care sector in the NetherlandsFinancial self-reliance of women in the care sector in the Netherlands
Main news
2021-01-22
2025-03-08

Financial self-reliance of women in the care sector in the Netherlands

CESI's member organisation CNV Connectief shares its knowledge and policy solutions to improve the financial independence of women in the care sector.

CESI’s member organisation CNV Connectief shares its knowledge and policy solutions to improve the financial independence of women in the care sector, within the framework of the mainly EU funded project “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges”.

The Netherlands has the highest percentage in Western Europe of prevalence of part-time contracts: 46.8%. Of those, 74% are women. Figures are even more worrying when taking a closer look at the care sector, when more than half of the workers are women who work less than 25 hours per week. As a result, these women represent a financially vulnerable group.

To tackle this issue, CNV proposes several measures from increased paid work to change our social views, for example having a 30-hour working week for both men and women to paying more attention for culturally determined norms.

Read the article in full here.

To learn more about this topic visit #noprecariouswork.

This project is mainly funded by funds from the European Union.

CESI's member organisation CNV Connectief shares its knowledge and policy solutions to improve the financial independence of women in the care sector.

#WeEP – The EP and workers: from the fight against the impacts of the crisis to the ‘Future of Europe’#WeEP – The EP and workers: from the fight against the impacts of the crisis to the ‘Future of Europe’
Europe Academy project
2021-01-20
2025-03-08

#WeEP – The EP and workers: from the fight against the impacts of the crisis to the ‘Future of Europe’

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

WeEP – The EP and workers: from the fight against the impacts of the crisis to the ‘Future of Europe’

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

Topics: recovery and resiliance, digital and green transitions, social and employment policies.

Summary of the action

The pandemic has impressively demonstrated how decisive and essential public services are and how urgently their further improvement is needed.

According to the last Public Opinion Survey commissioned by the European Parliament (July 2020), ‘uncertainty’, ‘EU’ and ‘hope’ were the most identified keywords.

A clear majority of respondents believe that the EU should have a bigger budget to overcome the consequences of the pandemic and that it should have more competences to deal with crises in general.

Most Europeans see EU spending on public health as being the most important, followed by the economic recovery, employment and the fight against climate change.

CESI wants to engage with citizens and workers by informing them about the EU policies and tools for the recovery, as well as about the EU initiatives for a more sustainable and inclusive Europe in the framework of the ‘Conference on the Future of Europe’.

There is a need for a more active involvement in and support of both workers and trade unions for a European agenda that will form our common future.

The project targets three different groups:

  1. The general public: ‘CESI Talks’, a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts will focus on social and employment policies and will be shared on social media. Playlist with all the CESI Talks on YouTube
  2. Young people: interactive videoconferences of ‘CESI-Youth’ will be held with top MEPs. They will address the responses to the socio-economic impacts of the crisis on young people and to a changing world of work.
  3. Workers: The Workers’ Representatives Event, an interactive videoconference with the EP top representatives, will address social affairs and employment priorities during green and digital transformations.

Playlist with all the CESI Talks on YouTube

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

Reducing precarious work: some lessons from the Covid pandemic, Prof Jill RuberyReducing precarious work: some lessons from the Covid pandemic, Prof Jill Rubery
Main news
2021-01-19
2025-03-08

Reducing precarious work: some lessons from the Covid pandemic, Prof Jill Rubery

Prof Jill Rubery, Director of the Work and Equalities Institute of the University of Manchester, writes this article within the framework of the EU funded project "Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges".

Prof Jill Rubery, Director of the Work and Equalities Institute of the University of Manchester, writes this article within the framework of the EU funded project “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges”.

Prof Jill Rubery writes this piece for the #noprecariouswork project that CESI is currently managing. Through her writing, she reflects on the impacts that the Covid pandemic is having on the access to social security protection and the what are the implications for precarious workers.

In her words “The growing crisis made the growing gaps in employment and social protection systems more visible as access to support became essential for survival (
) However, the likelihood of mass unemployment and a long recession post Covid might drive changes in the opposite direction, exacerbating trends towards precariousness at work.”

It is up to trade unions and relevant stakeholders to make sure the lessons from the pandemic will be learnt.

Read the article in full here.

To learn more about precarious work visit the no precarious work website.

This project is mainly funded by funds from the European Union.

Prof Jill Rubery, Director of the Work and Equalities Institute of the University of Manchester, writes this article within the framework of the EU funded project "Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges".

CESI calls on EC to table proposal for directive on right to be disconnectedCESI calls on EC to table proposal for directive on right to be disconnected
Main news
2021-01-18
2025-03-05

CESI calls on EC to table proposal for directive on right to be disconnected

On this year's European Day for a Work-Free Sunday, the Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance reaffirm a necessary commitment to promoting a common weekly day of rest for workers across Europe. Even in times of a competitiveness-based narrative in EU policy making, a synchronised work-free Sunday remains essential for the well-being of individuals and their families – and thereby for the society and the economy as a whole, too.

As digitalisation and telework continue to reshape the world of work, maintaining clear boundaries between professional and private life has never been more crucial. The European Sunday Alliance therefore welcomes the European Commission's efforts to advance a new EU directive on a right to disconnect and fair telework and hopes for a swift publication of a legislative proposal. This would represent a significant step towards securing healthier working conditions, preventing burnout, and ensuring that all workers can truly switch off from professional obligations outside agreed working hours.

In particular, a common day of disconnection – effectively on Sundays – would help counteract growing trends of fragmentation in working hours. It would allow individuals to rest in sync with their families and communities, fostering social cohesion, voluntary engagement, and cultural and faith-related activities. Common resting time would also step up the quality of resting time (currently often spent by workers alone), which would in the end contribute to higher productivity, creativity, and overall job satisfaction – and thereby benefit both workers and businesses alike.

The Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance strongly urge the European Commission to include specific references to a right to disconnect on weekends in its forthcoming legislative proposal for a directive on a right to disconnect and fair telework. Ensuring that Sunday remains protected from work wherever possible will serve as a vital safeguard for workers' well-being while strengthening the social fabric of our communities.

On today's annual European Day for a Work-Free Sunday, the Steering Committee members of the European Sunday Alliance call upon policymakers, employers, and workers to join in recognising and defending the value of a common day of rest – also and especially in times of a shift in policy-making agenda towards economic competitiveness

The European Sunday Alliance is a broad network of more than 100 national Sunday Alliances, trade unions, employers' organisations, civil society organisations, churches and religious communities committed to raise awareness of the unique value of synchronised free time for our European societies.
http://www.europeansundayalliance.eu/

The future is now: what digitalization means for companies, employees — and a new role for trade unions.The future is now: what digitalization means for companies, employees — and a new role for trade unions.
Main news
2021-01-13
2025-03-08

The future is now: what digitalization means for companies, employees — and a new role for trade unions.

In the tragic events of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, there could be seeds for a new foundation and scope for Trade Unions’ legitimacy, one that could lie particularly in negotiating cooperative approaches between all stakeholders, as well as he implementation of new international and national regulatory frameworks with local in-company approaches. This new path could in fact allow all economic actors to produce dividends while at the same time ensure quality occupation.

Yet first Trade Unions should ask themselves the following questions: what are the strategic choices that companies have to make in order to adapt their operations to the so-called New Normal? What do the employees demand? What should governments do?

COVID-19: the Great Accelerator of Digital Transformation

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic caused thousands of deaths, ravaged the balance sheets of entire industries and resulted in millions of unemployed people all over the world. At the same time, it worked as a powerful accelerator of trends that were already underway.

Although for many companies around the world the arrival of COVID-19 meant extreme instability and difficulties, several businesses have benefited from this exceptional event. The activities that reaped the greatest market benefits were those related to the need of many workers to move their work from the office to their home. The considerable boosts observed in e-commerce (for example of foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals) and packaging, are cases in point.

The change in daily and working habits has not only had a high economic impact, but also led to an evolution in the concept of work as well as in the behavior of employees in relation to it. The practice of remote working has enabled many people to carry out their activities from the comfort of their own homes, reduced their environmental impact and the costs of traveling to the office, and enabled them to spend more time with their families.

In terms of urban spaces, teleworking has to be considered also a great opportunity for more remote regions, where inhabitants of more peripheral areas are no more requested to travel daily to reach their workplace. Besides this, the digitization of activities means for companies the possibility to relocate to more remote areas, of course only if adequate infrastructure is available or if new is created.

The real driving force behind these changes is undoubtedly Digital Transformation, which has brought millions of workers closer to new technologies, making structural changes in the work environment absolutely necessary.

Why a “Right to Remote Work” is a seductive temptation that will not work — except for some

In light of all those evolutions and potential advantages, there has been a call for the establishment of a legal “right to work remotely” as part of the New Normal.

This may prove more difficult — or even counterproductive — than it appears: many of the challenges involved in creating a generally binding right to telework are strictly related to the impossibility of constructing a solid-enough regulatory framework, adaptable to all professions, as well as to different categories of professional and personal situations.

Some jobs, or a large proportion of the activities that comprise them, cannot be carried out remotely; at the same time, within a company, the development of a similar right could result in a series of conflicts and inequalities between workers. As a matter of fact, not all employees are available or able to work in the same way from their home office.

A separate mention is deserved by more vulnerable categories of employees, for whom stricter regulation and the creation of a right to telework could indeed be beneficial. People suffering from disabilities or maternity women are categories in whose interest the integration of a right in this sense could make working conditions more acceptable. However, in the temporary absence of infrastructure suitable for remote working and versatile regulations applicable to several professional contexts, there is no point in calling for the implementation of such a general right.

Extending the scope of existing gender equality legislation, as well as including anti-discrimination clauses in collective labour agreements, are key actions that can help reconcile digital and social progress. Achieving a fairer professional environment is one of the challenges accompanying the expansion of teleworking; the possibility of remote working to turn into an economic advantage for the benefit of a few is to be rejected in principle. Inequalities and gaps between categories of workers must be bridged by equipping all home-based workers with appropriate tools, making their objectives accessible, and offering them additional guarantees to perform their activities on a par with presence work.

Enhancing home-working facilities while ensuring excellent infrastructure: businesses and governments have each other a role to play

Benefits such as greater independence of the workers, the possibility for parents to take care of their children while keeping up with their careers, and the establishment of collective agreements that make work more flexible and fairer, are however accompanied by equivalent concerns. Precisely: the difficulty of juggling different time zones, the lack of real-time collaboration, isolation, misplacement of information, the risk of non-respect of private life boundaries and the difficulty of training staff at a technical level.

Governments should direct their efforts in improving the connection speed of Internet networks made available to workers at home; wide-range public investments may represent a good tool in this regard. On a policy level, a possible step to undertake is the broad implementation of regulations encouraging employers to respect standard working hours; French and German recent enabled measures are meaningful examples.

Trade Unions, on the other hand, should make sure that decisions at company level are taken in order to help employees benefit from the new way of working. As a more effective and pragmatic measure — a measure that also makes perfect sense in terms of productivity enhanced-is pushing corporations to provide all the necessary tele-facilities and tools. Especially when older managerial practices are involved, the intermediation play is crucial.

Concrete examples of other policies may include helping employees to set up one or more workplaces suitable to the type of work to be carried out, as well as the provision of ergonomic equipment and software support. Making remote and office work interchangeable in terms of tools and accessibility, also allowing the employee to mix private and corporate IT facilities, are equally important aspects. On a practical level, the optimal solution to the settlement of a workspace at home might be to have the expenditure incurred for teleworking up to 100% borne by the employer, or at least 50-50 deductible (as facilities are often of mixed use).

Limits to resilience: a stronger future lies in new managerial approaches. Trade Unions should double down on that.

In order to safeguard business and revenue continuity, while providing employees with the tools to cope with change, companies have rapidly pivoted to different business models, often at the cost of new, less-then-excellent operational configurations. At the same time, an often unprepared and unequipped workforce had to adopt a radical new approach to work — combined with social distancing and national lockdowns — left many individuals physiologically exhausted. The so-called “Zoom fatigue,” from the popular video-conferencing platform, clearly mirrors the problem.

In this panorama of new challenges for all companies, a key mediating role between employees and company management should be played by TUs, which are asked to support workers whilst opening up profitable spaces for companies. An increasingly sectoral and innovative approach, necessary to keep up with professional evolution, is what Trade Unions shall take. The protection of workers from exploitation and misuse of contracts is to be achieved by designing appropriate sets of boundaries, that will also help companies to create a win-win situation for their employers and employees.

For the Unions, it is first and foremost important to invest in relations with company executives and managers, who are often undervalued at the expense of an exclusive focus on employees. Rather than having trade union elements within companies, it would be more appropriate, to use training to help managers to develop more modern management models. These models, based on smart working rather than teleworking, would directly benefit the workforce. The essential difference here lies in offering the worker autonomy of action, through the management of activities by objectives rather than by fixed working hours. An OKR (Objective and Key Results) methodology could be useful in this respect.

Trained managers are able to implement innovative methodologies, which in turn enable employees to work better, as well as company owners to feel satisfied with their results. Only an effective innovative leadership can as a matter of fact generate a Win-Win situation for all the stakeholders.

A specter is haunting Europe: policy levers for reconciling social protection with the future of work and advanced automation

Speculating further into the future, increased automation could also pose a threat in terms of job losses. In many cases the transfer of jobs from one industry to another is possible, in others it is, if not impossible, at least complicated. Transferring staff from one business sector to another is not only complex in terms of tools, but also in terms of workers’ skills.

With a view to continuous learning and adaptation to increasingly autonomous working conditions, it would be desirable for corporations to engage in retraining. In principle, any employee affected by the digitization of work should be supported in acquiring new skills, whilst job losses due to digitization should be covered by opening up new spaces for affected employees. In unavoidable situations the intervention of special protections and state subsidies may still be necessary. A paramount goal is to make sure that legislators will continue to bridge the gap between labour supply and demand.

In an even broader panorama, at European level, a social protection plan that includes minimum wages, basic income security and policies to combat the erosion of the employment relationship, is indispensable. Another response, that has yet to be trialled fully at the societal level, and from which there are currently mixed results, remains UBI, or Universal Basic Income.

From a strategic point of view, enterprises will certainly need new tools to address workforce migration within their sectors. The increasingly digital innovative nature of the tools offered to workers requires companies to invest in technologies that are accessible to all their employees. Mass re-skilling, where permitted, does not pose the same degree of difficulty for everyone; while for some, digitizing their own operations may mean making their jobs easier, for many others it does not. Low Code and No Code technologies are ideal examples for all corporate actors who want to bridge the gap between digital accessibility and protection of their employees.

The final step: equipping trade unions with the necessary tools to remain relevant in the 21st century

Taking stock of the situation, Trade Unions will be asked — if the wish to remain relevant — to design a new way of brokering the construction of solid labour relations. The main challenge is adapting to digital development and workers’ demands for protection. New ways of dealing with members will also have to replace traditional face-to-face meetings; equally, the services offered will not be able to forego innovation.

To avoid risks in terms of representativity, i.e., continuing to gain the support of new members — especially among the youngest — Unions should start thinking about new ways of reaching for new associates. Improving visibility on the web and using tools such as social networks (increasingly important in labour relations) are changes that need to be addressed to keep up with innovation.

As highlighted throughout this article, the digitization of work represents an opportunity for all parties involved: employers, managers and employees. The more or less instrumental role of Trade Unions in the process will be observed by the ability to draw up regulations with flexible boundaries, capable of adapting in a plurality of situations, and above all protecting workers — without necessarily relying on ideological approaches or beliefs.

The future of work is relentless and pragmatic. Trade Unions should be, too.

Author: Andrea Latino, Digital Transformation Consultant | Innovation Manager | Forbes Under 30 | WEF Global Shaper

The article was originally written for the German Civil Service Federation – Beamtenbund und Tarifunion (dbb)

Continuity and development: CESI activity report 2016-2020Continuity and development: CESI activity report 2016-2020
Main news
2021-01-06
2025-03-08

Continuity and development: CESI activity report 2016-2020

Highlights of the report include the following:

‱ Membership of CESI has grown continously. In 2020, CESI united 43 member organisations from most European countries, with a total of more than five million individual affiliates. Between 2016 and 2020, a total of nine trade union organisations joined CESI.

‱ An internal reflection group reviewed CESI’s work structures and bodies with a view to maximise the organisation’s output targets. First recommendations were already put in place, especially in terms of digital and online communiations, advocacy and membership engagement.

‱ The CESI Youth, founded in 2013, further institutionalised itself and increasingly started to work within CESI’s work structures.

‱ Policy advacacy and social dialogue was guided and informed by more than 75 adopted opinions and resolutions and more than 100 events between 2016 and 2020.

‱ Work in social dialogue evolved, with a successful recognitition as social partner in a further European sectoral social dialogue (postal services).

‱ CESI deepened its external partnerships and memberships between 2016 and 2020, with, for instance, the accession to the European Sunday Alliance, a renewed selection as a member of the European Commission’s consultative Platform for Tax Good Governance, and a successful application of the CESI Youth to become candidate member at the European Youth Forum.

‱ Between 2016 and 2020, CESI’s internal training centre, the Europe Academy, undertook a total of six projects that were typically each co-funded by the European Commission – putting an emphasis on running larger and longer projects than in the past, with more thematic symposiums and workshops, webinars and online meetings and capacity building sessions, as a basis for extensive PR or awareness-raising campaigns or a study, synopsis or similar other publication.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger, re-elected at the Congress in December, said: “The last four years have been packed with experiences and lessons. We have been through highs and also lows, and we have met many companions along the way who have stood by us, not just as colleagues, but also as competent, trustworthy, committed and inspiring allies. As CESI, we can look back at these years with pride. But we must do so also with humility in mind. Humility given the tasks that lie ahead of us. Humility given the expectations of our members who have bestowed their trust upon us. And humility given the daily efforts and achievements of workers everywhere, who we are here to represent.”

The full report is available in English here.

2021: Bring it on! | Editorial of the Secretary-General Klaus Heeger2021: Bring it on! | Editorial of the Secretary-General Klaus Heeger
Main news
2020-12-16
2025-03-08

2021: Bring it on! | Editorial of the Secretary-General Klaus Heeger

And when you read your emails or have a look at your calendar of the months December, January and February, you realise how different the world we lived in was.

“COVID-19 pandemic is more than a health crisis. It is an economic crisis, a humanitarian crisis, a security crisis, and a human rights crisis. COVID-19 revealed fragilities and inequalities – within and among nations. Coming out of this crisis will require a ‘whole-of-society’, ‘whole-of-government’ and ‘whole-of-the-world’ approach – driven by compassion and solidarity.” These are the words of UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez.

Indeed.

We have experienced in a very painful way that viruses do not care about borders.
We have experienced over centuries and decades, but especially now, that cross-border threats can only be tackled by cross-border cooperation.
We have experienced that national health policies, economic, financial, social and security policies are interconnected.
That they require international approaches if they are to be tackled.

And we realise that the EU stands precisely for that. And CESI stands for that. For 30 years now.

In early autumn, after the first wave, we had a “Klausur” with colleagues, and we were all of us asked what the crisis has meant for us – both personally and professionally.

First, it was quite a moving moment to hear what the colleagues had experienced, and what they had gone through.

And then, when it was my turn, I admitted that I had had existential fears.

What about my job?
What about the future of my children?
What will be the impacts on our societies, on our wealth, on our safety?

Of course, we are not out of the woods, but where do we stand now, ten months later?

Yes, we are mourning over 1.5 million Corona, deaths.
Yes, most countries face tragic and severe second waves.
Yes, we are in the worst socio-economic crisis of our generation.
Yes, the ‘Great Lockdown’ will lead to the worst recession since the Great Depression of the late 20ies, and far worse than the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-2009, predicts the IMF.

And yet, when I look back at last spring and summer, I could also say: “We did not do so bad. The human species altogether did not do so bad. After all, the EU did not do so bad.”

In a record time, three different vaccines have been developed, two of them in or with Europe – and are likely to be authorised in the EU even before Christmas. Unseen amounts for concerted resilience and recovery strategies (made possible by radical changes of paradigm in terms of their financing) have been put in place, an agreement was reached on the ‘rule of law’ conditionality mechanism, and, almost ‘en passant’, EU leaders agreed to cut greenhouse emissions by 55% by 2030.

Of course, we can highlight all the shortcomings, the real effectiveness of the rule of law conditionality, the remaining possibility of a ‘no-deal Brexit’ with all its consequences, the ongoing disputes with Hungary and Poland, the lack of solidarity in terms of migration


You name it.

But frankly, I am amazed about what the EU has been able to do in this cursed year. Half a year ago, the EU was facing the risk of disintegration. It seems it is much better off now.

And maybe the fact that having the German Council Presidency in place, was a lucky coincidence. But it needed much more than that. It needed the recognition, and not least the will, to put cooperation above isolation. From all sides.

And what about us? What about CESI and our members?

The motto of our Congress: “30 years of commitment. Now more than ever.” stands for, on the one hand, stability and continuity, competence and credibility. On the other hand, it stands for the pledge (now more than ever) to commit us even more.

Because, as we have experienced in the past and in particular this year, trade unions are needed – more than ever in times of crises.

https://www.cesi.org/miguel-borra-president-of-csif-on-trade-unions-as-essential-services-during-covid-19-in-spain/Support for trade unions is at its high. They do not only represent essential workers. The work trade unions do is essential.

And we are not ‘only’ specific interest representatives of workers, employees and officials – we are overall societal mediators and stabilisers.

I believe in our capacities to overcome crises. With hope and confidence.

We need hope to overcome the health crisis. We need the confidence to protect the vulnerable and to rebuild our economies. And we will need both to defend our values and liberties, so tremendously maltreated during the crisis.

Yes, coming out of this crisis will require “a whole-of-society, whole-of-government and whole-of-the-world approach driven by compassion and solidarity”.

And I believe, we are ready to deliver our share.

’30 years of commitment – Now more than ever.’

2021: Bring it on!

Merry Christmas and a better new year!

European independent trade unions re-elect Romain Wolff and Klaus Heeger as President and Secretary GeneralEuropean independent trade unions re-elect Romain Wolff and Klaus Heeger as President and Secretary General
Main news
2020-12-11
2025-03-08

European independent trade unions re-elect Romain Wolff and Klaus Heeger as President and Secretary General

At the 8th Congress of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), held online on yesterday and today, Romain Wolff and Klaus Heeger were re-elected President and Secretary General. Urs Stauffer was re-elected as Treasurer.

All three received support for a further four-year term by an overwhelming majority of the votes cast. As employment and labour markets undergo fundamental transformations, this paves the way for an experienced leadership to steer the EU-level interest representation of independent trade unions in Europe.

Romain Wolff will enter his third term of office, having been President of CESI since 2012. As a long-standing trade unionist, he has been Secretary General the Luxembourgish General Confederation of Public Services (CGFP) since 2005. Klaus Heeger, a German national, has been Secretary General of CESI since 2012

His noted expertise in EU affairs and experience in lobbying and social dialogue will be the basis for the continued effective interest representation of CESI in the Brussels political arena. Urs Stauffer has been President of the Swiss Central Association of Public Personnel (ZV) since 2002. He has held several positions within CESI in the past and has been guardian of CESI finances since 2016.

The CESI Congress also elected, as Vice-Presidents, Javier Jordán de Urries Sagarna (Spanish Central Independent and Public Employees’ Trade Union, CSIF), Milena Popovic (Montenegrin Trade Union of Physicians, SDMCG), Norbert Schnedl (European Federation of Public Service Employees, Eurofedop), Patrick Fey (Dutch National Federation of Christian Trade Unions, CNV-Connectief), Roberto Di Maulo (Italian Workers’ Autonomous Trade Unions Confederation, Confsal) and Ulrich Silberbach (German Civil Service Association, dbb).

Following a keynote address by the European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, the CESI Congress adopted motions to guide CESI’s advocacy demands towards the EU institutions during the next years, which include:

  • to continue standing up, imminently, for an agreement-based Brexit that will not water down social rights in the EU, for a new MFF that incorporates a strong rule of law conditionality mechanism, and for a safe Corona vaccination programme that will prioritise exposed workers and at-risk population groups;
  • defending trade union pluralism and inclusive social dialogue
  • closing legislative gaps in employment and social affairs, in particular via a rigorous implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights
  • ensuring a further encouragement of the EU towards the Member States to invest in public administrations and services and its personnel, as the best available mechanism to build and maintain resilient and socially fair societies and prevent crises – be it in the social, health, security or further other area of public policy.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “I am honoured that CESI’s members decided to continue to endow me with the trust to lead CESI as Secretary General, together with President Romain Wolff, Treasurer Urs Stauffer and the Vice-Presidents. In times where the Covid pandemic will continue to turn economies, public services, labour markets and jobs upside down, providing a clear voice for affiliates of independent trade unions is perhaps even more important than was the case during the last decades, which also all had their crises on their own.”

Congress material and the main motion as adopted by Congress is available on CESI’s website.

At the 8th Congress of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), held online on yesterday and today, Romain Wolff and Klaus Heeger were re-elected President and Secretary General. Urs Stauffer was re-elected as Treasurer.

TIKRA confirmed as new member organisation of CESITIKRA confirmed as new member organisation of CESI
Main news
2020-12-11
2025-03-08

TIKRA confirmed as new member organisation of CESI

TIKRA (Respublikinė Jungtinė Profesinė Sąjunga) represents, most notably, Staff in health care services, social services, transportation, local and regional governments, libraries and further cultural institutions.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “I am glad to welcome our new member organisation TIKRA from Lithuania, now our second Lithuanian member organisation. TIKRA’s specific expertise across the different areas of the public service further complements CESI’s expertise and interest in this field. TIKRA will be a real added value also to inform further the work of CESI’s trade councils and commissions on topics related to public services.”

The membership of TIKRA at CESI will take effect on January 1 2021.

Logo: TIKRA 2020

International Human Rights Day 2020International Human Rights Day 2020
Main news
2020-12-10
2025-03-08

International Human Rights Day 2020

On December 10 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, marking 2020 as the 72nd anniversary of a global commitment towards the respect and upholding of human rights. In light of the challenging year that 2020 was, not only for human health, but also for human rights, the United Nations ask us today to “Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights”.

Consisting of 30 different articles, the Declaration mirrors itself in every one of the UN’s recent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), since without human rights there cannot be development and thriving communities.

At CESI, our work supports several articles in particular, notably numbers 22, 23, 24 and 25: It is our mission to ensure access to social security protection, decent working conditions, access to safe and healthy workplaces, equal pay for work of equal value, and work-life balance to every worker.

At CESI, we cannot help but noticing the peculiar coincidence of celebrating the UN’s remarkable achievement of humanity together with CESI’s own 30-year anniversary in 2020 and today’s Congress of CESI, where trade unions from across Europe come together (online!) to cooperate and learn from each other at supranational level. CESI is delighted to ever promote dialogue, international cooperation, peace, sustainable development and gender equality, and, generally and specifically, human rights.

At the fringe of CESI’s 8th ordinary Congress, Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary-General, commented: “Since its inception, and of course still today, CESI has put the value and principles of human rights at the core of its work. This has been very clear to us especially during this extraordinary year 2020 where it is evident that there cannot be progress, development, and sustainable recovery from a global pandemic while leaving those most vulnerable behind. And so we voice the same words as the United Nations: ‘Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights’. And if I may be so bold to add: ‘Now more then ever’”.

CESI celebrates 10 years of active contribution to the European sectoral social dialogue for central government administrationCESI celebrates 10 years of active contribution to the European sectoral social dialogue for central government administration
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2020-12-08
2025-03-08

CESI celebrates 10 years of active contribution to the European sectoral social dialogue for central government administration

On December 3rd 2020 CESI joined with EPSU (as part of the ‘TUNED’ employee delegation) and the employer social partner EUPAE on the 10th anniversary of the EU Social Dialogue Committee for Central Government Administrations (SDC CGA) to adopt a common statement highlighting the achievements of the sectoral social dialogue and setting its priorities for the future.

The statement was made under the disastrous circumstance of the COVID-19 pandemic, and hence addresses some of the shortcomings in public administrations revealed during this crisis.

One of the most important recommendations of the statement: “Ensuring sufficiently staffed and resourced public administrations and improving cooperation within and between member states will be critical to the recovery from the pandemic and better preparedness to other sanitary or ecological crisis.”

Other priorities for the years to come in this sectoral social dialogue committee include reaching an agreement on digitalisation to address both the quality of working conditions and the effective accessibility to good public administrations, a well-functioning EU social dialogue, and, not least, ensuring everyone’s right to benefit from good administration.

On December 3rd 2020 CESI joined with EPSU (as part of the ‘TUNED’ employee delegation) and the employer social partner EUPAE on the 10th anniversary of the EU Social Dialogue Committee for Central Government Administrations (SDC CGA) to adopt a common statement highlighting the achievements of the sectoral social dialogue and setting its priorities for the future.

30 years of commitment. Now more than ever – CESI to hold 8th ordinary Congress on December 10/11 202030 years of commitment. Now more than ever – CESI to hold 8th ordinary Congress on December 10/11 2020
Main news
2020-12-07
2025-03-08

30 years of commitment. Now more than ever – CESI to hold 8th ordinary Congress on December 10/11 2020

On December 10/11 2020, CESI will hold its next (eighth) ordinary Congress. Coinciding with the 30-year anniversary of the foundation of CESI in 1990 as well as with a historic pandemic in the current year 2020, which overhauls not only public health and the economy but also challenges labour markets, employment and trade unionism, the Congress will be held under the theme '30 years of commitment. Now more than ever'.

Due to the Covid pandemic, the Congress will be held, for the first time, in an online format.

The Congress will see the election of CESI’s President, Secretary General, Vice-Presidents and further mandate holders.

The European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, is announced as a keynote speaker.

A total of 75 motions and one main motion to steer CESI during the next years will be debated and, then, adopted, with key demands of independent trade unions across Europe for the future of work and social protection in the EU.

An urgency motion addresses particular priorities for trade unions in the current political agenda, most notably related to Brexit and the negotiations of a rule of law-based next Multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the EU.

Adopted motions and further material will be published on the CESI website following the conclusion of the Congress on December 11.

On December 10/11 2020, CESI will hold its next (eighth) ordinary Congress. Coinciding with the 30-year anniversary of the foundation of CESI in 1990 as well as with a historic pandemic in the current year 2020, which overhauls not only public health and the economy but also challenges labour markets, employment and trade unionism, the Congress will be held under the theme '30 years of commitment. Now more than ever'.

CESI Youth Representative on how apprenticeships can help access the labour marketCESI Youth Representative on how apprenticeships can help access the labour market
Main news
2020-12-02
2025-03-08

CESI Youth Representative on how apprenticeships can help access the labour market

The event has been organised by the European Commission – Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

Video here

CESI on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social RightsCESI on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights
Main news
2020-11-30
2025-03-08

CESI on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights

According to CESI, the European Commission and further EU institutions, with the support of all social partners, trade unions and civil society organisations, should deliver their share to implement the objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights by focusing on three areas of action:

1. Communication: While the European Pillar of Social Rights was thought to be a “compass” for a renewed process of convergence towards better working and living conditions across Europe, it has so far, not been a much-known among governments in policy-making or social partners in collective negotiations. A more effective communication is needed to actually make government representatives and civil and public services as well as trade unions, employers organisations and more aware of the European Pillar of Social Rights and its objectives – as a first step to it becoming a form of relevant compass which is also adhered to.

2. EU policy making: While the Single market is largely integrated in economic and financial affairs and free movement of capital, persons, goods and services, it has opened doors to an exploitation of workers, social dumping, and social inequalities. Making full use of its competences under the Treaties, the EU should close existing legal loopholes and create binding standards that close these doors in both the private and public sector, but without prejudice to the prerogative of the Member States to organise and finance their civil service.

3. National policy making: In the absence of far-reaching EU competences in the area of employment and social affairs, the European Commission should apply creative tools to encourage and induce Member States to develop and implement measures and social policies guided by the European Pillar of Social Rights.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “It is already almost 6 years ago that Jean-Claude Juncker put forward the idea of a European Pillar of Social Rights and we are still talking about implementation plans because we are not satisfied with the way and extent that employment and social policies progress. CESI has been an adament supporter of the European Pillar of Social Rights ever since, and we hope that this action plan will live up to expectations and really allow to move forward to implement the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights systematically across the Europe. CESI stands ready to take ownership and support policy makers and authorities in this process, based on the priorities that we have published today.”

The full position of CESI is available here.

CESI Webinars #NoPrecariousWork with EurofoundCESI Webinars #NoPrecariousWork with Eurofound
Main news
2020-11-27
2025-03-08

CESI Webinars #NoPrecariousWork with Eurofound

Within the framework of the mainly EU funded project “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges” that CESI is currently managing, Eurofound researchers host two complementary webinars on non-standard forms of employment and the role of social partners in the EU in tackling precarious work.

Eurofound researchers hosted two complementary webinars for the mainly EU funded project “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges” that CESI is currently managing. They provide relevant training for all those facing the problems and realities of precarious work.

Precarious employment is not a one-dimensional phenomenon, but rather comes from the intersection of several characteristics (or lack thereof) such as workers’ rights, access to social security protection, interest representation and enforcement.

In the first video, Anna Gallinat, communication project officer at Eurofound, interviews Franz Eiffe, research manager at Eurofound, to explore whether all non-standard forms of employment are precarious. Franz Eiffe lets us know that non-standard forms of employment are more common in lower wage income groups, and that the employees most exposed to precarious working conditions are those with fixed-term contracts, solo self-employed and involuntary part-time workers.

To combat precarious workers, Franz Eiffe referred to a correct transposition by the member-states of the directives on fixed-term contracts, part-time contracts, and temporary agency work, the importance to combat abuse, and to close the social protection gap. He notices, however, a shift in EU leaders speeches lately of focusing not only on the quantity of jobs, but quality as well. Which is hopeful for future EU agendas.

This video is followed by a second one where James Higgins, press and media relations officer at Eurofound, questions Isabella Biletta, senior research manager at Eurofound, to discuss the role social partners have to tackle precarious employment. Isabella Biletta highlights two recent legislative developments in this regard: a 2017 European Parliament resolution on working conditions and precarious employment, and a 2019 European Commission directive on transparent and predictable working conditions.

Isabella Biletta names the following actions that social partners can take: joint diagnostic, meaning identifying the issues at various levels (company, sectoral, national and European), collective bargaining, and tackle unfair competition.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted these issues, particularly to women, who have been bearing the brunt of the pandemic. In other words, they are overrepresented in frontline sectors (particularly education and healthcare), and they have higher rates of unemployment, non-standard forms of employment and overrepresented in minimum income groups.

Watch Are all forms of non-standard employment precarious?.

Watch Precarious work and the role of social partners in the EU.

To find out more about this issue visit #noprecariouswork.

This project is mainly financed with funds from the European Union.

Within the framework of the mainly EU funded project “Precarious work: empowering trade unions to address new challenges” that CESI is currently managing, Eurofound researchers host two complementary webinars on non-standard forms of employment and the role of social partners in the EU in tackling precarious work.

CESI Insides with JosĂ© GusmĂŁo, Vice-chair of the European Parliament’s ECON CommitteeCESI Insides with JosĂ© GusmĂŁo, Vice-chair of the European Parliament’s ECON Committee
Main news
2020-11-26
2025-03-08

CESI Insides with JosĂ© GusmĂŁo, Vice-chair of the European Parliament’s ECON Committee

A Klaus Heeger conversation with the Vice-chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, José Gusmão.

Klaus Heeger talks with MEP José Gusmão, Vice-chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament and member of GUE/NGL, on the coronavirus economic recovery, employment and social policies of the Union, the rule of law mechanism, and precarious work and in-work poverty.

Are the new MFF and Recovery and Resilience Facility up to the task? What to expect from the upcoming Portuguese presidency of the European Council? What about the new proposal for a EU directive on adequate minimum wages?

Watch here the interview to find out.

A Klaus Heeger conversation with the Vice-chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, José Gusmão.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 2020International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 2020
Main news
2020-11-25
2025-03-08

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 2020

Ending gender-based violence is reflected in several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, mainly number 5, hence the significance of dedicating this day to raise awareness and to call for action to end violence against women and girls. This violence can take many forms and is felt throughout women’s lives.

As millions were closed in their homes to protect themselves during the current Corona pandemic, too many victims experienced that being closed at home with their abuser was perhaps a worse perspective than getting ill.

Domestic violence not only rose, it exploded during lockdown: potential unemployment, closed spaces in small apartments, uncertainties about the future and mental problems, are probably reasons for increased stress and hence violence levels. Thus, this year is particularly important and urgent to fight violence against women and girls. In France, according to the French interior ministry, the number of femicides in 2019 already rose by one fifth in comparison to 2018, and it is expected that the situation has deteriorated further in 2020. A situation which is aggravated by the Polish declaration of a potential withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. Such a declaration means a huge setback for women’s rights in Poland, which have been having a particularly hard year in this regard.

At CESI, we are looking at this problem with close attention. We have been advocating for many years for the end of gender-based violence, for gender equality and for the elimination of violence at the workplace, which mostly targets women. A major project that CESI has been managing for the past two years on zero tolerance towards third party violence at the workplace showed the urgency of discussing these topics and of standing up for equal rights and for the right to a safe and healthy work environment.

Kirsten LĂŒhmann, President of CESI’s Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, commented: “The EU response to the crisis must not only be about financial and economic alleviations. It must include a dedicated social dimension and in particular seek to ensure the safety and security of women. In the European Commission’s response to the COVID-crisis, domestic violence must not fall off the table and become collateral damage of the crisis.”

Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary-General, continued: “How is one suppose to accomplish one’s tasks and feel fulfilled when one is insecure, unsafe and psychologically stressed? At CESI we are keen to ensure the end of third-party violence at the workplace, and the fact that this type of violence mostly targets women is another symptom of this problem. Days such as these are very important to change mindsets and set targets and goals.”

The United Nations asks us today to say: “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!” CESI stands today with so many other stakeholders, politicians and activists to demand action.

What are public employers up to?What are public employers up to?
Main news
2020-11-23
2025-03-08

What are public employers up to?

Could somebody please explain to me why City A is forcing its employees to work from home and at the same time is saying that it now applies 24/7? This would appear to confirm our worst fears: employees are being forced to make themselves available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The willingness to work from home itself is not at all what the employer is seeking, but what it implies is the following: all allowances for working at night, weekends, overtime, on-call duty and the like are now cancelled, because we now have 24/7 working, or more precisely: the “Corona System”. You have to wonder who came up with an idea like this; it sounds like working from home is exclusively seen as a benefit for the employees. But it isn’t.

Take the vexing matter of overtime: public service employers everywhere are using the working from home rule to reduce the number of overtime hours worked. That seems to be the main problem at the moment. It brings to mind the restaurants using the pandemic to carry out necessary renovation work on their premises.

At the moment, restaurants either have very few customers or none at all; this is why it makes sense; but public services have work, a lot of it even because of Covid-19, and often the arrangements make no sense whatsoever.

An additional problem is that many public employers hardly seem to concern themselves with the question of whether the order to reduce overtime can even be enforced unilaterally (i.e. without employees’ consent). This question must be decided individually on the basis of the staff regulations. If there is a reference to the Code of Obligations (and the matter of overtime is not covered by the staff regulations), private law regimes apply, which require employees’ agreement on compensation, otherwise overtime hours must be compensated for financially. But such details are often of no interest.

Swiss union ‘Öffentliches Personal Schweiz’ is fielding many enquiries, always dealing with the same subject: the fact that working from home arrangements (still an emergency recommendation from the Federal Council) come with conditions attached, which suggests that public employers are deeply mistrusting of their employees. Obviously some believe that employees don’t work as hard when working from home. There is no other explanation for why compensating for overtime has been given so much focus, why a new Corona System should come into force and why employers should be able to check up on their employees constantly without any financial compensation, and so on.

The situation is the direct opposite: public service employees aren’t enthusiastic at all about having to work from home. It brings considerable disadvantages. There is a lack of social contact, no ability to discuss technical matters face to face, a lack of infrastructure and, the main one, work and constantly being available to the public employer are brought right into the family sphere: everyone may (and must) take part.

However, only a very small number of people are happy to sit around their kitchen table and perform all of the tasks that they are now expected to do from home. Many employees don’t even have the space needed to be able to keep their work and private lives separate (except around the kitchen table). Yet they are prepared to make their kitchen table available to the public service employer so that the federal government’s recommendations can be followed. That isn’t easy. It’s actually quite tiresome, as the kitchen table was not designed as an office desk. Individuals are accepting these considerable organisational restrictions and the extra effort as a way of making their contribution to overcoming the pandemic.

Perhaps public employers simply can’t imagine that this complete absence of work-life balance doesn’t generate happiness but rather stress. The office is at home, employees provide the spatial infrastructure (sometimes in uncomfortable conditions) on the employer’s behalf. It is therefore jarring when as compensation for this, guidelines are being produced with the primary aim of monitoring output rather than what can be offered in return, “what can we do to make working from home bearable for the family?”. No, overtime must be cut. Instead of support and recognition, there is mistrust and disengagement.

This stance suggests a major misunderstanding has occurred. Nobody in the private sector would simply make space and infrastructure available free of charge, that is the very essence of our market economy system. And nobody would tolerate the constant suspicion that they are sitting at home and doing nothing.

It is therefore high time to talk about making improvements! Improving things for the employees who are keeping operations running, making private space available for this very purpose and seeing some major restrictions placed upon their private lives.

There are some “working from home agreements” circulating in public administration. It is noticeable that the correct distinction is not being made between who even wants to work from home and who is primarily benefiting from it. But that is essential. There are 3 distinct cases:

  • Working from home at the request of the employees as part of standard operations (with the employer making a fully equipped workplace available),
  • Working from home at the request of the employer with the agreement of the employees,
  • Working from home as part of compliance with Federal Council guidelines as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are currently talking about the third variant. This is the variant which sees employees accepting restrictions in the private sphere in order to be able to continue working to requirements. In this scenario the employer is called upon to support the employees and make any necessary working equipment available quickly and free of charge. If the employees use equipment (primarily computers, screens, telephones, software, printers, office space) at their own expense, these costs must be reimbursed. Consideration might be given to what the employer would do if he/she had to maintain the infrastructure himself/herself; it is taken as a given that the employee already has a mobile phone, and has a computer, and has a printer, incurring no costs, which is an approach that would not be found anywhere else in a market economy. If the question is asked differently: do employees who do not have a (new enough) computer have to buy one at their own expense when their employer orders them to work from home as part of Covid-19 guidelines? Hardly.

Public employers ought to view working from home from the perspective of their employees being prepared to work from home so as to help the State and society cope with the pandemic.

Employers must also end the practice of using working from home to do away with unpopular overtime (but which the employees are nonetheless doing), positive holiday balances, time in lieu for being on-call, wage top-ups for working at weekends or night and similar measures. It isn’t right.

Urs Stauffer

President

ZV – Swiss Central Association of Public Personnel

Webinar Europa 2021: What social priorities for Europe in the first half of 2021?Webinar Europa 2021: What social priorities for Europe in the first half of 2021?
Main news
2020-11-23
2025-03-08

Webinar Europa 2021: What social priorities for Europe in the first half of 2021?

After a year highly disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is no longer a surprise that such a press conference took place online. At this press conference, anticipating the upcoming 6-month Portuguese Presidency of the Council, which is taking over after Germany on January 1 2021, the priorities and focus areas within the social domain of the Portuguese government were presented.

A lot of energy will be casted into the coronavirus economic crisis recovery. For that matter, both Commissioner Schmit and Portuguese Minister Ana Mendes Godinho highlighted the necessity of a social, green and digital recovery. Godinho stressed that no green and digital transitions were possible without the basis of a fair social framework.

To respond to this green and digital agenda, the Portuguese Presidency will prioritise the development of skills, notably VET skills, not only to bridge the gap between education and labour market (thus, favouring the integration of young people into the labour world), but also to empower unemployed and underemployed people, in order to upgrade their skills and, consequently, wage valorisation.

The Portuguese Presidency will notably strive for the social inclusion of those most vulnerable. Tackling poverty issues will be a big focus area, with expected initiatives on homelessness, a child guarantee and the inclusion of disabled people. On this regard, two high-level conferences are to be organised: one on homelessness and another one on disabled people.

Commissioner Schmit also stressed an employment policy initiative of the European Commission in the pipeline: a proposal for an EU Pay Transparency Directive, which should be made public in the beginning of 2021. He also mentioned that the Commission is currently working on a proposal on platform workers. Furthermore, both Schmit and Godinho were hopeful to adopt the EU directive on adequate minimum wages during the first semester of 2021.

Last, but certainly not least, the Portuguese Presidency will culminate in a conference centred around the European Pillar of Social Rights, foreseen to take place in May 2021 in Porto. As it happens, and after approximately 4 years of the signing of the Gothenburg Declaration, the Portuguese Presidency will peak with the adoption of an action plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights.

There were certainly several sounding words being used at the press conference: resilience, solidarity, convergence, cohesion. At CESI, we wait to see them becoming actions.

Secretary General Klaus Heeger commented: “The Portuguese Minister certainly seems to be committed to a successful Presidency of the Council, with a focus around employment and social issues. At CESI we are glad to see a valorisation of VET skills on the European Agenda, as it is an issue which we have been advocating for several years. We are also expecting a bold action plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights, and a Pay Transparency Directive which effectively help close the gender pay and pensions gap.”

CESI Insides with CEDEFOP Executive Director JĂŒrgen SiebelCESI Insides with CEDEFOP Executive Director JĂŒrgen Siebel
Main news
2020-11-20
2025-03-08

CESI Insides with CEDEFOP Executive Director JĂŒrgen Siebel

A Klaus Heeger conversation with JĂŒrgen Siebel, the Executive Director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP).

In the aftermath of the European Vocational Skills Week 2020, which took place from 9th-13th of November, and the publication of the new Pact for Skills, Klaus Heeger talks with CEDEFOP’s Executive Director, JĂŒrgen Siebel, to reflect on the key role Vocational Education and Training (VET) plays on our societies and what further can be done to promote this tool.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) is an important tool for the economic recovery of the coronavirus pandemic. Essential for the reskilling and upskilling of workers, VET also has the potential to play a key role in the green and digital transitions.

How to value VET in comparison to traditional tertiary education paths? How to prepare young people to an ever-changing and dynamic labour market? How to ensure the quality of apprenticeships? What key roles are trade unions to play?

“Dear CESI community embrace the change and shape it!”, JĂŒrgen Siebel’s inspirational last message.

Watch here the conversation.

A Klaus Heeger conversation with JĂŒrgen Siebel, the Executive Director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP).

European Vocational Education and Training Week 2020European Vocational Education and Training Week 2020
Main news
2020-11-17
2025-03-08

European Vocational Education and Training Week 2020

The week 9th-13th of November was dedicated to the potentials and challenges of vocational education and training. Both Stefan Nowatschin, CESI spokesperson on VET, and MatthÀus Fandrejewski, CESI Youth Representative and founding member of the European Apprentices Alliance, contributed to the discussions and highlighted the role of VET skills in the green and digital transitions.

The international climate targets and digitisation are important drivers for far-reaching changes in the labour market of the future. Stefan Nowatschin expressed his conviction that “digital competence and the ability to use resources in a sustainable manner will shape many job profiles”.

Nowatschin and Fandrejewski called for a reorientation of vocational education and training towards the meta-trends ‘digitization’ and ‘sustainability’.

“The transformation to climate-neutral economies and societies can only succeed if vocational education and training adequately prepares the future working population accordingly”, Nowatschin explained in one of the online conferences of the VET Week. Fandrejewski on his part demanded that “all VET learning venues, VET schools, inter-company VET centres, further education institutions and universities must gear their structures towards digitalization and sustainability”.

In his keynote speech, Fandrejewski presented five central aspects for sustainability-oriented training: its financing via Just Transition Fund, in order to ensure a smooth transition into the futural jobs, the reorientation of training and curricula in light of the so-called Green Mainstreaming strategy, the appointment of young sustainability ambassadors at all learning locations, as well as sufficiently qualified staff and modern technical equipment.

“The EU can and must help achieving this reorientation towards sustainability-oriented vocational training”, Nowatschin underlined, and called for a ‘Pact for Vocational Schools’. He pointed out that the Vocational Training Act and the respective school laws must also foresee concrete instructions for action to be taken by school administrations.

“Digitization and sustainability also need leadership in the classroom and in the company or office for successful implementation”, Fandrejewski concluded, and called upon the stakeholders to be present in the crisis and to do everything possible – to continue their training programs and to offer young people perspectives despite these difficult times!

Forthcoming OsnabrĂŒck Declaration: The true value of Vocational Education and Training (VET): CESI and its members have been underlining for years that better quality and a focus on a better

CESI at the 1st session of the EU Platform for Tax Good Governance organised by the European Commission DG TAXUDCESI at the 1st session of the EU Platform for Tax Good Governance organised by the European Commission DG TAXUD
Main news
2020-11-15
2025-03-08

CESI at the 1st session of the EU Platform for Tax Good Governance organised by the European Commission DG TAXUD

CESI’s President Romain Wolff set the trade unions priorities for the next meetings of the Platform:

– Additional resources for tax authorities to deploy instruments of tax cooperation and transparency
– Sufficient number of additional civil servants for tax authorities and facilitate special tax audit trainings and performant data infrastructure
– Effective collection of all taxes: platforms and digital economy

– Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) in the tax matter
– Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base
– Domestic tax base erosion and profit shifting
– Taxation and the European Green Deal

More information about the agenda and the work of the Platform for Tax Good Governance, Aggressive Tax Planning and Double Taxation

CESI Insides about the challenges for teachers in EuropeCESI Insides about the challenges for teachers in Europe
Main news
2020-11-14
2025-03-08

CESI Insides about the challenges for teachers in Europe

CESI Insides about the challenges for teachers in Europe with a focus on France, Germany and The Netherlands. CESI intends to contribute to the discussion relating to the reputation of the teaching profession with a view to creating widespread support within society for education and educational professionals as important agents of social change.

New Manifesto on the future of the teaching profession in Europe

Campaign NoViolenceAtWork

#Teachers #NoViolenceAtWork #CESIInsides #education #schools #TradeUnions #JeSuisProf

CESI’s Vice President Roberto Di Maulo on the 2020 US Presidential election: Biden’s victory is a healthy element for EuropeCESI’s Vice President Roberto Di Maulo on the 2020 US Presidential election: Biden’s victory is a healthy element for Europe
Main news
2020-11-12
2025-03-08

CESI’s Vice President Roberto Di Maulo on the 2020 US Presidential election: Biden’s victory is a healthy element for Europe

It is difficult to underestimate the influence of the United States on the Old Continent, both in terms of customs and technology. The US is the world’s leading economy, it ranks first as oil producers, in military spending and as arms exporters, but above all, it plays a primary role in trade with our continent. Before the unfortunate introduction of duty tariffs on European products, wanted by Trump’s administration, Europe boasted a primary role as a net exporter, with an important trade balance in our favour that ranked us at the top and practically made the Atlantic the main commercial outlet for our goods, as well as sealing that historic alliance that has contributed so much to over 70 years of peace in our continent. The Atlantic alliance has always been a strong bulwark of progress and prosperity in democracy. Therefore, everything that happens on the other side of the Atlantic affects us closely, with consequences that are reflected on a global scale.

All of this, in recent years due to a rather short-sighted policy of Trump’s administration, was in danger of being questioned and the isolationism strongly implemented by Trump has favoured the spread of populist and sovereign behaviour with the risk of going backwards, moving away from that state solidarity that has permeated Western democracy for hundreds of years.

In this very complicated phase, with the times dictated by the expansion of the COVID 19 pandemic, Europe has managed to make a leap forward represented by the measures launched with SURE, the EMS and Next Generation EU. The new US administration can accompany this solidarity vision that is prevailing in Europe with a renewed lifeforce for an Atlantic alliance that can face the titanic challenges of tomorrow, starting from climate change, with a spirit that seemed to be no longer there if we look back just a year ago.

Giving hope back to the younger generations, hope for development and employment and for a future less uncertain and less marked by precariousness: where the strongest do not prevail, but where there are joint forces for a better tomorrow. The new Europe and the new America can and must make this effort, overcoming the logic of customs duties and the reconstruction of walls once demolished like that of Berlin in 1989. A tomorrow made of bridges and not of walls, where being open constitutes the basis for new opportunities, especially for those who have been excluded, starting from the young, from women who do not have gender equality, from the old who too often are left alone.

For this reason, CESI, an independent trade union, but not divorced from politics, welcomes the election of Biden and Harris to lead the world’s largest democracy.

In an international key, Biden could mend relations with China, bring the United States back into the Paris climate agreement, but we know well that the concept of “America First” was not born with Trump, but had already been hovering in US society for some time. Just as we are aware that with the end of the Cold War, which guaranteed US support for the democratic countries of Europe, today that support will no longer be taken for granted as it was until the 90s. Europe must be able to conquer a central role in the world’s chessboard, strengthening the Atlantic axis by building new models of collaboration and prospect, giving the free trade area those opportunities for mutual convenience that also meet the expectations of millions of Americans, as well as European citizens.

The new spirit launched by European governments with Next Generation EU could be able to take up the challenge of a new Atlantic alliance based no longer on assistance from the American giant, but the basis of new reciprocity and opportuneness for both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

It is certainly a complicated challenge, but the election of Biden and Harris allows us to face it in the aim of a new frontier that reshapes a better world than the one that the future would have given us if the American electoral test had gone differently.

Roberto Di Maulo

CESI Vice President

International Interns Day 2020International Interns Day 2020
Main news
2020-11-10
2025-03-08

International Interns Day 2020

Resulting from an initiative led by the European Youth Forum together with InternsGoPro, and with the European Commission’s support, the International Interns Day is commemorated every year on November 10 since 2015 to raise awareness to the working conditions of interns, and young people by extension.

This year is particularly important to shed light on working conditions of interns: Young people have been among the ones most hit by the coronavirus pandemic, since they are overrepresented in atypical working contracts and in the unprotected platform economy and often work in the sectors most hit by the economic crisis (such as retail or tourism) with difficulties accessing social protection schemes.

Furthermore, working students usually use their summer breaks to work on sectors such as tourism, and save money to pay for their next academic year. This was impossible in 2020, with far reaching consequences for their lives.

On a positive note, the European Parliament approved last month a resolution calling for a ban on unpaid internships. Even if the resolution of the European Parliament was non-legislative, it represents an important element for youth rights and puts the European Parliament as a champion for youth employment. A ban of unpaid internships would be an important step in tackling precarious working conditions for many young people. It would not only empower interns to take ownership of their learning outcomes in their workplaces, but would also tackle their social exclusion and widen opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

CESI Youth Representative, MatthĂ€us Fandrejewski commented: “The CESI Youth has been calling for many years for a ban on unpaid internships, traineeships and apprenticeships, so we are very satisfied to see that the European Parliament has been listening. This year has been truly hard for young people, who have been among the ones most affected in terms of mental health. This is some light in the end of the tunnel for us. We are now keeping an eye on the Council’s actions. It is of utmost importance to prevent a lost generation!”

Watch here the video of the recent online conference “Preventing a Lost Generation 2.0”, co-organised by the CESI Youth with StartNet and the European Youth Forum, with the participation of the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit, MEP Kira Peter Hansen, and the Head of Unit for Social Policies at Eurofound, Massimiliano Mascherini.

New postion on the EU postal services directiveNew postion on the EU postal services directive
Main news
2020-11-09
2025-03-08

New postion on the EU postal services directive

CESI published a new position on the evaluation of the EU postal services directive 97/67/EC which the European Commission is currently undertaking. In its position, which is part of a larger response to a public consultation that closes today. In its position, CESI calls on the European Commission to commit to a continued EU postal services directive and to only propose a revision if ambitious binding targets, mechanisms and minimum standards are set for the sector to strengthen the role of universal services, avoid precarious employment and contribute to climate protection.

In its position, CESI outlines the following priorities for decent work in a functioning postal industry in Europe:

1. The European legislators must give a clear commitment to the continued existence of an EU postal services directive and, in the event of a revision, ensure for its further development. The overarching priority must be the maintenance or the creation of a sustainable balance between competition, consumer needs, a functioning and economically viable universal service as well as the maintenance of quality jobs within the postal and parcel industry. Wage dumping, discrimination and exploitation of workers must be ruled out.

2. An adequate provision of universal postal services necessitates an ambitious minimum postal infrastructure and minimum service quality.

3. In principle, there must be deliveries in all areas on at least five working days per week. Appropriate measures must be taken to ensure that the national universal postal service provider does not experience any disadvantages compared to competing companies due to the universal service task assigned to it.

4. As the employment situation in the postal and parcel industry regularly witnesses severe social issues and violations of the law, national framework conditions must be created –which could be based on effective and ambitious minimum standards at EU level– that counteract this undesirable development. For example, the payment of minimum wages and compliance with driving times and rest periods must be subject to constant and transparent controls by the responsible national authorities. If rules are not complied with, the executive and judiciary must intervene.

5. Legislators and social partners should undertake for work in the sector to be subject to collective bargaining coverage. By involving the social partners can be ensured that minimum standards are met, acceptable wages paid and workers not exploited and affected by poverty in old age. In the postal and parcel industry, a minimum wage should apply that prevents the risk of poverty.

6. The national legislation of the Member States must introduce subcontractor liability in the letter and parcel industry. In the event of violations of the law by a service partner (subcontractor) of a postal service provider, the postal service provider, as the client, should also be held accountable in future. In case the EU Postal Services Directive is overhauled, this must be included in its revision.

7. The spirit of the European Green Deal and a social Europe would be reflected in the EU postal services directive in case it is revised. From an environmental point of view, increased state funding for alternative engines and innovative models for letter and parcel delivery are urgently needed. The postal operators should agree to make deliveries with a common, low-emission vehicle fleet. For this purpose, the distribution of letters and parcels could be subject to licensing. When issuing such delivery licenses, aspects of environmental protection, but also social security obligations and other criteria can be incorporated. In the context of mandatory licenses, it should be an obligation for all companies providing services in the delivery of letters and parcels to report to national regulatory authorities in a standardised manner on social data such as on the number of employees, the type of contractual agreements, employee turnover, and wage differentials, and social standards, including employment standards, as well as on environmental standards.
When ordering, the customer should be able to decide whether the goods may only be shipped via service providers who adhere to minimum standards, even if for a higher price. The cornerstones of this should be binding within the framework of the EU Postal Services Directive, in case it is revised.

8. As work becomes more and more digital and online based, the protection of employees’ personal data and privacy is more important than ever. Within the framework of the EU Postal Services Directive, but also beyond in the framework of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), employees must be protected from improper monitoring and intervention control of any digital technology used by the employer. Digital systems for the monitoring of employees and workers are to be rejected.

9. The importance of occupational health protection for employees in the postal and parcel industry should be particularly emphasised. In the national legislation of the Member States, appropriate framework conditions must be in place, through which all employees can, normally, maintain health until retirement age. Underpinning national framework conditions via ambitious and binding EU minimum standards would also make sense.

10. Framework conditions should be created in national legislation according to which employees in the postal and parcel industry whose jobs are endangered by advancing digitisation are granted the right to further training. This also requires the involvement of the social partners in the strategic (re) orientation and restructuring of companies, which may be necessary in the course of digitisation and which may make further training necessary, e.g. in the process of the development of new business areas. The employer should be made more responsible with regard to the duty of care for her/his employees. It should be avoided that companies restructure themselves at the expense of the general public (unemployment of/social welfare for staff simply laid off). As a basis for national regulations, ambitious EU minimum standards for further training for staff in the postal sector would be desirable.

The full position of CESI is available here.

CESI published a new position on the evaluation of the EU postal services directive 97/67/EC which the European Commission is currently undertaking. In its position, which is part of a larger response to a public consultation that closes today. In its position, CESI calls on the European Commission to commit to a continued EU postal services directive and to only propose a revision if ambitious binding targets, mechanisms and minimum standards are set for the sector to strengthen the role of universal services, avoid precarious employment and contribute to climate protection.

CESI Insides with MEP Kim van SparrentakCESI Insides with MEP Kim van Sparrentak
Main news
2020-11-06
2025-03-08

CESI Insides with MEP Kim van Sparrentak

laus Heeger talks to MEP Kim van Sparrentak, rapporteur for opinion for an own-initiative report of the European Parliament on artificial intelligence in the education, culture and audio-visual sectors and rapporteur for an own-initiative report of the European Parliament on access to decent and affordable housing for all.

How has the coronavirus pandemic been impacting those most vulnerable, such as women and platform workers?

Watch the video here

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