EUROPEAN COMMISSION Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion DG

Transcription

1 EUROPEAN COMMISSION Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion DG Employment and Social Legislation, Social Dialogue Social dialogue, Industrial Relations Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Postal Services Working group meeting on 14 March 2011, Brussels Training and CSR working groups Minutes 1. Training and skills development working group The meeting was chaired by Mr Costa (POSTEUROP). He welcomed the new participants, in particular the representative from Posta Polska, who is following European social dialogue on an informal basis. The Chair presented the current state of play of the working group's activities, focusing on the application for project funding that should be submitted to the European Commission by the 25 March deadline. WG Training & Skills 14 March 2011.ppt The tentative title of the project is "matching skills and jobs in the European postal sector: reflections of the European social partners". Suggestions to improve the title are welcome, however. The introduction to the application would refer to the liberalisation of the sector and to the sectoral skills study already carried out by the Commission. Iy would make the link to the flagship initiative on new skills and job in the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy. The explanation of the expected results of the projects still needed to be revised. The goal is to understand trends and jobs at all skills levels, to reinforce the role of European social dialogue, to contribute to a better quality of employment, and to promote the role of social dialogue in the postal sector, especially in the new Member States. Ms Scott (UNI Europa) welcomed the project application, but called for the text to be more concrete and specific. He suggested that the impact of technological change on skills and training needs should be a part of the project. This could be called the digitalisation of the postal sector and could be explained in the section on the project's expected results. In addition, there are training needs linked to compliance issues, especially in financial products and services, for example those connected to the prevention of money laundering. Mr Müller (POSTEUROP) highlighted the importance of re-skilling and cited the example of Austrian Post's online products. It is also vital to be aware of the skills needs of the future, so the forecasting of skills should be part of the project. For instance, as Austrian Post is reinforcing its activities in cooperation with the financial sector, this has an impact on the skills needs of workers. When there is a reduction in the number of workers in sorting centres, there will also be fewer frontline team leaders and managers. Commission européenne/europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel

2 This group of people should also be considered, since they may have valuable skills, but need to be retrained. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) agreed that there were implications o the online approach, necessitating different skills that may not be readily available. It would be preferable to develop these skills in the existing workplace among the current workers, rather than to seek to replace them. The topic of frontline managers is very important, too, and equally complex. In any case, UNI Europa welcomed extending the debate to take into account these elements. Anticipating change is a longstanding concern of the trade unions, and it's important to discuss what the postal sector will look like in 5 or 10 years. Mr Müller (POSTEUROP) pointed out that many companies are trying to obtain ISO certification for their processes. As a consequence the employees also need to be certified. As the importance of this issue is likely to grow in the future, the working group should consider what could be done. The Chair acknowledged the importance of the issues that were raised, but considered that traditional but changing job profiles also needed to be taken into account. He cited the example of the classical postman that will now have to operate a hand-held computer. The topic of certification might be too large to be tackled in the framework of the current project. It could be the subject of a second phase project, involving an external expert on ISO certification. The Chair announced that he would finish the draft application later in the day and invite further comments the following day. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) expressed his hesitation with postponing the issue of certification until the following year. The certification and portability of training are important issues for trade unions, so Mr Scott suggested inviting an expert to the workshop already in the framework of the current project. Mr Müller (POSTEUROP) recommended approaching the Commission for assistance with finding an external expert, since this was a transversal issue. Ms Mir (UNI Europa) supported Mr Scott's and Mr Müller's position, underscoring the importance of skills certification. Ms Ausprung (POSTEUROP) suggested a possible way forward. The external expert on certification could be invited to the workshop, so participants would already obtain some information and ideas on the issue. This would also help with assessing the employment market and the relevance of the certification in situations when there are no open jobs in the sector or in related sectors. The expertise on certification should therefore be combined with economic expertise. For instance, the decline of the Portuguese textile sector meant that workers with skills in this area could not find other jobs, regardless of certification. Mr Oliveira (UNI Europa) pointed out that the textile industry in Portugal was delocalised to other countries, something that is not possible for a network industry like the postal sector. The issue of certification appears rather simple, for example a certificate about computer skills could be used in other sectors. The Chair reiterated that skills certification was a very large topic, which would lead to an entirely new project. He acknowledged that the discussion could start, however, at the workshop of the current project, which could then be deepened in the next step. External 2

3 experts could thus be invited to the workshop, but for example examining the European Qualifications Framework and the possibilities of certifying those skills would go beyond the project. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) clarified that the intention was not to rewrite the project from scratch. It would just be a simple addition to the current text, specifying that the focus of the project would be on skills and the way they can be certified. The Chair agreed and thought that both sides are talking about the same approach. He outlined the practical phase of the project, which would start with a preparatory phase and a questionnaire, to be followed by the analysis of documents and the organisation of the workshop. The project would close with the final conference and the dissemination of the results and the final report. He recommended nominating the members of the project team, which should be composed of 2 or 3 persons from each side. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) expressed his agreement in principle, but he recommended setting up the team only once funding is approved. UNI Europa would prefer a small project team, working principally by telephone and . UNI Europa would also like to take responsibility for this particular project and serve as the project manager. The budget would still need to be looked at, in particular regarding the own contribution. The Chair agreed that the administration could be shared between POSTEUROP and UNI Europa. The timetable would also need to be revised, assuming a kick-off in May The questionnaire could be launched in September, with answers received in October. The validation of answers would take place in November and the final selection of participants in the conference would happen by January The conference would take place in February and the final report would be ready by April The Chair suggested that he himself would serve as project manager, Mr Scott (UNI Europa) would be coordinator, and communication would be assured by Ms Ausprung and Ms Meidinger (POSTEUROP). A secretary or assistant would still need to be nominated. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) underscored that all members of the project team should come from among working group members. He announced that Ms Berger would be responsible for the UNI Europa side of the project. The Chair highlighted that some work still needed to be done to finalise the application. He outlined the agenda for the conference. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) agreed with the proposals, but suggested finishing earlier on the second day. He also criticised the wording referring to the low-qualified labour force, which should be rephrased to avoid giving a negative message about the postal sector. The Chair asked for concrete suggestions for the wording. He then proceeded to discuss the budget, which would amount to Euro, of which Euro would be the EU grant. Ms Ausprung (POSTEUROP) recommended taking one hour from the second day and adding it on to the afternoon session of the first day. Alternatively, the sessions on the second day could start earlier in the morning. The Chair agreed, since this would avoid having to pay for 2 hotel nights. The suggested languages for interpretation at the conference are English, French, German, plus 2 additional languages. It still needed to be decided whether one or two representatives per 3

4 country per side would be invited. It might also be useful to foresee a kick-off meeting of the project team in Brussels rather than a teleconference. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) preferred two participants per country per side and announced that the additional languages still needed to be discussed. A teleconference should be sufficient as the kick-off meeting, but a physical meeting should remain in the budget in case it is needed. Mr Müller (POSTEUROP) agreed with this suggestion, although the project team could also meet on the day after a regular working group meeting in Brussels. Mr Galbiati (UNI Europa) requested Italian language interpretation and the Chair agreed to that request. Ms Meidinger (POSTEUROP) argued for keeping a separate preparatory meeting in the budget. The Chair announced that POSTEUROP would have a detailed look at the budget based on the experiences with previous projects. This also applies to the costs for translations. 2. CSR working group Ms Ausprung (POSTEUROP) chaired the meeting. Ms Panneels from the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) gave a presentation on a just transition to green quality jobs. green jobs ppt Ms Mir (UNI Europa) thanked Ms Panneels for her presentation and invited questions. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) appreciated the request for 5 days of training per worker, but considered that this was a big ask. In any case there is much need for information on the green transition for workers and employers alike. Ms Kloor (UNI Europa) pointed out that this was a very long-term strategy and that it was very important to begin the just transition step by step, especially in the postal sector. Mr Baldwin (UNI Europa) reiterated some of the earlier comments, highlighting the importance of learning the real meaning of "green" jobs, beyond a mere marketing label. The Chair asked about the timeframe for the transition and wondered about the role of the client and consumer, since it will require their participation. She also considered that decent work was important for any kind of employment, not just for green jobs. Ms Panneels replied that the timeframe would depend on the sector concerned, since there are large differences in the problems and solutions between each sector. The ETUC also tries to protect vulnerable groups among the consumers. For instance, low-energy houses might make sense in the face of rising energy prices, yet low-income renters or owners often can't afford these investments. Therefore, innovative sources of financing 4

5 are a necessity, for instance through Eurobonds or a tax on financial transactions. Decent work is indeed independent from the green discussion in a certain sense, yet it is important to highlight that often in new "green" sectors, decent work is anything but a given. This applies, for instance, to the lack of social dialogue or the absence of collective bargaining in these companies. Mr Menghini (POSTEUROP) gave a presentation on green actions that POSTEUROP is involved in. Social Dialogue Committee_PostEurop Ms Mir (UNI Europa) wondered how the green cities and electric vehicles that were cited in the presentation could be brought together with the previous presentation focusing on green jobs and decent work. Mr Baldwin (UNI Europa) recognised that some companies are undertaking very positive initiatives, but unfortunately are not sharing those widely with the workforce. He pointed out that such initiatives are always more successful if the workers are fully involved and committed. Mr Galbiati (UNI Europa) asked about the meaning of the green guidelines that were mentioned in the presentation. He underscored the importance of social dialogue. Ms Mazarska (UNI Europa) asked about the cost of the initiatives and the amount that should be invested in these green measures. She considered that many companies had more fundamental problems, especially as they are coming out of the crisis. Mr Menghini replied that the discussion needed to separate green jobs from jobs that deliver green services. They are related but not the same and should not be mixed up. Regarding the delivery of green services, the postal sector is more advanced than is often perceived. However, the more interesting topic for the social dialogue committee is the aspect of green jobs. Here, the basic idea of CSR applies: committing internally is a precondition to an external commitment. It is also a health and safety issue, for instance regarding the air quality at work. Training is vital to address these issues. The costs are of course an important aspect, but sometimes these measures are cost-neutral once the payback is taken into account. For this reason POSTERUOP is looking for EU funding to support the sharing of best practices. Exchanging information means that individual companies don't have to start from scratch. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) underlined that employers often used a punitive approach to some measures, for instance punishing drivers that don't follow the rules for green driving. Instead, a collaborative approach focusing on education and training would yield better results and be much preferred. The Chair gave an overview presentation of the CSR working group's activities and its 2011 work programme. 5

6 CSR_WG_draft presentation_11_03_ Ms Mir (UNI Europa) explained the rationale behind the question on working time. The energy use of buildings is different depending on the time of day, so whether it is morning, midday or night affects both the environment and working conditions. Ms Mazarska (UNI Europa) highlights the fact that many people in the postal sector work outside of normal office hours, so this question is truly important. The Chair disagreed with these arguments, considering that working time and issues related to shift work are topics falling under health and safety. They are not motivated by environmental concerns. Ms Mazarska, Ms Mir and Mr Scott (UNI Europa) reiterated the position of UNI Europa, emphasizing the link between environmental issues and best practices in work organisation and working time. Mr Costa (POSTEUROP) underlines the importance of delimiting the perimeter of the working group's agenda. It should avoid duplicating work that is being done elsewhere, for instance in quantifying reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. It is more important to look at the existing policies and the related training. The postal sector doesn't have green jobs in the narrow sense of the term, but current activities can be examined with a view to improving them. Work organisation and working time are part of this possible improvement of existing processes. The Chair drew the attention to the question on ILO conventions suggested by UNI Europa. It would need to be specified which ILO conventions the question is referring to. Mr Scott (UNI Europa) opined that this was not too complex. The people answering the questionnaire should be aware of the ILO convention and should be able to explain the specific approach to these conventions. The Chair suggested specifying the wording by making an explicit link to environmental principles. Mr Baldwin (UNI Europa) agreed with that suggestion, since it could be expected that all respondents would answer that they fully subscribe to the principles of the ILO conventions. He did not see this question as being difficult to answer. The Chair expressed her view that question 13 concerning a responsible procurement policy was too general and not sufficiently linked to specific environmental concerns. Ms Mir and Mr Baldwin (UNI Europa) acknowledged that the wording of the question could be improved so that it was clear that the focus is indeed on the environment. They explained the background to the question: if companies make great efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of their own activities, then this achievement shouldn't be destroyed by environmentally damaging outsourcing, for example by flying in supplies from China. Still, Mr Baldwin pointed out that energy supplies in the form of kerosene, as mentioned in question 14, wouldn't be a factor for most postal companies. 6

7 The Chair wondered about the motivation for question 16, which was proposed by UNI Europa. Ms Mir (UNI Europa) explained that this question asks about training measures for different age groups in order to find out about differences in retraining measures by age category of the worker. The Chair suggested complementing question 17 and asking about the respondent's definition of a green job. Ms Mir (UNI Europa) highlighted that the trade unions considered it important to ask about training measures in the context of question 18. Question 19 on skills needs is in line with the initiative on new skills and jobs of the European Commission. Question 18 on collaboration with external research institutes should also enquire about cooperation with NGOs. The Chair thanked the participants for their input to the questionnaire, which would be finalised shortly. She thanked the interpreters and closed the meeting. 7