September 13, 2023

In the wake of the State of the European Union (SOTEU) speech delivered by the European Commission President, CESI reflects on the key issues addressed.

The speech outlined the significant challenges faced by the European Union in recent years and its ambitious plans for the future, particularly in the domains of crisis management, employment, social affairs, gender equality, and public services.

Perma- and Polycrisis Management:

The EC President acknowledged the relentless onslaught of crises, from the Covid-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine, surging inflation, and the pressing climate emergency. While admitting that mistakes were made, it was noted that the EU managed these crises reasonably well, particularly in terms of joint procurement of vaccines and the utilization of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and SURE instrument.

CESI acknowledges the commendable efforts of the EU in crisis management but emphasises the need for improved measures to address social inequalities, such as measures for energy companies benefiting disproportionately from the energy crisis.

Green-Digital Transitions:

Despite the crises, the EU’s commitment to the green-digital twin transition remains steadfast. Initiatives like the Digital Decade and the European Green Deal reflect the EU’s determination to become a global digital frontrunner and achieve climate neutrality.

CESI highlights the importance of supporting citizens and workers adversely affected by these transitions through mechanisms like the Just Transition Funds.

Employment/Social Affairs/Gender Equality – European Pillar of Social Rights:

The EC’s leadership has led to significant legislative and policy initiatives in the areas of minimum wages, platform economy, access to social protection, European Works Council (EWC) directive, and gender equality.

CESI lauds these steps toward social justice and convergence across Member States, but stresses that social and employment challenges remain and numerous and substantial. Continuing to make the European Pillar of Social Rights a reality requires a sustained and joint commitment and endeavour by the EU institutions, Member States, local authorities, social partners, and civil society. The Pillar is, first and foremost, a political pledge. Delivering on it is a shared political commitment and responsibility towards future generations.

Public Services:

Investments in public services and personnel are vital for creating resilient and fair societies. The EU’s investment-based response to the Covid pandemic was an important help in maintaining employment and fostering economic growth.

CESI urges continued investments in public services to meet the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

CESI’s Expectations for the Next Term:

CESI outlines key expectations for the next term:

-A clear and ambitious agenda for performing public services, with sufficient investments in its facilities, resources, equipment and staff.

-A clear commitment to foster trade union pluralism and inclusive social dialogue at the EU level and in the Member States.

-A clear focus in all EU legislative and non-legislative initiatives and measures on sustainability; sustainability which reflects at level playing field not only the needs of the economy/business, citizens/consumers and the environment/climate but also those of workers.

-The pursuit of fair digital and green transitions for and with workers, based on (1) strengthened information, consultation and co-decision, (2) decent employment and working conditions, (3) access to training and skills, and (4) adequate social protection.

-A revision of the EU public procurement and EU state aid legislation to include binding sustainability conditionalities for beneficiaries.

-A functioning regulation of telework, implemented to the mutual benefits of workers and business and not unilaterally imposed by employers.

-A framework directive for decent work. Sectoral and issue-specific legislation can bring improvements for specific sectors or groups of workers, but labour markets and employment models develop so quickly that policy making risks lagging continuously behind its regulation.

-A revision of the directives on temporary agency work, fixed-term work contracts and part-time work contracts, to close discriminatory loopholes.

CESI calls for continued commitment to social justice, sustainability, and fair transitions and looks forward to the announced Val Duchesse Social Partner summit in 2024.

Drought, intense heat, and strong winds have caused unprecedented wildfires in Greece, Spain and many other parts of the world, with devastating consequences for humans, the environment, houses and infrastructure.

It goes without saying that effective firefighting plays a pivotal role in mitigating the destruction caused by these fires – and in protecting lives, property, and natural resources.

Last month, two Greek air force pilots lost their lives when their firefighting plane crashed. And yesterday, eighteen bodies were found in a forested area of Northern Greece.

Thousands have been displaced from their homes, seeking refuge in temporary shelters. The loss of lives, both civilian and among brave firefighters battling the blazes, has left communities grieving and nations in mourning.

The scale of the wildfires has therefore turned this natural disaster into a humanitarian crisis; and as can be witnessed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, addressing these challenge does not only require robust firefighting capabilities, but also more and more concerted and coordinated European and international fire prevention tools and policies.

In the face of such a crisis, EU cooperation has played a crucial role in increasing firefighting efforts. Several European countries have joined hands to provide mutual aid and support, exemplifying solidarity in times of need. Firefighters from neighbouring countries, as well as those from further afield, have travelled long distances to offer their expertise and manpower.

So far, in the face of this unprecedented crisis, EU Member States have therefore demonstrated solidarity with the most severely affected countries. Yet, as the World Meteorological Organisation called July 2023 the hottest month worldwide, it is clear that now and in the future much more efforts are needed.

CESI General Secretary Klaus Heeger makes a call for a more integrated European approach to combatting forest fires: ‘We need to find better ways to cooperate at EU level for combatting forest fires. We need improved resource and expertise sharing, and common EU procedures and strategies to streamline our efforts in saving lives and our habitat. Recognising the crucial importance of firefighters’ work should also mean improving their working conditions, training, access to aircraft, up to date equipment, and not least pay. In other words: massive investments will be needed.’

In the resolution, the Presidium of CESI, on behalf CESI’s members across Europe and in support of CESI’s Hungarian member MKKSz, demands that the Hungarian government no longer pursues the intended measure in a way that will effectively weaken trade unions in the country.

It further urges the European Commission and the Council of Europe to take decisive action to ensure that no measures are taken that will backlash on the implementation of the European Social Charter and the EU’s Council Recommendation on strengthening social dialogue and the binding new EU directive on adequate minimum wages.

Specifically, it expects from the Hungarian government:

• not to undermine trade union life.
• to uphold mechanisms which allow effective collective bargaining between trade unions and employers.
• to guarantee de jure and de facto the respect for both European legislation and International Labour Organization (ILO) covenants in the field of labour law and workers’ representation.
• to abstain from breaching the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Collective Bargaining Convention (No. 154), which expressly states that in order to facilitate collective negotiations, measures must be taken so that the continuation of collective negotiations will not be hindered by the absence of applicable procedural rules, or their insufficient or inappropriateness – which the measures intended by the Hungarian government would clearly bring.

The Presidium of CESI expects expressively from the Council of Europe:

• to ensure that the Hungarian government respects the European Social Charter which, in its version of 1996, affirms in Art. 5 that national governments should “undertake that national law shall not be such as to impair, nor shall it be so applied as to impair” the freedom of workers and employers to form organisations for the protection of their economic and social interests and to join those organisations.

• to verify that the Hungarian government acts in line with the Hungarian act ratifying the European Social Charter, which stipulates that all parties should undertake that no national laws – neither by themselves nor through their application – curtail the employees’ freedom of association.

It expects from the EU institutions:

• to ensure that the Hungarian government respects the Treaty of the European Union (TEU), which states in its preamble that all Member States have “confirmed” their attachment to “fundamental social rights as defined in the European Social Charter”.

• to ensure that the Hungarian government properly implements EU secondary legislation that aims to strengthen (and not weaken) the right of association, trade unionism, social dialogue and collective bargaining, based on policy objectives set out in Art 151 and 153 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This concerns above all the recently adopted Council Recommendation on strengthening social dialogue in the EU and the recently adopted EU directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in the EU, which is binding for all Member States and which requires that Member States “promote the building and strengthening of the capacity of the social partners.”

The full resolution is available here.

Background

On August 7 2023 the Cabinet Office of the Hungarian Prime Minister headed by Antal Rogán submitted for public consultation a legal proposal to change the current system of trade union membership fees from employers to trade unions.

The measure would allow public employers to exempt themselves from the obligation to deduct membership fees pay membership fees back to the trade unions.

In practice, the change would result in trade unions having additional administration and operational burdens. The change would therefore have an opposite effect to the ‘freedom of bureaucracy’ principle – which it is supposed to address.

Trade unions representing civil servants, defence personnel, public healthcare workforces, and public education employees would be concerned.

CESI is proud to announce that the independent trade unions will be a valuable partner in the “SEISMEC” project, which is led by Erasmus University Rotterdam, as part of the Horizon Europe Programme.

Last month, the European Commission decided to award 10 million euros to the ambitious pan-European project “SEISMEC- Supporting European Industry Success Maximization through Empowerment Centred development”, which aims at reshaping workplaces by integrating human-centric technology and practices to create sustainable work environments.

The interdisciplinary project involves a consortium of partners from the fields of research, industry, and civil society. Unlike traditional tech-focused approaches, the project will focus on human needs and experiences, and it will try to empower workers across various industries.

“SEISMEC” will conduct pilots across different sectors to address biases and contribute to the creation of inclusive work environments for all. By integrating social sciences, industry, and technology, the project aims to prioritise people in various work settings and foster innovation at the workplace.

Jason Pridmore, coordinator of the SEISMEC project, said: “We are honoured to lead this great consortium of partners that demonstrate a diversity of organisational sizes, geographic locations, and industrial ecosystems. As coordinators, this project will demonstrate the diversity of perspectives and expertise Erasmus University Rotterdam has as an organisation and how we can help lead Europe towards more and more human centric approaches to work and our workplaces.”

Klaus Heeger, Secretary General of CESI, said: “We are delighted to consistently represent the voices of millions of workers in significant developments and involve them in initiatives that can impact their lives. Over the next 4 years, CESI will play a vital role as a partner in this ambitious project, which we hope will provide valuable insights into the future of work and guide us towards enhancing work conditions in the years to come!”

According to the resolution, CESI:

• broadly welcomes the European Commission’s legislative complementary parallel proposals of December 7 2022 on reinforced standards for equality bodies in the Member States.
• supports in particular recitals 34/35 which seek to ensure that “the provisions on the equality bodies’ right to act in court proceedings do not alter the rights of victims and of associations, organisations or other legal entities that enforce the rights of victims”, i.e. trade unions.
• calls to explicitly list trade unions as key interlocutors for equality bodies in all aspects related to discrimination at the workplace.
• backs considerations to further promote cooperation between equality bodies and trade unions in employment-related cases of discrimination.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “National equality bodies and trade unions are no competitors but can be strong partners, complementing their supporting roles when workers become victims of discrimination. Enhanced cooperation between trade unions and equality bodies is in the interest of workers.”

The full resolution is available here.

Tand the world seem to have entered a sustained period of instability and insecurity. A state of ‘permacrisis’ has become a new normal for European citizens, with one crisis seamlessly followed by the next or with crises even overlapping each other and accumulating.

More than two years after the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, the impacts on public health systems will be felt for years to come, even if vaccination may help to partially keep the disease under control. Similarly, the socio-economic damages caused by the responses to the pandemic have created long-term challenges for governments and citizens for the coming years or even decades.

At the same time, effects of climate change become increasingly tangible: Previously exceptional torrential rains, flooding, extreme heatwaves, and wildfires, are becoming more and more common and are undisputedly connected to an advancing climate change. The EU and its Member States are struggling both to treat the roots of climate change – in other words, to become greenhouse gas-neutral – and to be better prepared to face its punctually unpredictable symptoms – natural disasters in particular – and limit damages to people’s lives and well-being, property, the economy and not least nature itself.

While the EU and its Member States have been setting a green agenda and moving towards post-Covid recovery, inflation kicked in. Prices started rising across many commodities and have outpaced wage increases in many Member States. As a result, citizens and workers, especially the low and middle-income households, increasingly face threats to their wealth and social standards, which exposes them to poverty risks. So far, policymakers and central bankers in the EU and the Member States have not succeeded in developing a fiscal and monetary balance between keeping inflation at bay, investing heavily in climate neutrality, and not endangering the post-Covid economic recovery.

The fallout of the war in Ukraine adds to this triple crisis. Peace and security can no longer be taken for granted. New investment may be required in the EU’s own military deterrence. The heavy dependence of many Member States and industries on Russian oil, gas and raw materials means additional economic and financial uncertainties and threats to companies as well as to workers, citizens and households. As the war drags on, millions of Ukrainian refugees arriving in the EU need to be sheltered and integrated with the Member States’ education and health systems, societies, and labour markets.

The Covid pandemic, climate change, inflation and the war in Ukraine –crises management requires, resilient, performing and well-functioning public services and administrations. Public services and administrations which are well-equipped and resourced to care, protect and deliver in times of sustained uncertainty. They protect the most vulnerable, reduce social inequalities, ensure citizens’ prosperity and well-being, and allow business to function. In sum, public services are a key to the realisation and implementation of the EU’s social objectives as summed up in the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Whether public services can deliver their tasks, crucially depends on the workforce, on those that carry out and provide services. Where their employment and working conditions are not adequate, where facilities and their work equipment are not up to speed, and where there is no sufficient staff at all, quality services cannot be delivered.

Unfortunately, though, in many public services and administrations favourable framework conditions are still lacking: understaffing, work overload, lack of adequate infrastructure and equipment, exposure to health and safety risks and insufficient training are widespread in the working life of public sector employees, especially for those who are in the frontline of emergency management.

The described crises are not limited to local, regional or national levels and do not stop at borders. They are European challenges that the Member States and citizens across the EU share. As such, the EU-level policy making and social dialogue need to be involved in the formulation of responses, in conjunction with local, regional and national actors.

As a European confederation of more than 40 national and European trade union organisations with a total of more than 5 million individual members (most of which are employed in the different fields and levels of local, regional, national and European public services and administrations), this project of CESI aims to sketch comparative solutions of how performing public services and their personnel can help the EU and its Member States to face the multiple and new emerging crises in the future.

In the context of the above background and rationale, the project foresees:

• European online round tables (8) for CESI members to give them the opportunity to systematically take stock of the challenges that they face. Given that different sectors (health, education, administrations, …) may experience different problems, the round tables are intended to be held on a sector-specific basis.
• European hybrid national seminars (6) with CESI members in the different EU Member States to identify, discuss and compare national cross-sector experiences of public services on the ground.
• National hybrid seminars (7) for the representatives and multipliers of CESI member trade unions (divided by sector) to identify EU initiatives to help mitigate the various crises and raise awareness about them in their employment structures, unions, sectors and the Member States.
• A European hybrid conference to discuss and bring together the conclusions of the online round tables and hybrid seminars and to develop written guidelines on how public services and their personnel can best be rendered resilient and help the EU and the Member States face the various current and future crises and on how trade and social partners can constructively contribute to and be involved in the process
• A digital communication campaign to accompany the project in public and to raise awareness about the needs and demands of public service personnel and its representatives.

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CESI’s 7^th European Defence Round Table (EDRT)*

26 September 2023 11:00 – 12:30 PM | online & in Brussels | In English & German languages

The ongoing war in Ukraine has far-reaching implications beyond its immediate geopolitical and humanitarian consequences.

While the EU’s primary objective remains to become climate-neutral by 2050, the war has the potential to impact both the European Union’s climate change goals and the global efforts to combat climate change.

Meanwhile, public support for sanctions against Russia and further military support to Ukraine remains high (Eurobarometer survey).

The 7th European Defence Round Table therefore aims at shedding more light on the climate-security nexus and the impacts of the war on the EU’s and international climate neutrality goals and commitments.

The questions debated shall be as follows:

• Are geopolitical tensions and wars impacting global collaboration and international commitments to climate goals?
• Can energy supply disruptions and shortages potentially affect the EU’s transition to renewable energy sources?
• May continuous military support clash with the replenishment and the modernization of the armed forces of the EU Member States?
• Will, against this background, national armies be able to meet climate objectives?
• Are, against the background of a multitude of challenges and crises, increases of the regular national defence budgets realistic?

With the participation of:

· Klaus Heeger, Secretary General, CESI

· Mary Kaldor, Professor of Global Governance at the London School of Economics

· Jordan Koop, Policy Officer, Emerging Security Challenges at NATO (tbc)

· Elena Lazarou, Head of the External Policies Unit at the European Parliament Research Service

· MEP Lukas Mandl, Vice-chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and substitute in the Subcommittee on Security and Defence

· Thomas Sohst, German Armed Forces Association (DBwV), President of CESI´s Commission ‘Defence’

Please register for the CESI’s 7th European Defence Round Table (EDRT) here.

*CESI’s European Defence Round Table (EDRT) aims at including more key players and stakeholders in the processes of the Common Security and Defence Policy.

In recent years, European labour markets have undergone unprecedented structural changes. The significant demographic transition and ageing of European societies, the liberalisation and globalization of markets and flexibilisation of employment, digitalisation and automation of work and the shift to a greener economy have reshaped the way work is performed and labour markets are organised.

In an already volatile environment for the labour markets of the Member States, the Covid pandemic has administered a further blow. The slowdown in business activity -especially during the first year of the pandemic- had a dramatic impact on the European labour markets. The employment fallout of Covid-19 has been visible in three fields: the number of jobs, the quality of jobs and the specific adverse effects on vulnerable groups. The pandemic increased unemployment and underemployment rates, reduced wages and limited access to social security protection and amplified social exclusion and working poverty.

Although the Covid crisis-affected labour markets in their entirety, employment in some sectors were hit particularly hard, especially in the services sector. Similarly, certain groups of vulnerable workers have been disproportionally affected: workers with underlying health conditions, young and old workers, women, atypical workers, and migrants.

And, amid the difficult recovery of European economies from the Covid pandemic, the recent outbreak of a war in Ukraine brought about new obstacles and challenges for the European labour markets that are now called upon to integrate an influx of the Ukrainian refugees. The support of millions of vulnerable people and their inclusion in Europe’s labour markets seem to be an immense challenge, but constitute an inevitable need (and, if managed well, opportunity) that governments and policymakers must face.

In an effort to rebuild labour markets and prepare them for these numerous challenges, EU Member States must invest in active labour market policies. Performing active employment policies remain a vital tool for the protection of the most vulnerable and the preservation of social cohesion and welfare and can help labour markets build up resilience. Against the background of fast evolutions in the world of work, measures are needed that will increase employment opportunities and improve the matching between supply and demand of skills in the job market.

Following the “Employment Guidelines” included in the “Europe 2020 Strategy”, which were aligned to integrate the consequences of the pandemic, the green/digital transition, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Member States are called upon to work towards:

• Boosting the demand for labour
• Enhancing labour supply and improving access to employment, skills and competences
• Enhancing the functioning of labour markets and the effectiveness of social dialogue
• Promoting equal opportunities for all, fostering social inclusion and fighting poverty

In the first place, this translates into further needed support for the employment services. Through information, placement and active support services, public employment services (PES) can enhance employment. At local, national and EU levels, public employment services can provide assistance for job placements and thus help in the improvement of working and living conditions. Moreover, active labour market policies include measures for forward-looking education, training and re-/up-skilling schemes to adapt the skills of workers to evolving labour market requirements, as well as a variety of employment subsidies to support and stimulate job creation and allow the unemployed to re-enter labour markets and gain work experience. Active labour market policies have also included measures to reinforce work incentives for social benefit recipients.

Albeit generally intended to safeguard employment, active labour market policies may bring unnecessary adverse effects for workers or not reach their full potential for them. Indeed, active labour market policies can only succeed if workers and their representatives are involved in their design and implementation. Policies need to consider the real needs and interests of the world of work, and this can only happen through the effective participation of workers as well as the trade unions and social partners representing them. In its Recommendation 2021/402 of 4 March 2021 on effective active support to employment following the COVID-19 crisis (EASE), the European Commission recognizes the vital role of social partners in this regard and asks for their active involvement.

As a confederation of more than 40 national trade union organisations with a total of more than 5 million individual members, this project aims to build capacity and raise awareness about the role of workers, unions and social partners in the design and delivery of effective active labour market policies.

The project foresees:

• Six (6) hybrid national seminars hosted by members of CESI in several EU countries to discuss their needs and their role in the design and implementation of active labour market policies in their countries.
• A hybrid comparative European conference on the role of workers, trade unions and social partners in the delivery of performing active labour market policies in Europe and the tools, instruments and support provided by the European Union in this regard.
• Four (4) hybrid European seminars to provide CESI’s members with training on how to contribute more effectively and meaningfully to a successful design and delivery of active labour market services in the Member States, including by making increased use of tools and support provided for by the EU (as established in the European Conference) and by drawing lessons learned from each other in the course of the project (and the 6 hybrid national seminars in particular).

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Founded in 2021, the SHSP organises workers in the Kosovo postal services sector and is the biggest union of employees in the Posta e Kosovës, the company responsible for postal service in Kosovo.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “I am glad that the SHSP will anchor its pro-European commitment and trade union engagement within CESI. Their membership as observer will come to the mutual benefit of both CESI and SHSP. CESI benefits from further expertise in postal sector unionism and presence in the Balkan region. For the SHSP, access to CESI and its large network of likeminded unions across Europe, in particular in the different fields and layers of the public services, will help SHSP approach existing challenges of workers in Kosovo for its members. We look forward to our future collaboration.”

More information about this SHSP is available here.

The position stresses that a number of shortcomings in the rules under the EU’s EWC directive 2009/38/EC mean that EWCs face deficiencies and obstacles in their set-up procedure and effective and meaningful operation, and that it should therefore be revised. The position paper argues in particular that in the directive:

1. The definition of ‘transnational matter’ must be sharpened:
   An obstacle that EWCs encounter frequently is that management abuses the vagueness of the definition of a ‘transnational matter’ and does not consider an issue as such and does not consult and EWC, even if it should. The directive should be revused ti set out a clearer definition of ‘transnational matters’ so that companies can no longer circumvent a consultation of an EWC in a relevant matter because of a blurry interpretation of what constitutes a ‘transnational matter’.
2. The definition of ‘consultation’ must be made more stringent:
   In practice a recurrent problem that numerous EWCs face is that consultations only take place pro-forma. It also occurs that decisions have even already been taken by management before consultations take place. A further problem relates to the absence of an obligation for management to take opinions of EWCs into consideration. The directive should be revised to strengthen the definition of ‘consultation’ to specifically require that (1) consultations must take place timely so that opinions of EWCs can still have an impact on decisions by management, that (2) consultations cannot simply be a formality after management has already made decisions, and that (3) opinions must necessarily be taken into account by management, and this in a meaningful way.
3. The scope and nature of ‘confidentiality restrictions’ must be clarified:
   Currently, the directive specifies that management is not obliged to transmit information to EWCs in situations “when its nature is such that, according to objective criteria, it would seriously harm the functioning of the undertakings concerned or would be prejudicial to them.” Further details are left for regulation (or not) by the Member States. The result is a plethora of national rules, and many of them are not strong enough to prevent situations of misuse where management refuses to share information in order to pre-empt a (legitimate) involvement of EWCs. This leads to an (illicit) obstruction of the involvement, work and functioning of EWCs. The directive should be revised to set a clear definition of what confidentiality restrictions apply and in which situations it is legitimate for management to withhold information. This will avoid companies uses confidentiality restrictions in an abusive way and as a pretext to circumvent a consultation of EWCs.
4. The process and the conditions to set-up new EWCs must be simplified to allow a swifter establishment:
   The directive should be revised to simplify the initiation process and set up of EWCs. In particular, the maximum duration of set up negotiations of three years between workers’ representatives and management representatives should be shortened. Practical experience has shown that long before the lapse periods of three years it is usually clear if management has a genuine interest to set up an EWC or not.
5. The provisions on sanctions for non-compliance with the directive must be reinforced: The directive is so far not always effective in ensuring in all Member States effective, deterring sanction and penalties for non-compliance, due to insufficient provisions in the directive. The directive should be revised to spell out a concrete framework with minimum sanctions for Member States to respect.
6. An adequate financial, material and legal support for EWCs should be ensured: Numerous EWCs lack the necessary financial, material and/or legal support to fulfill their work and purpose because of a failure or unwillingness of management to provide this. This appears as a practical and very concrete obstacle which obstructs the effective operation of many EWCs. The directive should be revised to stipulate more clearly that the central management is responsible to provide the necessary and adequate financial (e.g. travel and meeting costs, external judicial advice) and material (e.g. meeting facilities and equipment) resources to ensure that EWCs can effectively, timely and meaningfully pursue their mission.
7. Exemptions from the scope of the directive must be reduced: Currently, EWCs are diverse in their operational organisation not only because each EWC has its own rules and modalities as negotiated between management and workers based on general content-related categories set out in Article 6 of the EWC directive. They are also diverse because EWCs (established before the first EWC directive, after the first directive in 1996, and following the latest revision in 2011 respectively) all operate under their original directives. New rules established by the revisions of the EWC directive did not apply to EWCs that were already in place. This three-tier constellation is causing a plethora of confusing settings. Above all, it also means that improvements achieved in revisions of the EWCs following 1996 and 2011 do not apply to previously established EWCs. The directive should be revised to provide that it does only apply to new EWCs that will be established in the future. Indeed, a central objective of a revision should be a harmonisation of existing EWCs to ensure that all EWCs agreements fall under the latest consolidated version of the directive.

The full position is available here.

According to the position, CESI welcomes the Recommendation as a step further to encourage Member States to ensure national minimum income schemes that effectively combat poverty. In particular, CESI:

1. welcomes the broad definition of poverty and the combination of this with a recommendation that Member States should set ‘adequate’ income support at a height of at least the relative national-at-risk-of poverty threshold – notes however that a careful balance needs to be struck between adequate minimum incomes and adequate minimum wages through the recent EU minimum wage directive 2022/2041. While minimum income schemes (including further potential social benefits) must prevent a risk of poverty as a basic right of all citizens, minimum wages must ensure a standard of living beyond this.
2. welcomes the Recommendation as a tool to encourage Member States to ensure a better take-up of available minimum income schemes including through step-by-step guidance for those who need it, using digital and non-digital tools – notes however that citizens in need always require a physical person in public administrations to rely on. Digital tools should not replace staff that provides assistance at place.
3. welcomes a foreseen individualised service provision for citizens on minimum income schemes to help them overcome social exclusion and access employment, and also welcomes the importance placed on the need of further access to enabling essential services that will help citizens in need, beyond material assistance through minimum income – notes however that Member States need to commit to considerable investments in their public services and administrations to implement the Recommendation in this regard.
4. welcomes the Recommendation’s encompassing character to approach poverty in a holistic manner – notes however that the Recommendation is not legally binding and that a central role will pertain to trade unions and social partners to maintain political pressure on national governments to implement it.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Acting on minimum incomes is a key area of responsibility for the EU to deliver on the objective stated in the Treaties to combat social exclusion. Adequate minimum income schemes are above all about human dignity, social fairness, inclusion and societal cohesion.”

He added: “Minimum income schemes also represent economic investments that will pay off for public budgets – and from an internal market point of view, adequate minimum income schemes in Europe can also contribute to a more balanced intra-EU migration.”

The full position is available here.

On July 19th, CESI member organisations representing firefighters met with Member of the European Parliament Elżbieta Rafalska, co-responsible for the Parliament´s initiative to improve working conditions of firefighters, to discuss how to advance on the Parliament file.

This Summer of 2023 will yet again be a very challenging season for firefighters in Europe. With soaring temperatures and prolonged droughts, wildfires sweep across countless regions in Europe, and men and women are working day and night to protect lives, wildlife, infrastructure, and property.

The intensity and scale of the blazes have posed a significant challenge to firefighting forces, stretching their resources to the limit. Hot and dry conditions have exacerbated fire risks, leading to rapidly spreading flames that engulf vast areas of forest, grassland, and residential zones.

In the face of this crisis, international cooperation has played a crucial role. Several European countries have joined hands to provide mutual aid and support, exemplifying solidarity in times of need. Firefighters from neighbouring countries, as well as those from further afield, have travelled long distances to offer their expertise and manpower.

CESI General Secretary Klaus Heeger said: ‘The public’s support and gratitude for firefighters have been overwhelming and should be monetised. The working conditions of firefighters must reflect their importance: adequate pay levels, reasonable working hours, up to date protection and decontamination equipment and highest safety standards must render their work safer – and more efficient. Once the crises are over, firefighters cannot be forgotten!

CESI´s key demands are reflected in CESI position attached.

Dear members, partners, and friends,

In a dynamic and ever-changing landscape, trade unions have the responsibility to stay alert, adaptable and responsive, ensuring that the representation of our workers remains effective.

At European level, promoting better working standards means understanding the high diversity among various national contexts and sectors and looking for solutions applying to different environments.

To do this, we are in continuous exchange and cooperation with our members to be aware of their needs and demands and be ready to support them in their national level interest representation.

At the same time, we strive to uphold our strong position at the European level within the so-called “EU bubble” to ensure that European workers remain a valuable part of the EU policy-making. For this, the support we get from our members is of paramount importance.

In a continuous flurry of activities and rapid developments in the EU, we have managed to make CESI a central player in the promotion of working rights in Europe, something which was also confirmed by the active participation of high-level EU stakeholders in ‘Summer Days’, two weeks ago.

For this event, CESI gathered in Brussels more than 150 representatives from EU Institutions, think tanks, trade unions and companies, highlighting the importance of social policies for the (green) future of Europe and giving to its members the opportunity to be heard by decision-makers at the European level.

Another key feature of our lobbying for workers are regular missions to European Parliament plenary sessions in Strasbourg. Last week, we exchanged with a good dozen of MEPs about current policy issues including social public procurement in the forthcoming Net Zero Industry Act, a revision of the European Work Councils (EWC) Directive, priorities for a new Directive on a European framework for quality (paid) traineeships, and the functioning of the European social dialogue.

This summer break will now give us some time to reflect and to prepare for a new autumn filled with activities. Through a multitude of events in a series of European countries – including Germany, Austria, Spain, Estonia, Italy and Luxembourg-, we will try to capitalise on the valuable lessons from the past months and share them with our members at national level.

The coming months will be busy but most certainly rewarding, too. And we look forward to seeing you then.

I wish you a nice summer!

On the occasion of this year’s United Nations Youth Skills Day, CESI Youth stresses the importance of equipping young people with proper skills: The young generation needs the skills to enhance its employability and to cope with today´s complex world.

Not least in the context of the 2023 European Year of Skills, CESI Youth has been advocating for the rights and interests of young workers, highlighting the importance of trade unions to actively reach out to the young generation.

Against the backdrop of this year´s UN theme ‘Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future’, CESI Youth emphasizes that young people should be placed at the heart of the educational systems, not as mere receivers of educational plans to fill-in labour shortages.

CESI Youth supports the recommendation made by the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) to propose a completely new skills agenda with a focus on critical thinking, communication and green skills, empathy, economic education and entrepreneurship, and improved STEM and ICTs skills.

CESI Youth Representative, Matthäus Fandrejewski, said: ‘July 15th is an important day to underline trade unions´ crucial role in defending the rights and interests of workers, but also in actively supporting the young generation when entering the world of work. The young generation still faces major difficulties in accessing decent work. Through their advocacy, programs, and partnerships, trade unions play a vital role in empowering young workers to realize their full potential and to secure their wellbeing. In their own interest, young people must play a more prominent role in the EU´s decision-making processes. Joining a trade union is just one of the steps forward.’

The organisations that will constitute the new committee will be the Federation of European of Social Employers (FESE) and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) on the employer side and on the employee side the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), UNI Europa and CESI, the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions.

The set-up of the committee by the European Commission follows a study of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) which had formally established the representativeness of FESE, CEMR, EPSU, UNI Europa and CESI in the sector – and a formal letter that was addressed to CESI by the European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit confirming the representativeness of CESI as a European social partner organisation.

A constitutive meeting of the committee is planned to take place still before Christmas 2023; this meeting will seek to adopt Rules of Procedure and a Work Programme for the committee.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “I thank Commissioner Nicolas Schmit and his team for the efforts to set up this committee in an inclusive way, together with all representative interested actors. Any European social dialogue committee is only as legitimate and meaningful as it is inclusive. We look forward to trustful and constructive cooperation with our partners in the committee, to the benefit of all 9 million workers in the social services sector in Europe. As our populations age and policy making strives towards inclusive and encompassing early childhood and education and care, the workers in the sector deserve a functioning social dialogue at European level. It will be key to combine decent working conditions and thriving service provision.”

Next to the new committee on social services, CESI is already involved – directly or through its members – in the EU sectoral social dialogue committees on central government administrations, local and regional governments, postal services, education, and civil aviation.

Amidst radical developments in the field of technology, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) foresees serious risks for jobs and employability in the coming years due to the rise of Artificial Intelligence.

In its 2023 Employment Outlook, the OECD reveals that jobs with a high risk of automation constitute approximately 27% on average across OECD countries. The report indicates that high-risk jobs are those involving more than 25 out of 100 skills and abilities that experts consider easily automatable.

The publication follows a relevant survey conducted last year (before the rise of generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT), according to which three out of five workers express concerns about potentially losing their jobs to AI within the next decade.

On the other hand, the report highlights that two-thirds of workers already engaged with AI believe that automation has made their jobs less monotonous or dangerous.

According to the main findings of the OECD Employment Outlook for this year:

-Labour markets have stabilised at a level slightly higher than before the COVID pandemic
-Amid a cost-of-living crisis, real wages are down
-AI is likely to significantly impact jobs

For the better protection of labour markets and workers in the coming years, the OECD recommends that governments should support low-wage workers, consider safeguards for the enforcement of key principles for trustworthy use of AI, and ensure training for AI.

CESI is ready to engage with EU and national stakeholders to ensure that the implementation of AI at work will benefit workers and lead to better working conditions for all.

June 23rd is United Nations Public Service Day, a global celebration of those essential workers that ensure basic service provision for strong, resilient, well-functioning societies.

Three years into the worst pandemic of the century, one year and a half into the Russian invasion of Ukraine generating waves of refugees, and amidst a climate crisis, the need to strengthen public services at all levels – EU, national, regional and local – is more pressing than ever.

Public services receive and integrate refugees, they deliver health care, combat natural disasters, protect citizens, and educate our children.

To be resilient and be able to meet the crises and challenges that we currently experience, they need adequate facilities, equipment and sufficient staff with decent working conditions and pay – as well as overall better public support and appreciation.

The public services workforce across Europe is providing vital services for our communities; but this remains often unnoticed. Too many are underpaid, suffer from difficult working conditions, lack proper equipment and face increasing work intensities because their offices are chronically understaffed.

In light of the current megatrends of our century – such as demography and climate change -, the pressure on public service delivery will further increase; while understaffing and underinvestment limit our readiness to face and respond to future crises.

It is now more important than ever to prioritise public spending for essential societal pillars which support an ageing Europe to transition to a fair, green and digital economy.

CESI is advocating a position in favour of high accessible, available and high quality essential services, which require investments both in human resources and access to equipment/ better working conditions. As long as many essential services are understaffed while working conditions are precarious, quality services cannot be delivered.

Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary-General said: “We need to honour our public employees for their devotion, contributions and excellent work which often goes above and beyond the call of duty. European countries must ‘walk the talk’ and reaffirm their commitment to building well functioning and inclusive societies by making the necessary investments to address understaffing and poor working conditions of certain public sector employees in Europe.”

This week, the EU Council agreed on a general approach for a proposed directive that aims to improve working conditions for platform workers and provide them with employment rights. Almost a year and a half after the proposal of the European Commission, European labour ministers agreed to open the door to interinstitutional negotiations.

The proposed directive seeks to address the issue of misclassification by determining the correct employment status of individuals in the gig economy. Under the Council’s approach, if the relationship of the worker with the platform fulfils at least three of the seven criteria set out in the directive, the worker will be legally presumed to be an employee rather than self-employed.

With the aim is to provide workers with clarity and protect their rights, the agreement of the Council also focuses on ensuring transparency in the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms. Workers often lack information on how personal data is utilised and decisions are made. Under the new proposed rules, qualified staff will monitor automated systems, and human oversight will be present for significant decisions such as account suspensions.

On the basis of the approach agreed upon, the Council will now begin negotiations with the European Parliament, with a view to reaching a provisional agreement.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The adoption of a general approach by the Council reflects the willingness of the Member States to regulate platform work. However, it’s clear that the process encountered significant disagreements among Member States, and we can expect that there is still a long way ahead of us. Further work is needed to address concerns and ensure a comprehensive directive that effectively protects platform workers.”

Background information

The Commission estimates that around 5.5 million workers in the EU, currently classified as self-employed, are, in fact, in an employment relationship with digital platforms and should enjoy labour and social rights. The proposed directive aims to rectify this misclassification and provide workers with the necessary protections. Additionally, it seeks to enhance transparency, traceability, and awareness of developments in platform work, ensuring fairness and accountability across borders.

Dear members, partners and friends of CESI,

As mentioned in my last editorial, and as always when the summer break approaches, our work is further intensifying. However, I can only testify that the mood and enthusiasm of the team at the Secretariat remains outstanding.

We have, in these past years, experienced a lot, to say the least: a Covid -19 pandemic, a war in Europe, inflation of almost 10%, an unprecedented energy crisis, unseen supply chains disruptions, on top of this a most alarming climate crisis; and all this against the backdrop of needed and indeed unavoidable green and digital transition.

It is as if someone had clicked on a geopolitical, economic, social and labour market „reset button”; the challenges we are now facing are extraordinary.

There are no new jobs on a new planet. Greening our economy and our is lives is without alternative. It will require significant commitments from all of us. It means adopting a new economic and social model with major impacts on the way we work and live. And considering workers’ needs is a key element to be able to “deliver” a fair ‘European Green Deal’.

In our 2022 CESI discussion paper, we established, among others, that workers and their representatives should be engaged and involved in socially balanced green-digital transition processes to ensure that (a) as many sustainable jobs as possible are preserved, (b) as many ‘quality’ jobs as possible are created, (c) as many unsustainable jobs are transformed into sustainable ones, and (d) that as many workers as possible are helped to adapt to the new realities.

And one main priority transcended: While restructuring labour markets and employment relations should be as inclusive and protective as possible, the competitiveness of the economy at large should be maintained.

Our flagship event this year is the third edition of our CESI SUMMER DAYS on the theme ‘The future of work in a green economy’, which will take place in Brussels on June 29-30. More than 150 experts and representatives from European and international institutions, the public sector, think tanks, trade unions, and companies will have the opportunity to exchange with each other on the impacts of the European Green Deal on economies and labour markets, on ways to make the green transition inclusive and fair, and on the role of workers and trade unions.

Together with the European Commission, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), the European Policy Centre (EPC), the Bertelsmann Stiftung, and the Reshaping Work foundation, we will assess the impacts of the twin transition on regions and industry sectors, we will hear about the challenges for the public and private sector, and we will establish ways for workers and trade unions to co-decide – on what will be our future.

As always, the most important for us is your involvement, commitment, and, not least, feedback.

Feel free to join us at our Summer Days! And please do not hesitate to drop me a line or write me an email any time ([email protected]).

I wish you a good June.

Klaus Heeger

Carmen Jaffke from CESI’s Luxembourgish member union CGFP will be a full member in the Board of Administration, Eva Fernández Urbón from CESI’s Spanish member union CSIF will serve as alternate. The mandates run until 2025 when new elections will take place.

CESI has been a member of the EWL since 2006. Carmen Jaffke was already a member and alternate in the EWL Board of Administration prior to 2021, now coming back to an official position within the EWL and replacing Kirsten Lühmann from CESI’s German member organisation dbb, who did not run again. Eva Fernández Urbón enters her second mandate as alternate. Both Carmen Jaffke and Eva Fernández Urbon have an extensive track record as trade unionists and supporters of gender equality and women’s rights.

In Luxembourg, Carmen Jaffke is a member of the Executive Committee of the CGFP and has been President of the Equality Law Commission of the CGFP since 2007. Within CESI, she has been a long-serving Vice-President of the statutory horizontal Commission on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

Eva Fernández Urbon has been National Secretary for Equality and Social Responsibility at CSIF, the Spanish Central Independent and Public Employees’ Trade Union, and a member of the union’s National Executive Committee since 2019. She has been working on women’s rights and gender equality as a trade unionist for the past fifteen years, and, in 2021, was elected President of CESI’s statutory horizontal Commission on Employment and Social Affairs.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “I am glad that CESI continues to be represented in the EWL, Europe’s chief voice of women’s rights. As highly competent and experienced trade unionists in the field, Carmen and Eva will bring the important voice of independent trade unions to the EWL. For CESI, gender equality and equal opportunities are a central element of today’s society, and in labour markets in particular.”

The names of all elected Board of Administration members will sooon be available on the website of the EWL. The General Assembly on June 10-11 also saw the election of the EWL Executive Committee and its new President. Further details will be available here.

On May 23, CESI´s Expert Commission ‘EDUC’ took place amidst teachers’ unions striking in many EU countries. ‘EDUC’ and its members expressed their full solidarity with unions protesting throughout Europe for fairer wages and better working conditions for teachers. In a video message to the Romanian member union USLIP currently at strike, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger underlined the fundamental importance of education: “Investing in education and teachers means investing in our future. It means investing in the well-being of people and in the competitiveness and sustainability of our societies.”

During the meeting, the European Year of Skills, an EU initiative which focus on adults’ upskilling and reskilling, was discussed. The Expert Commission highlighted the importance of lifelong learning for teachers to acquire above all necessary digital and green skills. The European Commission underlined how crucial it is for society to “nurture our education workforce”, whereas most EU countries are suffering from teachers’ shortages.

Throughout the exchange on the results of the CESI working group on early-school leaving, participants could not but report also about teachers leaving the profession because of job dissatisfaction and degraded working conditions. Less societal reward and even less respect, leading to violent behaviour against teachers in the worst cases; higher workload; inadequate remuneration in most EU countries not balanced by former greater work-life flexibility: this all has led to an “attractiveness crisis” of the profession.

Against the background of the “permacrisis”, CESI initiated its so-called “Syncrisis” project, which was presented to the Expert Commission. The resilience and performance of education systems in the remain crucial to cope with the refugees’ crisis following the war in Ukraine. The presentation of Eurydice report on “Supporting refugee learners from Ukraine in schools in Europe 2022” allowed a reflection on the well-being in schools, both of children and the education workforce, challenged by the pandemic and the war. A timely discussion which coincided with the European Mental Health Week.

The new Manifesto for the teaching profession in the era of digital education was presented. EDUC’s Vice-president Luc Viehé stressed the human factor is in nowadays education systems: “Instead of undervaluing the profession, we should equip teachers with all necessary tools, including digital skills, to support them in an increasingly changing education landscape. Only so can teachers also equip, in turn, our children for being the citizens of tomorrow”.

On May 23, CESI´s Expert Commission ‘EDUC’ took place amidst teachers’ unions striking in many EU countries. ‘EDUC’ and its members expressed their full solidarity with unions protesting throughout Europe for fairer wages and better working conditions for teachers. In a video message to the Romanian member union USLIP currently at strike, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger underlined the fundamental importance of education: “Investing in education and teachers means investing in our future. It means investing in the well-being of people and in the competitiveness and sustainability of our societies.”

During the meeting, the European Year of Skills, an EU initiative which focus on adults’ upskilling and reskilling, was discussed. The Expert Commission highlighted the importance of lifelong learning for teachers to acquire above all necessary digital and green skills. The European Commission underlined how crucial it is for society to “nurture our education workforce”, whereas most EU countries are suffering from teachers’ shortages.

Throughout the exchange on the results of the CESI working group on early-school leaving, participants could not but report also about teachers leaving the profession because of job dissatisfaction and degraded working conditions. Less societal reward and even less respect, leading to violent behaviour against teachers in the worst cases; higher workload; inadequate remuneration in most EU countries not balanced by former greater work-life flexibility: this all has led to an “attractiveness crisis” of the profession.

Against the background of the “permacrisis”, CESI initiated its so-called “Syncrisis” project, which was presented to the Expert Commission. The resilience and performance of education systems in the remain crucial to cope with the refugees’ crisis following the war in Ukraine. The presentation of Eurydice report on “Supporting refugee learners from Ukraine in schools in Europe 2022” allowed a reflection on the well-being in schools, both of children and the education workforce, challenged by the pandemic and the war. A timely discussion which coincided with the European Mental Health Week.

The new Manifesto for the teaching profession in the era of digital education was presented. EDUC’s Vice-president Luc Viehé stressed the human factor is in nowadays education systems: “Instead of undervaluing the profession, we should equip teachers with all necessary tools, including digital skills, to support them in an increasingly changing education landscape. Only so can teachers also equip, in turn, our children for being the citizens of tomorrow”.

Strengthening healthcare systems must start with the workforce:

Priority no. 1 for the future of an EU Health Union!

European healthcare systems are essential for sustainable and competitive societies – and of course for the well-being and the quality of life. Yet too often, they suffer from a lack of staff, an up-to-date equipment, competent management, an efficient work organization, and not least from sufficient investment.

The consequences for the workers: excessive workloads, precariousness, unsafe work environments (exposure to dangerous substances, third party violence); and an extreme exposure to physical and psycho-social risks.

On May 23rd, CESI´s Expert Commission ‘SAN’ discussed the most pressing issues among themselves and with various experts.

Workforce shortages:

Many European countries are grappling with a shortage of healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses. This shortage is often exacerbated in rural areas, where access to healthcare services can be limited. The underlying reasons are, unfortunately, too often a lack of recognition, good working conditions and fair remuneration. Through several bilateral meetings with MEPs, CESI proposed to hold a public hearing in the European Parliament in the second half of this year with the aim of addressing the problems and needs of the millions of nurses and doctors working across Europe.

Skills Mismatch:

Rapid advancements in healthcare technologies and evolving healthcare needs require continuous professional development and upskilling of the healthcare workforce. A major gap between the skills possessed by healthcare professionals and the skills demanded by the evolving healthcare landscape persists. Through the BeWell project, CESI brings in its perspective on the needed future skills of healthcare professionals. Among others, upskilling and reskilling should be considered as workers’ rights to training on the job.

EU4Health Initiative:

The flagship program of the European Union wants to help strengthen healthcare systems and address healthcare workforce challenges. Launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seeks to improve the resilience, accessibility, and quality of healthcare services across the EU member states. The initiative also aims at enhancing the capacity and availability of healthcare professionals, including through training programs, recruitment and retention initiatives, and cross-border cooperation. For CESI, it is of utmost importance that the interests of the workforce are duly taken into consideration.

EU Care Strategy

The European healthcare workforce plays a pivotal role in meeting the healthcare needs of the population. The EU Care Strategy will become operational by 2024 and through the national contact points trade unions EU-wide could contribute to the national action plans foreseen to put the Strategy in practice. Despite the fact that the care workers are at the centre of the strategy, CESI deplores the weak nature of the initiative, the lack of an effective monitoring mechanism and the lack of sufficient and accessible means of financing investments in the health and care sectors.

Summarizing the meeting, Esther Reyes, president of the CESI expert commission ‘Health Services’ said: ‘We need to establish a minimum European quota of nurses and doctors per patients. We need to ensure that the needs and interests of the healthcare staff are properly considered. Above all, we need to improve their working conditions to ensure the recruitment and retention in the healthcare sector. Otherwise, the system will collapse.’

Open letter to:
Ana Mendes Godinho
Portuguese Minister of Labour, Solidarity
and Social Security
Brussels / 24 May 2023

EXCLUSION OF THE EUROPEAN CONFEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT TRADE UNIONS (CESI)
FROM THE PORTO SOCIAL FORUM

Dear Minister Mendes Godinho,

The European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) represents more than five million workers from all over Europe. The EU combined, we account for between 10% and 15% of all organised workers. We have been a recognised European sectoral social partner for several decades.

As such, it was with immense regret, disbelief and astonishment that we were informed on May 11 by the Employment and Social Affairs section of the Portuguese Permanent Representation in Brussels that we would not be invited to the Porto Social Forum on May 26-27 “due to limited capacity for this event” and that it would be impossible “to extend invitations other than the ones already sent”.

We registered our interest in participating in the Social Forum with the Portuguese Permanent Representation in March (very early and long before any invitations had been issued) and since then, we have followed up on this query on a number of occasions.

Was it so difficult to include one additional seat (a seat that would account for over five million workers) at such an early stage in the planning process? Was it truly impossible to allocate one seat at this flagship forum that is to be attended by a large number of delegations representing various political institutions, governments, social partners (except CESI) and civil society groups?

On the Forum’s website, you explain that the objective is to “create synergies for the Future of Europe, increasingly inclusive, fair, and social”. We fully agree: social policies and the European Pillar of Social Rights are all about inclusiveness and leaving no one behind. The EU’s motto is “United in diversity”. Furthermore, the rule of law and liberal democracy are there to protect equal opportunities and nondiscrimination.

Does all of this hold true if up to 15% of Europe’s workforce is excluded from Porto, not present even with a single seat? The answer is quite clearly: no. This is an arbitrary exclusion that runs counter to all principles constituting a liberal democracy.

With this decision, the Porto Social Forum is betraying the spirit of the Pillar of Social Rights and of Social Europe.

Yours sincerely,
Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General
Romain Wolff, CESI President

The European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI)

in partnership with the

Bertelsmann Stiftung & Reshaping Work

invites you to the

Summer Days 2023

The Green Economy and New Forms of Work

Thursday, June 29 2023, 14.00-18.30 (followed by BBQ & live music by ‘Teppaz Road’)
Friday, June 30 2023, 9.00-14.00 (followed by lunch)

Venue: Le Bouche à Oreille (Rue Félix Hap 11, 1040 Brussels)

Full Programme

To achieve climate neutrality and long-term economic growth and prosperity, the European Union is undertaking ambitious policy initiatives to become the world’s first global region with no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.

Together with the ongoing digital transformation of our societies, the green transition will have profound effects on economies and labour markets across Europe. This invites discussions on new forms of work and ways it may impact workers.

Within the frame of CESI’s EU co-funded ‘EcoTra’ project, the “Summer Days” will explore the social dimension of the Green Deal and ways to make the twin (green and digital) transition a key driver of a decent, sustainable, and fair future of work.

Experts and representatives from European and international institutions, the public sector, think tanks, trade unions, and companies will discuss the following questions:

How will the Green Deal impact economies, labour markets and jobs?

How to make the Green Deal fair, inclusive and sustainable?

What will be the impacts of the twin transition on different regions and industry sectors?

What will be the challenges from the perspectives of the public and private sector?

How can we ensure participation and co-decision of workers in the transitions?

–

With the participation of:

Joost Korte, Director General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission

Frank Siebern Thomas, Head of Unit ‘Fair Green and Digital Transitions’ at the DG EMPL of the European Commission

Andrea Garnero, Labour Economist at the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs of the OECD

Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Vice-President of the European Parliament (video message)

Dragoş Pîslaru, Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament (video message)

Elizabeth Kuiper, Associate Director and Head of the Social Europe and Well-being Programme at the EPC

Eva Maydell, President of the European Movement International (video message)

Francesco Corti, Advisor to Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Health

Gabriele Bischoff, Member of the European Parliament

Katleen Vangodtsenhoven, Head of Talent in Belgium at the Adecco Group

Klaus Heeger, Secretary General of CESI

Romain Wolff, President of CESI

Jovana Karanovic, Founder and Managing Director of Reshaping Work

Birgit Wintermann, Project Manager at the Bertelsmann Stiftung

Marek Harsdorff, Green Job Specialist at the ILO

Nathan Crist, Project Manager at the Bertelsmann Stiftung

Alexandre Ounnas, Researcher in the Job and Skills Unit of CEPS

Patricia Urban, Researcher in the Energy, Resources and Climate Change Unit of CEPS

Laura Rayner, Policy Analyst at the EPC

Tommaso Grossi, Policy Analyst at the EPC

Tristan Makkink, Innovation Manager at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

–

Workshop Partners:

European Commission

International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

European Policy Centre (EPC)

Bertelsmann Stiftung

Reshaping Work

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Empowering Youth:

Making the European Year of Skills Work

13th of June 2023 10:00 AM onwards | online | In English

Trade unions and social activists have long witnessed continuous and fundamental challenges in the world of work. Upskilling and reskilling, life-long-learning have become mandatory requirements for all workers to keep up to date and relevant on the job market. The 2023 European Year of Skills (EYS) is a real opportunity for the EU as a whole and for member states as individual entities to start a paradigm shift in the way skills and workers are relating to the labour market. The European Commission even proposed 2023 to become a ‘skills revolution in Europe’.

Following the adoption of a Decision by the co-legislators on the EYS, ‘CESI Youth’, ‘OBESSU’ (the Organizing Bureau of European School Student Unions) and ‘StartNet – network transition education to work’ are once again joining forces to launch a forward-looking conversation on the future of work. What are the skills our education systems and job markets should really support young people to develop/ in developing? The event aims to gather different perspectives on young people and skills development in Europe, kicking off a conversation that shall accompany and impact this European year throughout.

In the spirit of involving social partners in co-creating a toolbox of skills for the future, ‘CESI Youth’ is particularly interested in advocating in favour of trade unions taking an active role in informing youngsters aged 13-17 of their work rights, the existing labour regulations and about the importance of unions in upholding workers’ rights. It recognizes the importance of skills in today’s fast-paced and competitive world, but it believes that young people should be placed at the heart of the educational systems and not as mere receivers of educational plans made to fill-in labour shortages. Similarly, ‘StartNet’ is pledging for educational collaboration leading to early vocational orientation at schools and life skills for young people. ‘OBESSU’ is advocating for the EU to propose a completely new skills agenda which takes into account the competences of critical thinking, communication and green skills, empathy, economic education and entrepreneurship, but also more STEM and ICTs skills.

We, ‘CESI Youth’, ‘StartNet – network transition education to work’ and ‘OBESSU’, kindly invite you to participate in this online debate on June 13th 2023 at 10 AM. Your contribution would be extremely valuable to the discussion.

The event is taking place in the framework of the European Year of Skills, following the European Youth Event in Strasbourg and the European Vocational Skills Week.

The provisional draft agenda includes the participation of:

• Matthäus Fandrejewski, CESI Youth Representative
• Tia Loukkola, Head of Innovation & Measuring Progress, Education & Skills Dir., OECD
• Beatrice Sarto, Policy Officer, European Commission Employment & Social Affairs Dir.
• Giuseppina Tucci, Secretary-General of OBESSU
• Jan Wilker, Project Manager, StartNET

Moderation provided by Gesa Spaetling, StartNet.

Please register for this online event here.

Held as part of CESI’s Europe Academy ‘EcoTra’ project on ‘A smooth and fair ecological transition – for workers, with workers’, the meeting brought together representatives from CESI’s member organsiations interested in the future of work in the context of green transitions.

Together with Frank Siebern-Thomas, Head of Unit for Fair Green and Digital Transitions at the European Commission, the working group held an orientation debate on ‘Green transitions in an era of permacrisis: Reconciling social fairness and economic competitiveness agendas – with workers and unions’ and discussed in this context in particular a possible inclusion of social dialogue and involvement of workers within the governance and implementation of the EU’s forthcoming Critical Raw Materials Act and Net Zero Industry Act.

Members of the working group sketched according work priorities during the next months, and agreed to have first trade union demands ready by the end of June, when CESI will hold the third edition of its SUMMER DAYS that will this year be themed ‘The green economy and new forms of work’.

After a lengthy dispute, the German government and trade unions have come to an agreement on salaries for over 2.5 million workers in the German public sector. The salary increase is expected to be an important supporting measure against high inflation.

Although at the beginning expectations were higher- especially in terms of duration and inflation compensation for part-time workers-, the agreement seems to be a positive development for the public sector personnel in Germany. The deal includes a tax-free compensation for inflation of 3,000 euros and a pay increase of at least 340 euros for all, depending on pay grade, ranging from 8 to 16 percent.

Ulrich Silberbach, President of the German Civil Service Federation (dbb), stated that negotiations with the federal government and municipalities were particularly difficult, although achieving a positive outcome. Silberbach noted that the compromise would not have been possible without the warning strikes and protests of the past months, and the commitment of colleagues.

The collective agreement affects employees in various sectors of the public sector, including federal and municipal employees, trainees, interns, and students, as well as federal civil servants and pensioners. The agreement has implications for other areas of the public sector as well.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The inflation has had a significant impact on workers in Europe reducing their purchasing power and eroding their standard of living. In 2023, millions of workers in Europe cannot afford basic necessities. The recent agreement in Germany paves the way for similar initiatives in all EU Member States. We are proud of what trade unions in Germany have achieved so far and we hope that more supportive measures will follow.”

The key points of the agreement:

-A tax- and social-security-free compensation for inflation in the amount of 3,000 euros (gradual payment starting from June 2023).

-From March 1, 2024, increase in the pay scale by 200 euros (basic amount) and subsequently by 5.5 percent (adjustment of the increase amount to 340 euros, where this value is not reached).

-Apprentice and intern salaries will be increased by 150 euros at the same time.

-Contract duration: 24 months.

Background information:

Overall, more than 2.5 million employees are directly or indirectly affected by the collective agreement for the public sector (TVöD): nearly 1.6 million federal and municipal employees and other areas directly impacted by the TVöD, as well as trainees (6,350 at the federal level, 56,300 in municipalities), interns, and students in integrated dual degree programs, as well as almost 190,000 federal civil servants, applicants (16,885 at the federal level), and over 500,000 pensioners at the federal level who are supposed to benefit from the collective bargaining agreement. Indirectly, the income round also has implications for other areas of the public sector (such as the Federal Employment Agency and the German Pension Insurance).

The plan of a EU Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC) – an EU rapid reaction force of at least 5000 troops ready to be deployed for crisis management, rescue operations, evacuation tasks, and operations of initial entry and stabilisation or to temporarily reinforce other missions – was initially proposed by the EU’s High Representative, is enshrined in the Strategic Compass already adopted by the Member States and was endorsed on April 19 in an own-initiative report of the European Parliament.

The RDC’s objective is to be operational by 2025, which the President of CESI’s members’ Expert Commission ‘Defence’, Thomas Sohst, considers highly ambitious with clear challenges in terms of operability and personnel. The European Parliament report also mentions that for the RDC to be effective, it should have permanent operational headquarters with appropriate funding, staff and infrastructure and an integrated secure communication. The costs of the initiative should be financed from the EU budget, from a revised European Peace Facility with an increased budget – all aspects that CESI endorses.

Thomas Sohst said: “The establishment of the RDC is a step in the right direction. I welcome that all troops assigned by Member States to this common European project are to be used exclusively for achieving a genuine RDC, except for emergency cases when they could be deployed back. In this context there remain however challenges of personnel shortfalls in the military and civilian armed forces in most EU Member States. Investments are needed to replenish lacking military and civilian personnel – for RDC purposes but also beyond. Moreover, in the context of the RDC all deployed soldiers and other personnel should enjoy the same working and social rights.”

On the 1st of April, young trade unionists gathered in the capital of Hungary to attend the 1st training and exchange module of CESI’s WEP project.

The training session provided participants with the opportunity to discuss about the role of the EU in the promotion of rights, the functioning of the European Institutions, the EU law-making process, and the importance of the European social dialogue.

The EU has been playing a significant role in civilian crisis management around the world through tasks in areas such as policing, support of the rule of law and civilian administration as well as security sector reforms, and monitoring and disarmament exercises. Since the 2018 adoption of the EU’s Civilian Compact, the EU has increasingly advanced efforts in this field. However, evidence shows that the efforts are unbalanced: 10 member states provide 78% of the seconded personnel and the means available for the EU missions abroad. Today’s report of the European Parliament on the implementation of civilian CSDP therefore included a call for Member States to invest wisely in ensuring the means needed for a genuine operational framework action in EU civilian crisis management.

The European Parliament rapporteur of the file, MEP Alviina Alametsä (The Greens, FI), declared that Member States must step up their strategic ambition and political will to make sure that there will be a new civilian CSDP Compact which goes “beyond business as usual.” This should be seen as a credible commitment to a civilian CSDP, in order to equip missions with sufficient and well-trained personnel, infrastructure and additional funding. As the security environment changes, so do the requirements for missions, and the EU must be willing to invest in its non-military support to fragile countries, she stressed.

Thomas Sohst, President of CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Defence’, stated: “I am pleased that the European Parliament calls to strengthen the EU’s civilian crisis management capabilities to promote peace, stability, and human rights around the world. However, this process should start from within, by ensuring fair social frameworks for the citizens in uniform that carry out crisis management in operations on the ground. Today’s report of the European Parliament is an important signal towards the Council, which is supposed to adopt a new civilian CSDP Compact in May. This will hopefully strengthen the EU’s strategic security vision while remaining inclusive, fair, gender-balanced and supportive of the personnel of the military and armed forces.’

CESI, through its biannual European Defence Round Table, gives civil society and trade unions the opportunity to shape EU’s political agenda by engaging with policy-makers and by promoting greater public participation and involvement in European defence and security issues.

In its position CESI Youth stresses:

• The European Year of Youth was an important initiative during times of political, social, and economic changes that have been taking place and have affected the (working) lives of young persons profoundly. It encouraged young people to play an active role in shaping their own future and that of their communities, as well as to promote a sense of European identity and citizenship.
• This was reflected in Decision (EU) 2021/2316 which formalised the European Year of Youth and which specified that the European Commission was supposed to enable youth organisations “to assist in co-creating and implementing the European Year” in including by means of joint meetings with representatives. However, despite greater attention given to youth policies in 2022, CESI Youth believes that the European Year of Youth lacked an adequate and inclusive monitoring mechanism.
• The European Year of Youth must imperatively be followed by the introduction of a Youth Test – an impact assessment tool to ensure that young people are considered when new EU laws are made – as proposed by the European Youth Forum (EYF) and endorsed by the European Parliament in its resolution of November 24 2022 on the European Year of Youth 2022 legacy. CESI Youth supports such Youth Tests for any new EU policies and soft law measures as a sound way to anticipate ex-ante and measure ex-post impacts of policies on young people, in order to showcase, at the end, what real changes were achieved.

The full position is available here.

On March 31, CESI organised a timely event on the importance of the European Union for workers and citizens in the capital of Hungary.

Trade unionists, academics, and politicians had the opportunity to discuss about the benefits and flaws in the EU, the role of the Union in the living and working conditions of the people, the recent Eurobarometer findings for Hungary, and democratic values.

Despite the 75 years since the creation of the World Health Organisation and great achievements through medical research, infrastructure and technology, the healthcare sector is facing significant challenges due to staff shortages and difficult work conditions.

Ageing populations and increasing health needs are a growing concern worldwide. The lack of healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, and other support staff has a significant impact on the quality and accessibility of care provided to patients. According to Eurofound, the deficit of labour in healthcare in the EU is structural and is predicted to rise to 4.1 million by 2030.

Overworked and overstretched healthcare workers often suffer from burnout and stress, leading to decreased job satisfaction, higher risks for patients and high staff turnover rates. This, in turn, leads to decreased quality of care, longer waiting times for treatments, and an overall decline in the health of the population. In line with the 2023 Bucharest March WHO-Europe (World Health Organisation) declaration, CESI advocates in favour of urgently addressing this reality through sufficient investments in the sector (position) in ways which:

• help step up staff attraction and staff retention. This will most notably require measures for better employment and working conditions in the health and care sectors. Measures should span to pay levels, stress and strain exposure, occupational health and safety standards, and an improved public perception of care professionals and the important work they carry out.
• develop a strategic long-term vision for the healthcare workforce planning, taking into account research, current trends and future projections and the objectives of the EU Care Strategy.
• create a level-playing field to ensure a balance in the provision of accessible, affordable and high-quality health and care services across regions and countries. Healthcare-related disparities, which are fostered by a borderless Single Market to the detriment of less advantaged countries, need to be mediated and tackled by the EU. The Single Market needs a social dimension which also addresses structural imbalances in labour migration, especially in the care sector.
• avoid the creation of medical deserts through proper investments at local and regional levels.
• ensure inclusive consultation and social dialogue for affordable, accessible and high quality healthcare services.

Esther Reyes, President of CESI expert commission ‘Health Services’ declared: “World Health Day is an opportunity to recognise the importance of healthcare workers and the challenges they face in providing quality care to patients. We need to support them more for better health outcomes for all.”

The resolution follows up on a recent initiative of the European Commission to strengthen social dialogue in Europe, which comprises a Communication focussing on measures it aims to purse to enhance social dialogue at the EU level and a proposal for a Council Recommendation with suggestions for the Member States to reinforce social dialogue at the national level.

In the resolution, CESI welcomes the European Commission’s initiative on strengthening social dialogue but regrets that the initiative is overly focussed on the needs of majoritarian unions and established social partners and is, in several respects, a missed opportunity to strengthen sectoral social dialogue and independent unions.

In particular, CESI:

• notes that a proposed further deepened of involvement of cross-industry European Social partners for instance through a new ex-ante consultation on the European Commission’s annual work programme or even more topical ad-hoc topical Dedicated Hearings and additional meetings with the Employment Committee and Social Protection Committee should not be pursued while these remain categorically closed for independent European sectoral social partners which are not part of a recognised European cross-industry trade union organisation. Rather than focussing even more on cross-sector social partners, a better inclusion of independent sectoral social partners and their national members could bring further added value to policy making and social dialogue.
• hails the stated need that European sectoral social dialogue committees should always “strive to be inclusive” and “maintain and increase [their] representativeness.” The legitimacy of a committee is a factor of its representativeness. The more inclusive and representative a committee is, the less will its output be called into question, and the higher be will the acceptance and pick-up of its output among the workforces and their representatives across Europe.
• welcomes the objective to review the approach to representativeness studies that Eurofound conducts at the request of the European Commission. Their methodology and structure, which is in several ways tilted towards established European social partners at the disadvantage of new actors that strive to become newly recognised, needs to be adjusted. Moreover, there needs to be more transparency and automaticity in the recognition process of new social partners. Even where Eurofound studies acknowledge their representativeness, established social partners with vested interests can just ignore this and obstruct any efforts from new organisations to accede to committees. The European Commission – as financier and organiser of the European social dialogue – should take the necessary steps to ensure that organisations which representativeness studies deem representative in a given sector can also effectively access the European social dialogue committee for that sector in a meaningful, proportionate way and maximise its representativeness and legitimacy

The full resolution is available here.

Last week in Budapest CESI Youth celebrated 10 years of activity, since its creation at the Balaton Lake in Hungary. In 2013, CESI created its own youth platform, CESI Youth, to support trade union activity among young people within the CESI network and to give young workers a dedicated voice at the European level.

As CESI Youth celebrates its 10^th anniversary, its leadership reflects on its accomplishments. CESI Youth started with big dreams and a passion for youth political representation. CESI Youth worked tirelessly to build something that would make a difference in the way youth policies are pursued at the EU level.

Over the years, CESI Youth faced many obstacles but, together with the CESI General Secretariat, it has remained resilient and committed to its mission. Looking back at CESI Youth’s activity in the last 10 years, two main achievements stand out:

• First, CESI Youth has actively contributed to improving youth membership in CESI’s member organisations. It has directly addressed young workers to join trade unions, to become assertive about their rights and obligations as employees. From the specific perspective of the youth, it has developed new ideas to improve quality employment conditions (including for traineeships and apprenticeships), faster digitalisation, increased labour mobility, enhanced recognition of professional skills and an intensified management and prevention of mental health.
• Second, CESI Youth has been working intensively to increase its presence towards the EU institutions and within the European youth stakeholder community. It has developed strong partnerships with the European Commission and European Parliament and contributed to a wide array of consultations, legislative proposals and EU-funded projects on topics such as mental health, the Youth Guarantee, skills-mismatches, labour mobility, a quality framework for traineeships, and improved school-to-work transitions. It has become a part of the European Youth Forum, the European Apprentices Network and the EU Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition. CESI Youth has also pursued issue-specific cooperation with like-minded partners such as StartNet (the European platform on young people’s transition from education to employment) and OBESSU (the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions). The development of joint events and position papers has consistently anchored CESI Youth in the Brussels policy arena.

During the current state of perma-crisis in Europe – fallout from a pandemic, a war in Ukraine, soaring inflation, energy and climate challenges and uncertain financial prospects for citizens – CESI Youth raises alarms concerning a backsliding rule of law in some of Member States of the European Union, increasing living costs especially for young persons, and consequence about adverse impacts of the past Covid pandemic on people’s mental health.

CESI Youth believes it is important to advocate for more inclusive democratic societies through better political education in schools, more societal participation and particularly an enhanced investment in trade union representation.

This goes hand in hand with the imperative to further empower the youth by giving them more participation opportunities in political processes and decisions.

CESI Youth stands today as a proud entity, with a team of talented youth members who are passionate about what they do.

CESI Youth has made a difference in the way youth policies are put forward at EU level.

CESI Youth remains committed to a rights-based approach to work for young people and enhanced youth rights in political processes. CESI Youth will continue its work with integrity, hard work, and a commitment to excellence.

As the European Year of Youth 2022 has come to an end, CESI Youth looks forward to the European Year of Skills 2023 to engage in debates on the ongoing skills shortages in Europe and the large need for skills to achieve the green and digital transitions. Mental health at work, a reinforced Youth Guarantee, strengthened apprenticeships schemes, and a full implementation of ALMA will continue to be on CESI Youth’s radar.

To another ten years of success, growth, and making a difference in the EU bubble!

Dear members, partners, and friends,

A German constitutional judge said recently: “Some criticism of the West seems justified: In their spiritual inertia and aimless hedonism, the Western societies not only consume natural resources, but also psychosocial treasures of everyday common sense and decency”.

Despite its perhaps exaggerated wording, this statement reminded me how important it is from time to time to reassess our values and beliefs- even those we usually take for granted, as the significance of the EU for Europeans.

It was one year ago, when my dear friend Luc Viehé, today’s spokesperson of CESI’s member ‘Spelc’, explained to me just before the last Spelc Congress in Paris last year that my speech there on the following day had to give satisfying answers to the question what is the European Union good for.

I got slightly angry, because this was a couple of weeks after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. To my mind, the benefits of the EU for Europeans were clearer than ever at that time.

I remember that I delivered a quite emotional speech, and some months later, we met again in Paris, this time with all of CESI’s French member unions, and we agreed to organise a conference in the French capital with the title “A quoi ca sert?”, or in other words, (why) do we need the European Union?

However, it was soon clear that such a fundamental debate could not be limited in just one city, in just one country.

So we developed a larger European project from it and, last week, CESI travelled to Hungary, the country where 10 years ago our CESI Youth had been founded. In the historical city of Budapest, we gathered for a kick-off conference to together with politicians, academics, and trade unionists to discuss the importance of the European Union at a time when so many are questioning its value.

We shared our views on the meaning of the EU for us as citizens, workers, men, women, young and old, and we tried to delve into grassroots aspects of the EU that affect our lives: “What does democracy, the rule of law, a functioning system of checks and balances entail for us? Who are the key actors and institutions? What can every one of us do to maintain and support their performance and independence?”

Our discussions were not just about right or wrong but about convictions, arguments, and finally, persuasion. Persuasion that values such as liberal democracy, rule of law, and tolerance and our European social model, which are currently under threat in several places, are worth defending.

And I think, that after an open and honest conversation, most of us agreed that despite all the confusion of competences and all the unsolved problems, the EU still stands for cooperation, unity, peace and solidarity.

The European Union stands for respect (not for the tyranny of the fittest), it stands for separation of power (not for its concentration), it stands for the respect of human dignity (and not for its contempt).

The European Union, OUR Union, is a challenging, but wonderful project, and I am confident that we, as citizens, workers, trade unions, and public service deliverers must adhere to it!

Not only for us, but even more for future generations!

Responding to the European Parliament plenary’s endorsement of a trilogue agreement with the Council on a new EU directive on an improved pay transparency, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said:

“We welcome the European Parliament’s endorsement of the trilogue agreement on a new directive on equal pay for equal work or work of equal value. We call on the Council to follow swiftly.”

“We welcome in particular that the forthcoming directive picks up on a longstanding demand of trade unions to act on behalf their members in cases of suspected pay discrimination. The text only foresees a right to request and receive information on relative pay levels. However, many workers are intimidated and do not dare to ask employers themselves because fear consequences for their careers. An entitlement of trade unions to collect relative pay level information on behalf of their affiliates and to represent them in related administrative and judicial proceedings is an effective tool to make sure that suspected cases of pay discrimination will actually be pushed. Trade unions will be central to the success of the directive.“

The event brought together Christian Moos, rapporteur of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the EU’s Strategic Compass, Lukas Mandl, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence, Sebastian Clapp, expert from the European Parliament Research Service, Mary Kaldor, Professor Emeritus of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict Research Programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Thomas Sohst, President of the CESI’s statutory Expert Commission ‘Defence’.

Christian Moos, also an affiliate of CESI’s German member organisation dbb, stressed that organised civil society and defence unions should be more involved in the policy debates amounting to the development of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Their role should be perceived as crucial to foster a representation of interests and concerns of citizens and contribute to transparency and accountability in decision-making processes. They could provide valuable input and feedback on defence policies, help bridge the gap between policy-makers and the general public, strengthen democratic practices and promote public awareness and understanding of complex security issues.

Lukas Mandl pleaded for “more courageous political leadership for owning tough but necessary decisions needed for the future.” He asked for more defence-related debates at grass-root levels for involving EU citizens in the process of developing the EU Defence Union, explaining the processes, the costs and why a consensus is needed.

According to Sebastian Clap, the war of attrition against Ukraine has required EU to provide continuous support to reinforce Ukraine’s military capabilities. As such, EU defence spending was increased by 35% compared to 2021. In view of the current geopolitical climate and the existing divisions amongst Member States on defence, he raised the issue of austerity versus more investments in the industrial military capabilities sector and noted that to investments need to continue to build a genuine EU Defence Union.

Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General added that “it is important that this budget allocation also addresses personnel shortfalls and training for the European armed forces.’

Thomas Sohst stated: “The forthcoming EU defence exercises – involving the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, joint missions, training of Ukrainian troops and possibly an EU army – are suitable to demonstrate not only joint military skills but also to showcase how to strengthen trust between the different European armed forces.”

Mary Kaldor emphasised the importance of understanding human security in a broader sense, in connection to a strong safety-net of economic and social policies for all EU citizens. She highlighted the role of civil society organizations in ensuring that defence policies are aligned with human rights and democratic values, and that they do not undermine the principles of transparency and accountability.

Klaus Heeger concluded that “EU should strengthen its soft power to influence global affairs. Through its Enlargement policy EU allows for more cooperation and diplomacy with Ukraine rather than coercion and aggression and this is a great step forward.”

CESI, through its biannual European Defence Round Table, gives civil society and trade unions the opportunity to shape EU’s political agenda by engaging with policy-makers and by promoting greater public participation and involvement in European defence and security issues. In support of these efforts, CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Defence’ adopted a position paper on ‘Making EU defence policy fit to ensure regional security: demands of defence trade unions in Europe. The full paper is available here.

In a new resolution adopted by its Presidium, CESI makes clear:

1. Policy makers should pursue targeted steps to effectively help the unemployed as well as low- and middle-income earners to maintain their purchasing power, including:

• measures to reduce energy bills. To bring down energy prices, effective energy price caps should be pursued to bring down energy bills, where feasible at technical and regulatory level. Moreover, CESI supports the EU’s decision to reduce electricity consumption in peak hours, when prices tend to be highest. To counter-finance financial support to reduce bills for consumers, windfall taxes for electricity produced by currently relatively cheap non-gas sources but sold at gas-source level should be collected and redistributed. Given the enormous strain that financial support to reduce bills may still mean for public budgets, policy makers must focus resources deriving from windfall taxes on those citizens, workers and families that need them most.
• a prolongation of the temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) by the EU in case economies deteriorate. Already during the Covid lockdowns, this tool proved highly successful to keep workers in their jobs and prevent business from laying off and later having to re-hire and train new workers at considerable cost. In this way, SURE is more an investment than an expenditure.
• the swift implementation of a recently adopted Council Recommendation on adequate minimum incomes by the EU institutions and the Member States to ensure that nobody must live in poverty.

2. Social partners should agree on considerable wage increases. There is considerable scope among employers for this. The state – employer of civil servants and public sector employees – benefits from large inflation-driven increases in tax revenues, which need to feedback also as wage increases for its staff. In the private sector, many large companies, (excluding in energy-intensive industries) have increased their profitability during the inflation period. In Germany, in the second half of 2021, the DAX companies increased their profits by 152% compared to 2020. Throughout 2022, profitability has remained high. Employees should benefit from this, too.

3. Social partners and policy makers should undertake, where this has not yet been the case, to establish wage indexations. This could happen either through collective bargaining or through laws or statutes. They should also without delay transpose the new EU directive on minimum wages and set minimum wages and adequate levels that rule out threats of falling into poverty.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The current hike in inflation in Europe is largely due to price increases of specific commodities, including energy and nutrition. Lately there has been a tendency towards inflation across the board and raising interest rates are a standard recipe of many economists against this. However, this tool should currently be used with caution. It could choke off the economy and bring unemployment while not helping much to bring back inflation to healthy levels. What we need above all is windfall taxes for profits in the food and nutrion sectors and a fiscal redistribution to those that currently suffer most.”

Full resolution as PDF

In 2018, CESI co-signed multi-sectoral social partners’ guidelines to tackle and prevent third-party violence and harassment at work.

A multi-sectoral social partner project, coordinated by the European Public Sector Unions (EPSU), has meanwhile assessat national level and identifyed key areas for improvements.

Based on webinar exchanges, research findings and new data, the project partners have adopted a ‘zero tolerance’ action plan and committed to further updating the ‘guidelines’, to take into account national legislation and the recent ILO Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment (2019).

The action plan is flanked by a report on how working conditions and staffing levels are crucial in understanding rising rates of third-party violence at work, including cyber harassment, and contains useful examples of how social partners tackle the matter.

The final objective of the action plan is to become an awareness-raising tool on third-party violence, with a particular focus on the fight against gender-based violence.

Klaus Heeger, Secretary General, reiterated CESI´s long and uncompromising position: “We represent many frontline workers, from firefighters to nurses, from police forces to teachers, and it is absolutely unacceptable that those pillars of society remain subject to third-party violence. Attacking them, means attacking society. It is an attack against each and every one of us, and ‘zero tolerance’ can only be the answer. I am pleased about the commitment and determination of all signatories.”

Through this project, CESI drives forward its awareness-raising activities launched with its own project on third-party violence at work. See the related #NOVIOLENCEATWORK campaign with visuals, video and a manifesto against third-party violence at work.

At the hearing, which saw the participation of representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion, CESI’s Spokesperson for VET Stefan Nowatschin and CESI Youth Representative Matthäus Fandrejewski stressed:

• Learning mobility schemes should provide incentivising opportunities for all students, teachers and workers. While labour mobility is already relatively high for students in higher education, it could still be higher, and it is very low among VET apprentices and workers and among teachers in all levels of the education systems. The European Commission’s initiative should therefore be encompassing and further facilitate learning mobility for all. However a special emphasis should be given in those areas where pick-ups are particularly low (teachers, VET).
• Adequate financial support is a key factor determining the pick-up of mobility opportunities. Even in areas where learning mobility is relatively high, such as in higher education, financial support under Erasmus+ is insufficient to cover stays abroad. Living expenses usually far exceed grants. If the EU wishes to step up participation in (any) learning mobility schemes, financial support needs to be stepped up too. This is particularly true if the EU wants to increase learning mobility pick-up by more disadvantaged and poorer people without financial resources for stays abroad.
• Guidance for learning mobility schemes is vital. Many teachers and educational institutions need to be better aware and informed about labour mobility schemes. The EU should invest more in capacity-building, information dissemination and to this end improved and more systematic cooperation with educational institutions and public administrations is central. Especially in the area of VET learning mobility, centralised support offices which inform and advise about all relevant financial, employment and social security-related issues related to available mobility schemes would be especially important for SMEs and their staff that wish to engage but are unsure how to go about it. These support offices could also act as matching agencies to connect SMEs across countries for mobility schemes. Coordination and communication frameworks for participating actors/companies/educational institutions should be improved.
• Administrative procedures, applications and the coordination of existing labour mobility schemes is still complex and lengthy. Simplified and faster procedures would facilitate a better pick-up of mobility schemes.
• A sought flat-rate move towards longer mobility schemes (6 months) does not suit all target groups. While this length is ideal for university students because it matches an academic semester, stays abroad of 4-6 weeks are ideal for the professional VET sector.
• More extra recognition for participation in VET mobility schemes could incentivise more persons to engage in it. Various options for this are possible and in some places exist already, ranging from top-up grade in transcripts to a consideration in procedures related to promotions or post-apprenticeship take-over.
• A strengthened involvement and including of trainers and teachers in VET programmes would be desirable. In vocational training which is realised in cooperation by vocational schools and companies, tandem mobility of company training staff (trainers) with vocational school training staff (VET teachers) should be promoted. This possibility exists already since 2017 as part of the German mobility programme “AusbildungWeltweit. Together, the German vocational training partners visit the VET student/worker in their foreign internship/training company. The objective is not least also to exchange ideas among companies and vocational school training staff transnationally in the context of an learning cooperation between schools and companies across borders.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We appreciated very much the European Commission’s inclusiveness to hear all European social partners on this very important matter as part of dedicated hearings. No matter their European affiliation, all concerned social partners deserve their say and should be heard. I am glad that the European Commission is living this principle and has sought the widest range of feedback possible for its forthcoming work on improved learning mobility.”

According to the resolution:

• In view of the austerity-based policy responses to the financial crisis post-2007 (which led to heavy adverse social and economic disruptions) and the investment-based response to the Covid pandemic (which kept unemployment at bay and has led back relatively quickly to a path of economic growth throughout Europe) it seems plausible that the latter approach is in principle preferable to the former. This should be noted for further crises.
• Investments in well-resourced and resilient public services seem costly in the short term, but they pay off in the medium- and long-term because the next crisis comes for sure – it is just not clear when exactly, where, and which form and scope. Building public services which are performing and resilient to crises is important.
• At the same time, sustainable public debt targets over time should remain at the core of the EU’s economic governance framework. To finance increased needs for public spending, tapping new financial revenue opportunities should take precedence over new debts. Taxation policy can serve as an example. Carbon taxes, financial transaction taxes, digital taxes and increased capital taxation (especially compared to labour taxation) offer ample new public revenue sources which moreover foster socio-economic fairness for societies.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “How to bring together budget consolidation with much needed large-scale investments? The limits of this approach in the EU’s economic governance system became obvious to all during the last crises. CESI welcomes ongoing discussions in the Council and the Commission to re-balance public expenditure and investment with budgetary debts in the economic governance framework. However, a reform should necessarily bring in a third dimension: Collecting taxes that currently slip through illegal tax dodging loopholes or legal but unethical tax avoidance schemes. Workers pay large shares of their revenues as straight as income taxes but large amounts of investments are needed in public services and the greening and digitalisation of social and eocnomic life. There it is only fair that large multinational companies that currently pay absurdly low taxes are asked to contribute more. With higher public revenues through a fairer tax collection, investments are possible without making new debts.”

Full resolution as PDF

With 319 votes in favour, 171 against and 138 abstentions, MEPs passed a report on March 15 demanding that the EU take action to address the rising cost of living.

With this report, MEPs call for several social protection measures to be implemented, including the immediate implementation of the Minimum Wages Directive and an EU Directive on minimum income schemes, the allocation of at least €20 billion to support the European Child Guarantee scheme, and the expansion of the Social Climate Fund to facilitate the creation of environmentally-friendly social protection programmes at the national level.

Furthermore, MEPs urge the Commission to introduce new legislation guaranteeing access to essential services such as housing, energy, transportation, water and waste, as well as prohibiting energy disconnections for vulnerable groups.

To combat unemployment, the employment framework should also boost the European instrument for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) and prioritize the provision of education, training, paid internships, and employment opportunities for young people throughout Europe.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “It is time to address the pressing issue of rising living costs, ensuring that every person in Europe has access to essential services and can live with dignity. We must prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable members of our society and invest in their future, creating sustainable social protection programmes that benefit all. This is not only a moral imperative but an economic one, as a healthy and supported population is essential for the prosperity of our society as a whole.”

“I am pleased that last year has seen significant progress in gender equality policy at the EU level. A new directive on binding quotas for women in the boards of large companies was agreed on and a new directive with mandatory provision for pay transparency is forthcoming. Both will bring more equal opportunities for women in labour markets. They will help break glass ceilings and improve on the economic independence of women.”

“The Council also seems to have broken its deadlock on an accession of the EU to the Istanbul Convention. An application of the Convention by the EU could greatly reduce violence against women. Every case of violence is a case too much and I hope that the ratification will be concluded swiftly. A complementary EU directive on gender-based violence should be adopted soon to fill gaps that the Istanbul Convention from 2011 has, such as in the field of recent phenomena like gender-based cyber bullying.”

“The road for equal opportunities and non-discrimination continues nevertheless. The scope of the forthcoming pay transparency directive is still too limited. The directive on women quotas needs further flanking measures to help women effectively break glass ceilings. And even if the EU accedes to the Istanbul Convention: This will only relate to areas of EU competence. National competences remain untouched. Six EU Member States have so far not ratified the Convention. We need to keep up pressure on them to conclude the ratification. We must arrive at a full implementation of the Istanbul Convention across the entire EU. Today, on March 8, we reiterate that much remains to be done for women.”

Dear members, partners, and friends,

The murder of a teacher in France by her own student in class and the deadly train crash in Greece show that the road towards safety and integrity is still long for public sector workers.

As trade unions, we must put the safety and health of the workers, of our affiliates, first. To do this, we must constantly raise public awareness, and we must also strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining both at the European and national levels.

With a dedicated so-called communication and a proposal for a Council Recommendation, the European Commission recently announced its newest plans to upgrade social dialogue in the EU and the Member States.

This initiative is an important step to reinvigorate bipartite and tripartite dialogue, but it can in our view only be successful if it manages to promote inclusiveness, increased representativeness and legitimacy.

To make social dialogue an effective tool for future generations of trade unionists, CESI has also launched a new EU-funded project that is dedicated to the youth.

CESI’s ‘WEP’ project, a development programme for future union leaders from within CESI’s affiliation network, will promote the exchange of experiences and good practices among young trade unionists coming from different countries and backgrounds, and train them in the priorities and activities of European social dialogue.

We strive to help national trade union youngsters of today become national trade union leaders of tomorrow – with a European trade union spirit and transnational trade union awareness.

The participants will have the chance to learn about trade union engagement as a form of participation in EU policymaking.

Another EU-funded project that we as CESI have recently launched is entitled ‘WeEP24’ and seeks to raise awareness of workers and citizens about the upcoming EU elections in 2024, while examining critically the benefits and flaws of the EU. We hope that the project can also spark your interest in the upcoming elections.

We invite you to actively participate in our two new projects and help us make all together a small first step towards a more (socially) sustainable Europe and improved worker participation.

We are always looking forward to your valuable contribution, your ideas, and suggestions.

Our door is always open!

At its first meeting of the year, which took place on earlier this week on February 28, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Many Member States have made progress in the delivery, transparency, digitalisation, trust and accountability of their public services. Nevertheless, more and urgent efforts are needed to improve working conditions. Without adequate working conditions for staff, the public services that they are meant to deliver cannot be at their maximum.”

Expert Commission members – all public sector union representatives from across Europe – reported about wide differences in the quality of public services and working conditions among the Member States. Varying budgetary resources, costs, efficiency, levels of digitalisation, trust and effectiveness continue to be main reasons for this, they stressed.

The observations confirm the findings of the European Commission’s regular assessments of the performance of public administration in the Member States. They have concluded that all countries have progressed in regulatory governance but that the quality of stakeholder consultations, regulatory impact assessments and ex-post evaluations of legislation still need improvement. They also revealed:

• Most Member States have adopted digital technologies to improve public service delivery and streamline administrative processes. However, more efforts should be pursued to step up the access of all citizens to the new technologies.
• Public administrations are becoming essential in the delivery of socially fair green-digital transitions and this also means that the staff needs to be equipped with adjusted and new skills to design and deliver policies and practices. At the same time, less that half of EU countries are investing sufficiently in the upskilling and reskilling of their public sector staff.
• The public sector workforce is aging rapidly and has not been been acquiring sufficient new talent. This comes at a cost of lost institutional memory and decreased working conditions.

This is why the Expert Commission spoke up in favour of:

1. a full implementation of a new agreement on the rights of workers in central government administrations in the digital era, to ensure that digitalisation can fully and fairly evolve for citizens and workers in public administrations
2. life-long-leaning and training-on-the-job as new routines in all public administrations
3. a commitment to necessary investments to improve the working conditions for a better statt attraction and retention.

According to CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger, there is no time to spare: “The Covid pandemic was the most recent reminder of what happens if public services are not equipped to face crises. We should all be aware that crises will come again. We just do not know when and how exactly. This is why public administrations across the board must be ready, must be resilient. This will require further investments in their resources, including its staff.”

Statement of the European Sunday Alliance on the occasion of the 2023 European Day for a Work-Free Sunday on March 3

Weekly rest periods not only encompass the quantity of time, i.e. a work-free day, but also the quality of this rest. A work-free day must allow to combine both personal rest and social bonding. Individuals are indeed social beings, part of a community, and their interpersonal relationships play a key role in their work-life balance, wellbeing, and recovery from work. Where resting time can be organised as synchronised resting time, this allows individual to spend time with their family members, friends or peers, or collective social communities, which can include volunteering, worship, leisure and sport. A common day of rest during the week is a prerequisite for a healthy work-life balance and a recovery from daily stress.

Furthermore, the phenomenon of loneliness is a growing and unpreceded reality in Europe, impacting negatively the work-life balance and wellbeing of workers. Loneliness and social exclusion have also consequences at the collective level. As a recent science-for-policy report published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) on Loneliness in the EU. Insights from surveys and online media data stresses, “research shows that loneliness and social isolation have harmful repercussions on mental and physical health, as well as significant consequences on social cohesion and community trust.” Synchronised resting time is an effective tool to counter loneliness.

Last September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in her speech on the State of the Union an upcoming initiative on mental health in 2023. In the context of this initiative, the European Sunday Alliance invites interested policy makers and stakeholders to also consider the importance of the quality of synchronised resting time for the mental health of workers, not least to further the debate on the establishment of a weekly common day of rest at the EU level for all citizens.

Full statement of the Euroepan Sunday Alliance as PDF

*** 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/ ***

https://www.cesi.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Klaus-Heeger_cesi.mp4

The decision came on February 21, almost seven years after the European Commission had tabled a legislative proposal. Previously, heavy lobbying by the European Parliament, civil society organisations and trade unions had increased political pressure on the Council to act.

The draft of the so-called Council Decision that will formalise the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention still needs the official consent of the European Parliament. Given the European Parliament’s vocal role in pushing the Council to move forward on the accession, it is expected that this will happen without delay. The European Parliament had passed its last resolution calling on the Council to move only on February 15 this year. A formal final vote will then take place in the Council to conclude the act, likely in June.

The Istanbul Convention – a convention of the Council of Europe – is the main international instrument aiming to eliminate violence against women by setting out comprehensive legal and policy measures to prevent such violence and protect and assist victims. These include measures on data collection, awareness-raising, the criminalisation of violence against women, and the provision of support services. It also addresses the gender-based violence dimension in matters of asylum and migration. It entered into force on 1 April 2014 and was signed by the EU on 13 June 2017. The Istanbul convention covers matters falling both within EU competence and within the competence of Member States. The decision on the conclusion by the EU covers only those matters falling within exclusive EU competence. 22 out of the EU’s 27 Member States have signed and ratified the Convention.

Through resolutions and letters, CESI had repeatedly called on the Council to ratify the Convention for the EU, a process that was stalled initially because no unanimity could be reached on the matter among the Member States. After an opinion of the EU’s Court of Justice had confirmed that the Council may also vote to ratify the Convention by quality majority voting, the last Czech Presidency abstained from acting for political reasons.

Kirsten Lühmann, President of CESI’s Women’s Rights Commission, said: “We greatly appreciate the commitment of the Swedish Council Presidency to finally put the ratification of the EU to the Istanbul Convention to a vote by qualified majority. We have waited for this moment for more than six years. We are confident that the European Parliament will swiftly give its formal consent to the EU’s accession. After years of a political struggle, now is the time to look ahead.”

Romana Deckenbacher, Vice-President of CESI’s Women’s Rights Commission, said: “Violence against women is still too prevalent. During the Covid pandemic, lockdowns trapped many women at home and left them especially vulnerable to violence and abuse. Several countries saw spikes in domestic violence. This added to unacceptable violence levels which women had been facing long before already. Every case of violence is one case too much, and the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention is an important step to prevent and manage violence against women.“

Carmen Jaffke, Vice-President of CESI’s Women’s Rights Commission, said: “Important as it is, a formal accession of the EU to the Istanbul Convention will not solve all problems. The EU’s accession will only cover matters falling within exclusive EU competence, and the Convention itself does not cover recent phenomena such as gender-based cyberbullying. The finalisation of a complementary EU directive on gender-based violence is therefore of utmpost importance. Moverover, the EU Member States Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia have not ratified the Convention themselves and there remain implementation issues in other Member States. We need a comprehensive gender prevention and management framework that is also properly enforced at the EU level and in the Member States too.”

In a dedicated consultation contribution to the European Commission, CESI stresses that all trade unions and social partners should be adequately involved in any new strategy, to reach a bottom-up, life-cycle approach to mental wellbeing.

In terms of output deliverables of a new EU approach, CESI stresses that this should also span to the following priority areas:

1. Member States must be encouraged to step up investments and evidence-based policies in mental health. They must take immediate action to include a mental health perspective also in mainstream economic policies.

2. More effective programmes for a better occupational well-being should be developed and implemented in the workplaces. Negative psychological, physical and social impacts on work-related stress, burnout or depression could be prevented if mental well-being in the workplace became a standard priority for management, work councils, trade unions and individual workers who need to be more empowered and in charge of their wellbeing. Mental health is a major occupational health and safety concern and should be included in EU-OSHA frameworks as well as national health and educational strategies.

3. The European Year of Skills in 2023 should play an important role to further mental health too. Its awareness-raising and capacity-building should flank considerable public investments to adapt to skills mismatches labour markets and to thus improve labour market integration and broader active labour market policies. This would ensure better and more secure employment conditions for all and help alleviate mental pressures associated to uncertain evolving working environments and skills needs on labour markets.

4. An new approach to mental health should also re-focus attention to a right to telework and a right to disconnect. If well-designed, new forms of work contribute to changing mindsets towards more flexibility at work. Telework and ICT-based mobile work lead to higher degrees of flexibility of work arrangements – yet also to a blurring of work and private life. Any new approach to mental health should make clear that a right to disconnect and the respect of rest periods as foreseen by the EU working time directive are of crucial importance.

5. Mental illnesses including anxiety and depression should be recognised in all Member States as serious health issues. Stigmas around mental health need to be lifted, addressing mental health issues needs to be able to be a part of our daily societal reality. Moreover, appropriate funding for health services to address mental health problems should be made available, affordable, and accessible. This includes investments in properly trained health care personnel in sufficient numbers. Despite a variety of therapeutic paths, many people facing mental illness do not receive sufficient mental-health treatment.

6. A particular emphasis should be placed on an improved prevention and early detection of mental distress, in order to prevent mental health problems from developing in the first place. The costs to prevent mental illnesses are lower than the costs for treating them, and facing absenteeism at work due to mental illness is more expensive than taking appropriate preventive measures at organisational level. As such, targeted and tailored campaigns to raise further awareness about the mental health of workers are needed. Trade unions and social partners can play an active role in this awareness raising exercise.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “As CESI, we concur with the view that an estimated 50% of all European workers consider stress to be common in their workplace, significantly increasing the number of lost working days. We also support the finding that such widespread mental health disorders carry a high financial and human cost for both affected persons as well their employers and the economy, public finance and society as a whole. And we agree that investing in improving people’s mental health is not only about health but also about ensuring that European society is citizen-centred, resilient and cohesive. We call on the European Commission to deliver an encompassing and inclusive EU approach to tackle spreading mental health issues across Europe.“

Full consultation contribution