Social Dialogue

With many of CESI’s members being representative trade union organisations at the national level, CESI has been a recognised EU-level sectoral social partner since 2005, in line with the criteria required to this end under the European Commission’s Decision of May 20 1998 on the establishment of sectoral social dialogue committees (98/500/EC).

Next to advocacy-based interest representation, social dialogue is a second channel for CESI to pursue overarching as well as yearly work priorities.

In its capacity as social partner CESI is, directly or via representative member organisations, actively engaged in six EU-level sectoral social dialogue committees, which run topical joint social partner projects, exchange best practices, try to influence EU policy making and negotiate own social partner agreements on employment and working conditions within the remit of their respective sectors:

  • The ‘Central government administrations’ committee covers civil and public servants, largely located in the government ministries, agencies, and EU institutions.
  • The ‘Civil aviation’ committee focuses on activities involving passenger and freight air transport (both scheduled and non-scheduled) and civil aviation (air crew, ground handling and air traffic management).
  • The ‘Postal services’ committee addresses horizontal subject areas such as change management as well as specific topics like more comprehensive skills certifications and transferabilities, improved training schemes to improve employability, and adequate health and safety especially for older workers.
  • The ‘Education’ committee covers the areas of early childhood education, primary and secondary education, vocational education and training, higher education and research as well as teaching, management and administrative staff in education systems.
  • The ‘Local and regional governments’ committee focuses on personnel in local and regional public services such as local administrators, fire-fighters, waste workers and community liaison personnel.
  • The ‘Social services’ committee, which covers a total of about 9 million employees in the field of social services.

The agreements adopted in the sectoral social dialogue committees with the participation of CESI and/or its members are available in the resources section.
More information about EU-level social dialogue and the sectoral social dialogue committees can be accessed through the website of the European Commission.
Further questions about CESI’s involvement in social dialogue can be addressed to the General Secretariat of CESI by email via [email protected].