Activer event in Italy: Unions driving skills and inclusion

Long before Covid pandemic, CESI and its member organisations called for health inequalities in Europe to be addressed and flagged a problematic brain-drain effect of healthcare personnel between countries in Europe. Moreover, much as the pandemic revealed clearly, public healthcare systems are essential for well-functioning societies, but at the same time many national systems have been suffering from scarce investment, understaffing, ageing workforces and poor employment and working conditions. In order to mitigate these challenges, CESI has advocated for more investment in the healthcare professionals. As proven by scientific data, a lack of proper staffing quotas in the medical field results in physicians’ and nurses’ burnout as well a lower quality of care and increased risks of medical errors – to the detriment of patients and staff. Evidence-based research also proves that investing in adequate patient-nurse ratios can save costs for health systems in the long run.

Klaus Heeger, CESI Secretary General, said on the ocassion of an own-initiative report adopted by the European Parliament on March 8 on ‘Cohesion policy: reducing healthcare disparities and enhancing cross-border health cooperation’: “Access to different healthcare standards due to disparities in available treatment, equipment and staffing is undermining the idea of a European Health Union where an average standard of care should be put in place. The use of EU funding instruments to address this matter is an opportunity and a necessity for the EU and national stakeholders. CESI welcomes the European Parliament’s call to increasingly use cohesion policy investments for healthcare systems at a larger scale – for the good of public health systems and their staff as well as an overall balance and level playing field for healthcare provision and staff balances across the continent.”

CESI SG Klaus Heeger met today in Riga the Lvipufda President Andrejs Jirgensons and a delegation of the Latvian State Agencies, Municipalities, Businesses and Financial Officers Union.

“In 2022, still a lot remains to be done to end violence against women and girls and structural social and economic gender disadvantages. I am however encouraged that at the EU level progress is tangible on several policy files that could help achieve more equality for women.

Today, the European Commission will table a long-awaited legislative proposal for a directive with binding measures for Member States to end violence against women and domestic violence. The proposal is historic but will, due to a lack of an EU legal competence to go further, stay limited mostly on issues related to the prosecution of online violence and legal definition of rape and sexual exploitation of women. This is why it is all the more important to also move on with the EU’s long-pending accession to the Council of Europe’s much broader Istanbul Convention. I call on the Member States acting in the Council to adopt a proposal by the European Commission on this which has been on the table for six years.

I am also encouraged to see progress on a new EU directive with obligatory pay transparency measures. Trilogues for the adoption of this new piece of legislation are forthcoming this spring; it will be the responsibility of the European Parliament and the Council to agree on a final text that will bring effective and automatic pay transparency for all female workers in the EU. As trade unionists, we stress that this would clearly help close the considerable gender pay gaps which have been persisting throughout the EU and remain far too high.

Moreover, there seems to be – finally – movement again in relation to a further pending proposal of the European Commission for a directive on quotas for women on company boards. A directive on this proposal, which has been blocked by the Council for the last ten years, finally needs to see the light of day, and I am glad that to see that the Council appears to be in the process of reconsidering its filibustering. Statistics clearly show that soft law approaches for more women in managerial positions do not work sufficiently. We hope that the directive will also be a stimulus for further measures to increase the share of women in higher managerial positions in the public services too. Employment in the public services should be a role model for the economy at large, and should therefore also be a frontrunner in terms of gender representation in leadership positions.

Today, on International Women’s Day, is an important opportunity to raise visibility for urgently needed measures for more equality in Europe. There is no time to waste.”

On March 3, the annual European Day for a Work-Free Sunday, the European Sunday Alliance calls on political leaders to put as a priority on the EU social policy agenda the establishment of a European weekly common day of rest.

Work-life balance, as well as healthy, safe and well-adapted work environments, are at the heart of the European Pillar of Social Rights, which all EU institutions and Member States governments have committed to implement.

A weekly day of rest

One of the major impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the rise of telework and the fragmentation of working time, often detrimental to the work-life balance of workers. In order to prevent a work environment that compromises the health and wellbeing of workers, it is crucial to ensure a right to disconnect, during the week but also during the weekend, with a work free day. A full day of rest per week is indispensable to recover and to ensure both a better wellbeing and a better productivity of workers.

A common day of rest

Humans are social beings, and for many of them their health requires more than individual time to spend alone. The challenges of the pandemic have highlighted the issue of loneliness in the EU. A common work-free day enables families to spend time together, children with parents and grandparents, who are the first ones to suffer from loneliness. A work free day makes it also possible to pursue volunteer work, civic engagement, joint social, sports or faith-related activities, and, more generally, to strengthen the social cohesion of our communities.

By tradition and custom, most European countries establish the weekly day of rest on Sunday.

The European Sunday Alliance thus calls on European political leaders to put as a priority the establishment of a European weekly common day of rest for workers, by tradition on Sunday, as enshrined in Art. 2 of the European Social Charter.

The European Sunday Alliance (ESA) is a network of more than 100 national Sunday Alliances, trade unions, employers’ organisations, civil society organisations, churches andreligious communities committed to raise awareness of the unique value of synchronised free time for our European societies.

CESI’s political leaders present in the meeting, President Romain Wolff, Secretary General Klaus Heeger and Andreas Hemsing (dbb), Vice-President of the Expert Commission, first took a moment to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to send their thoughts of peace, safety and solidarity to the Ukrainian citizens and government. The importance of public administration services in a smooth reception of refugees from Ukraine was also highlighted.

The meeting proceeded with an overview of main European priorities of 2022 in the field of public administration, which, according to the Expert Commission, include interoperabiltiy and digitalisation, the involvement and role of administration in the green-digital twin transitions, and investments for quality public service delivery – which also includes measures for a well-functioning staff recruitment and retention.

Maximilian Strotmann, European Commission, introduced the forthcoming legally binding proposal for a EU government interoperability strategy.

Julija Skerniškytė, Visionary Analytics, presented the final results of CESI’s research on digital transitions in public sector service delivery. Andreas Hemsing said: ‘The presentation offered a rich perspective on the digitalization of the public administration and we look forward to read more carefully the CESI research and to see how it can be useful for our members, the practitioners.’

Mina Shoylekova, European Commission, outlined the work of the European Commission services in the area of public administration and mentioned in this context in particular the support measures set out in its recent report ‘Supporting public administrations in EU Member States to deliver reforms and prepare for the future’ as well as continuous coordination with public administrations in the context of a dedicated advisory expert group on public administration governance. Her presentation was complemented by an assessment of the quality of the provision of public service delivery at national and EU levels which highlighted important workforce trends, limitations but also opportunities.

Romain Wolff, President of CESI, presented the latest news from the European Commission’s advisory Platform for Tax Good Governance, where CESI is a long-standing member.

Klaus Heeger emphasised: ‘There is high political interest for investments in public services after the pandemic. We should use this momentum to seize a stronger EU public sector agenda’.

The next meeting of the Expert Commission is scheduled to take place on May 31.

The Euroepan Commission recommends in its Fiscal Policy Guidance for 2023 in particular that:

• starting a gradual fiscal adjustment to reduce high public debt as of 2023 is advisable, while a too abrupt consolidation could negatively impact growth and, thereby, debt sustainability.
• nationally financed high quality public investment should be promoted and protected in medium-term fiscal plans since promoting a resilient economy and tackling the challenges of the twin transition are common key policy objectives for 2023 and beyond.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The lesson of the post-2007 financial and public debt crisis has been that excessive and abrupt austerity responses have disastrous adverse social effects for many citizens and workers and do no good the economy at large. We welcome that the response of the EU and the Member States to the Covid crisis has been more investment-focused. The quick economic recovery following the Covid lockdowns shows that this was the right path. Clearly, debt levels are high in many Member States and it is important to have a plan on how to manage them in a sustainable manner. However investments must continue, too,especially in public services. In its fiscal policy guidance for next year for the Member States, the European Commission seems to strike a good balance between both.”

In its Communication, the European Commission acknowledges in particular that:

• the green and digital economic transformation can only succeed if it is fair and inclusive.
• labour reallocation within and between sectors will require reforms and large–scale investment in reskilling and upskilling.
  
• a strong policy response at all levels will be needed to effectively address the social and cohesion challenges ahead.
• flanking measures will be required to mitigate the distributional impacts of the twin transition and that Member States and regional and local governments will also have to play their part, involving the relevant actors on the ground, including social partners and civil society, in the design and implementation of effective enabling policies and flanking measures.
  

The Communication also stresses that by ensuring a balanced territorial development and creating quality job opportunities for everyone while taking measures to mitigate the negative impact on the most vulnerable, including those at risk of energy poverty, and strengthening access to social protection, the economic transformation can help address pre–existing socio–economic inequalities, improve health and promote equality.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “I welcome the focus of the Euroepan Commission on the need to make the profound green and digital transformations which we currently experience socially fair and balanced. The notion that the twin transitions will also require measures to promote adequate working conditions is particularly important.”

He added: “Unfortunately, the European Commission intends to rely mostly on private sector investments. Public investment is only seen as an accompanying catalyst for private investment. For us, it is clear that public investments must play a key role in the financing of fair transitions for citizens, consumers and workers. It is necessary that public debts must remain manageable but we also see scope for further public revenues for instance through a tough fight against tax evasion and tax avoidance. Ressources gained in this way should be deployed for fair transitions.”

With the participation of guests speakers from the European Commission, the Commissions on Women’s Rights & Gender Equality and on Employment & Social Affairs, led by its Presidents Kirsten Lühmann and Eva Fernández Urbón respectively, reviewed progress in EU policy files which are currently under negotiation by the European Parliament and the Council or in preparation by the European Commission, including a forthcoming directive on gender-based violence, a proposal for the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention against Violence Against Women, measures for minimum standards for national equality bodies, a proposal for a horizontal equal treatment directive, and a directive on improved working conditions in the platform economy.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The objective of our Commissions on Women’s Rights & Gender Equality and on Employment & Social Affairs is to help inform and guide CESI’s interest representation in horizontal EU social policy, and to provide a forum for exchange among members and with EU decision makers to this end. The positions and resolutions that they adopt are valuable for the General Secretariat to help it represent the interests of CESI’s members towards the EU institutions in a competent and targeted manner.”

The next meeting of both Commission is scheduled to take place on June 21.

It is a long-standing problem that Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) prohibits agreements between undertakings that restrict competition to the extent that self-employed persons may be considered as “undertakings” under EU competition law and collective bargaining agreements they collectively enter into risk breaching EU law under Article 101 TFEU.

Draft guidelines published by the European Commission in December for consultation by stakeholders now aim to “clarify the applicability of EU competition law to collective bargaining by solo self-employed” in order to “ensure that competition law does not stand in the way of collective agreements to improve the working conditions of certain self-employed persons, who may have little influence over their working conditions, while guaranteeing that consumers and SMEs continue to benefit from competitive prices and innovative business models, including in the digital economy.”

Responding to the draft guidelines, the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI)

• recognises that the guidelines are an important step towards assuring effective collective bargaining rights of solo self-employed persons;
• welcomes in particular the European Commission’s assessment that Article 101 TFEU should in the future be interpreted in a narrow manner which does not stand in the way of collective bargaining for the self-employed – because the bargaining of vulnerable groups of workers cannot be equated with illicit cartel-forming under EU competition law;
• appreciates the wide scope of the guidelines to cover all collective agreements to the extent that they concern working conditions in the broadest sense, as well as in principle all forms of collective negotiations including through social partners or other interest representatives;
• notes in this context however that the presupposition that the conclusion of collective agreements precedes “a certain degree” of coordination between multiple negotiating parties but that this coordination should remain “necessary and proportionate” is vague and open to interpretation – and necessitates a further specification by the European Commission on how it will assess cases under Article TFEU 101 in terms of “a certain degree” of “necessary and proportionate” coordination between negotiating parties;
• agrees with the European Commission’s considerations that economically dependent solo self-employed persons, solo self-employed persons working ‘side-by-side’ with workers, as well as solo self-employed persons working through digital labour platforms should fall within the scope of the guidelines and be exempted from the meaning of Article 101 TFEU
• however emphasises in this context that the guidelines should not serve as a tool to cement the status of bogus solo self-employment. According to CESI, bogus self-employment remains unlawful, even if complemented by a right to collective bargaining. Regardless of the guidelines, the social partners and the legislators have a clear role to treat bogus self-employed as regular employees and thus endow them with core social and labour rights – including collective bargaining, but also beyond;
• generally welcomes the European Commission’s foreseen abstention from intervention on the basis of Article 101 TFEU in cases of collective agreements concluded by solo self-employed persons with counterparties “of a certain economic strength” and of collective agreements concluded by self-employed persons pursuant to national legislation, or, for artists and performers, under the EU Copyright Directive 2019/790;
• stresses in this context however that the criterion of “a certain economic strength” of the counterparties of the self-employed and their position in the market cannot be the only indicators to assess imbalances in bargaining power. Indeed, the imbalance in the bargaining power of the parties can be caused by various factors other than the market power of the counterparty. These include the number of clients, authority over oneself to make strategic decisions about one’s own economic activity, as well as the specific situation of the labour market and the unemployment rates that vary significantly among the Member State and the vulnerability of the self-employed person depending on the sector, profession and type of employment;
• in this context also takes note that the European Commission foresees to assess the economic strength of counterparties based on a pre-defined and fixed annual turnover of the counterparty and the size of its staff – regardless of the market in which the self-employed operates – and emphasises that considering the large differences in the markets of the Member States, such a flat-rate approach can be questionable. Indeed, genuine self-employed persons that work with counterparties without a “certain economic strength” might be left out of the scope of the guidelines as they have been drafted and be denied the right to collective bargaining under EU law. The guidelines should be more sensitive to persons in this situation, which are in many cases among the most precarious solo self-employed.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “A general prohibition of collective bargaining for the self-employed via trade unions on the grounds that there may be cartel-forming through joint wage negotiations is not in line with the spirit and the purpose of EU competition law. Justifying the prohibition of collective bargaining by reference to the need to maintain the integrity of the single market would be a misplaced contextualisation of EU law, especially when it is applied to vulnerable and precarious self-employed persons. An effective right to collective bargaining especially to the precarious and the vulnerable self-employed would be desirable.”

CESI’s full contribution to the European Commission’s consultation can be accessed here.

In its report, the European Parliament in particular:

• stresses that fragmentation of national tax policies can have a distortive effect on the EU single market and also be harmful for the EU economy, and welcomes the European Commission’s recent communication on business taxation for the 21st century which states that ‘the lack of a common corporate tax system in the Single Market acts as a drag on competitiveness […] and creates a competitive disadvantage compared to third country markets’.
• notes that compliance by the Member States with country-specific recommendations (CSRs) on taxation via European Semester can yield improved coordination on this matter; deplores however that some Member States have not (yet) implemented CSRs on aggressive tax planning.
• calls on the Member States to swiftly agree on anambitious proposal for a European corporate tax rulebook.
• welcomes the historic agreement reached within the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on the reform of the international tax system which suggests that multinational enterprises be subject to a 15 % effective tax rate and urges the Commission and the Member States to work together and ensure a swift transposition of the agreement into EU law.

It also calls on the Member States to continue reforming tax authorities and welcomes the fact that that since 2011, the scope of the EU directive on administrative cooperation (DAC) cooperation between Member States’ tax authorities with the aim of ensuring the proper functioning of the single market has been continuously widened to new domains in order to curb tax fraud and tax avoidance and that considerable progress has been made in the past decade.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We welcome many of the suggestions put forth in the European Parliament’s new own-initiative report on impacts of national tax reforms on the EU economy. As the voice of tax-paying workers and tax administration personnel across Europe, CESI stresses the need of a holistic and ambitious EU business taxation environment where adequate taxes are paid effectively and where companies are taxed where they operate and make profits. This environment must be based on a level-playing field with common rules that prevent a race to the bottom in corporate taxation rates and close loopholes that allow for aggressive tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion.”

He added: “CESI has repeatedly highlighted the importance of investments in the training, employment and working conditions of staff of national tax administrations and tax inspectorates and in digital equipment and resources for them. Tax rules and systems on paper are always only as a strong as tax administrations are effectively able to collect due taxes.”

The proposal for a Directive on corporate sustainability due diligence aims to promote sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour throughout global value chains. Since companies play an important role in building a sustainable economy and society, the proposal expects them to identify and, where necessary, prevent, end or mitigate adverse impacts of their activities on human rights, such as child labour and exploitation of workers, and on the environment, for example, pollution and biodiversity loss. By doing so, the businesses would enjoy a condition of legal certainty and a level playing field and workers and the environment at the production site of their goods would be better protected.

The proposal targets the companies’ own operations, their subsidiaries and their value chains. In order to comply with the corporate due diligence duty, companies would need to comply with different duties, relating to issues such measures for the prevention and mitigation of potential adverse impacts of their operations and the establishment and maintenance of complaints procedures.

Moreover, whereas the supervision and power of sanction of these new rules are accorded to national administrative authorities, also directors of companies would be required to become involved to ensure that due diligence becomes part of the overall, entire functioning of companies.

The aim of the proposal is to help ensure that the EU, in both the private and public sectors, acts on the international scene in full respect of its international commitments to protect human rights and foster sustainable development.

The accompanying and explanatory Communication on decent work worldwide, lays out the necessity to act on decent work worldwide, noting that an estimated 160 million children are in child labour while 25 million people are in a situation of forced labour. In the communication, the European Commission announces, among other initiatives, a new legislative instrument to effectively ban products made by forced labour from entering the EU market. This instrument would cover goods produced inside and outside the EU, combining a ban with a “robust enforcement framework”. It would build on international standards and complement existing horizontal and sectoral EU initiatives and, in particular, the due diligence and transparency obligations. Beyond this, the communication also sets out further upcoming and existing EU tools to advance the EU’s decent work agenda in the world, including through EU policies and initiatives with outreach beyond the EU, bilateral and regional relations, EU contributions in international and multilateral fora, and further engagement with stakeholders and in global partnerships.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The promotion of decent work as well as a solid strategy to enhance the respect of the human rights and environment around the world is the key to realising sustainable economies and societies. If the EU wants to be a global frontrunner in climate and environmental protection and worker protection, it needs to be bold at home as well as lead by example in the world. The fact that the European Commission wants the EU to take action, also inspired by the guidelines provided by ILO, is an encouraging signal which we as CESI endorse.”

Workers in Belgium will be soon allowed to opt for a four-day week. The labour law reforms agreed by the Belgian coalition government aim to enhance work flexibility and thus productivity.

According to the reform package, employees in the private sector who want to choose the new work regime will be able to request a condensed working week with no reduction of their salary. Under the new rules, an employee will be able to work up to 10 hours per day, in order to work one day less per week and also choose to work more during one week and less the following one. Employers can only turn down such a request if they justify their response in writing.

The agreement will also provide workers with the right to turn off work devices after normal working hours. The right to disconnect will apply to all employees working at companies with at least 20 employees.

Following the recent proposals by the European Commission for a regulation of platform work, the Belgian government also decided to set out clearer rules in the gig economy, by introducing an obligation for the platforms to provide their workers with insurance against work-related injuries and establishing a series of pre-defined criteria for judging when a person involved in platform labour should be classified as an employee.

However, among the several provisions of the new rules, certain amendments of the Belgian employment legislation directly undermine the workers’ current rights. For instance, the night-work rate of pay will start only after 24.00 o’clock rather than the current 20.00 o’clock. The largest national trade unions of Belgium (CGSLB, FGTB, and CSC), which have for years called for labour reform, expressed strong reservations regarding the new package, arguing that the government’s vision is problematic.

CESI Secretary General said: ‘Digitalization has redefined the way we work, and it is important to adapt to the new trends and needs. If used correctly, freedom in the workplace and flexibility in time and location of work can contribute to the improvement of work-life balance and help workers follow the fast pace of modern life. However, flexibility should not endanger work security. Unfortunately, there are numerous examples of flexible work regimes that led to power abuse against workers. Such initiatives can only succeed if there are mechanisms that can guarantee their proper implementation and prevent employers from using them in an arbitrary way against their workforce. And for this we need well-functioning labour inspectorates and strong trade unions!’

On February 16, the Court of Justice of the European Union confirmed in its judgments in cases C-156/21 (Hungary v Parliament and Council) and C-157/21 (Poland v Parliament and Council) the validity of EU Regulation 2020/2092 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget. The so-called conditionality regulation, adopted in December 2020 in connection with the EU’s new Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, allows the European Commission and the Council to make access to EU funding for Member States dependent on their respect of the rule of law.

In particular, the mechanism allows the EU to take measures – for example, the suspension of payments or financial corrections – to protect the Union budget when the European Commission and Council find that breaches of the rule of law principles affect or risk affecting the EU financial interests. The conditionality regulation foresees that the European Commission d proposes appropriate and proportionate measures to restrict access to funding and protect the EU budget to the Council , which then takes a decision.
A few months after the introduction of the conditionality regulation, Hungary and Poland challenged it before the Court of Justice of the European Union and requested its annulment. In particular, Hungary and Poland based their action on the absence, in their view, of an appropriate legal basis of the regulation in the TEU and TFEU, on a seeming excess of the powers conferred by the Treaties and on a breach which they saw in the principle of legal certainty.

In its judgments, the Court addressed each of the points on which the action was based:

Firstly, it affirmed that the procedure laid down by the regulation can be initiated not only where there are reasonable grounds for considering there have been breaches of the principle of rule of law but, also, when those breaches affect or seriously risk affecting the financial management of the Union budget or the protection of the financial interests of the Union. Moreover, it noted that these measures relate exclusively to the implementation of the Union budget and that they are all such as to limit the financing from that budget, according to the impact –on the same budget– of such an effect or serious risk. As a result, the Court found, the regulation is intended to protect the Union budget from breaches of the principles of rule of law and not to penalise those breaches as such. Therefore, according to the Court, since the financial management of the Union budget and the financial interests of the Union may be seriously compromised by those breaches, a conditionality mechanism– which makes receipt of financing from the Union budget subject to the respect by a Member State for the principles of the rule of law– is considered to be falling within the power conferred to the European Union by the Treaties.

Secondly, and with regards to Article 7 TEU, the Court found that the procedure established by the regulation respects the limits of the power conferred on the European Union. In particular, it stressed that the purpose of Article 7 TEU is to allow the Council to penalise serious and persistent breaches of the common values on which the European Union is founded. On the opposite, as the Court affirmed, the conditionality regulation is intended to protect the Union budget and, as a consequence, applies only in the event of a breach of the principles of the rule of law which affects or seriously risk affecting the proper implementation of that budget. The Court concluded that the procedure under Article 7 TEU and the procedure established by the conditionality regulation pursue different aims and each that has a clearly distinct subject matter.

Thirdly, as regards the breach of the principle of legal certainty, the Court stated that the principles set out in the regulation, as constituent elements of that concept, have been developed extensively in its case-law and have their source in common values which are also recognised and applied by the Member States in their own legal systems and that they stem from a concept of ‘the rule of law’ which the Member States share and to which they adhere, as a value common to their constitutional traditions. Consequently, the Court affirmed that the Member States are in a position to determine with sufficient precision the essential content and the requirements flowing from each of those principles. Therefore, the European Court concluded that the principle of legal certainty is respected.

On this matter, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The conditionality regulation did not go as far as we would have liked; it was a compromise which tied the national respect of the rule of law only to the realm of access to EU funding. While the assurance that this compromise is legal soundproof is encouraging, I hope that the mechanism will be a real leverage for the EU to ensure the rule of law and independent judiciaries in all Member States at large..”

The report puts forward recommendations to the European Commission/External Action Service and the Member States on how the EU’s security and defence doctrine should be further developed in the context of a new Strategic Compass, CSDP missions and operations, crisis management, resilience, capabilities, partnerships and parliamentary oversight of CSDP.

The European Parliament regularly assesses the developments the EU makes in the field of CSDP. And in 2021, they have been considerable. A so-called ‘Strategic Compass’ – “a comprehensive analysis on key threats and challenges to the Union, its Member States and citizens, including global and regional threats, conflicts in our neighbourhood by state and non-state actors” – has been developed, and the CSDP budget has been increased.

The adopted European Parliament report calls among others for a permanent high-level dialogue on Russia and improved relations with China. It underlines the fundamental importance of the transatlantic partnership, and it invites the EU to further bolster democratic alliances for the protection of the rule of law and human rights.

Thomas Sohst, President of CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Defence’ said: “Not least because of the increasing geopolitical instability in the past years, EU defence policy has moved into the spotlight. But the EU needs to further step up its efforts in order to become a credible and resilient global defence actor. Representatives of military and civilian personnel of the armed forces should be consulted and involved in all the stages of the design and implementation of defence policies. Moreover, if the EU wants to lead more successful civilian and military missions abroad, we must face the fact that more budget is needed.”

For a better protection of the healthcare workforce:

A larger scope of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive 37/2004

Today, the European Parliament plenary endorsed an agreement reached with the Council on December 16 last year on a fourth revision of the EU’s directive 27/2004 on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work.

For CESI it is a breakthrough: This fourth revision of the directive will include a reference to dangerous medicines, therefore guaranteeing a greater protection for healthcare workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic put health workers in the spotlight and emphasised the importance of PPEs (personal protective equipment). On the other hand, it overshadowed other risks that healthcare professionals are exposed to.

Dangerous drugs which are widely used in the treatment of cancer contain harmful substances for those handling them. Over time, this can cause serious illnesses, and even cancer. More than 12.7 million healthcare workers in Europe, including 7.3 million nurses, are potentially exposed to such dangerous substances[1].

Since 2018, CESI has firmly advocated in favour of expanding the scope of the 37/2004 EU Directive to include reprotoxic and dangerous substances. Following the 4th revision of the EU Directive 37/2004 on carcinogens and mutagens, the European Commission will set new standards and guidelines on the preparation and administration of these substances.

Esther Reyes, Chairwoman of CESI’s Expert Commission ‘Health’ welcomed the vote. “Of course, we are glad about the approval of the European Parliament plenary, which will hopefully further protect our affiliates. But there is more to it. For years we have asked for investment in the health sector; to increase human resources, and to improve working conditions. Altogether, a more inclusive, overarching protection of the healthcare workforce is needed.”

The agreement still needs to be formally approved by the Council at ministerial level, before the revised directive can enter into force.

[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0114_EN.html

The European Parliament’s resolution, which puts forward proposals to address the most vulnerable young persons, supports, inter alia, a reinforced Youth Guarantee and the EU’s new ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) programme and calls on the European Commission to “propose in 2022 new tools and initiatives aimed at developing youth entrepreneurship and youth social investment in the action plan for social economy”. Indeed, alarming statistics on NEETs, youth unemployment, mental health and social exclusion call for immediate intervention as part of the post pandemic recovery to bring back the wellbeing of young Europeans.

In 2019 one in four youngsters in the EU was at risk of social exclusion or poverty. High NEETs rates have staggering negative consequences for economies but more importantly they impact negatively the health, wellbeing and stability of young generations to come. Many fear that the perpetuation of this situation could lead to irreversible generational effects on youth.

In line with the European Parliament resolution, CESI advocates in favour of more decisive European and national responses to facilitate youth access to quality jobs and traineeships, affordable housing, mental health support mechanisms. To mitigate the negative consequences of the pandemic for the inclusion of young people in education, the European Union and Member States should invest more in labour market policies and in school-to-work transitions.

CESI welcomes proposals and demands put forward by the European Parliament on the European Year of Youth 2022, Erasmus+, a boosted Youth Guarantee, Youth Employment Initiative and new EU ALMA programme, and agrees that more investment in the future of young people should also be made also through the national plans of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

CESI also supports the resolution’s condemnation of unpaid work -be it as part of a professional internship, traineeship or apprenticeship-, salutes the resolution’s recommendation on including youth mental health recovery in the forthcoming EU Care Strategy, and notes that the inclusion of social partners in the design, implementation and delivery of youth policies, which is reiterated throughout the resolution, is instrumental in achieving effective and positive support for young people.

In support of the resolution CESI Youth Representative Matthäus Fandrejewski declared: “In order to prevent young people from losing themselves and maintain an economic, social and health-promising perspective, we need to invest in youth! Strong interest representation of young people is vital. CESI Youth continues to give youth workers a platform to advocate for their rights!”

Already now, under the current rules in EU regulation 561/2006, professional drivers (involved in the occasional international transport) of passengers may, under certain circumstances, postpone the weekly rest period for up to 12 consecutive days. This does not apply to drivers of goods. In addition to that, it appears that the European Commission is considering a further revision for bus and coach drivers in order “to adapt to the specificities of the sector.” This seems to aim in particular at allowing even more flexibility in terms of the respect of resting periods.

Against the background of a CESI contribution to a consultation by the European Commission, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “For us, it has never been fully understandable why derogations are allowed for the transport of persons. It simply begs the question why there should be different rules on resting and driving times in passenger transport by buses and coaches than there are for goods by trucks. More flexibility can too often and too quickly translate into undermining driver rights at the expense of working conditions of the drivers and the security of passengers. And that would be an absolute no-go for us. So I believe that the European Commission has to put more ‘flesh to the bones’ to explain why the (in this case international) transport of passengers may require even more derogations from the mandatory resting period to comply. Because at the end of the day, it is about the safety or lorry drivers, bus drivers and passengers alike.”

In order to achieve adequate participation in science for women and girls and contribute to their empowerment, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015.

According to a recent science report of UNESCO, 33 per cent of the world’s researchers are women. Female researchers are awarded less research funding than men and are less likely to be promoted. The report also shows that the presence of women in tech industries is very limited. Only 1 in 5 professionals working in artificial intelligence and 1 in 3 engineering graduates are women.

Education systems and professionals can play a key role: by encouraging female pupils and students and enhancing trust in their competences of those who would like to pursue a career in a STEM field.

Especially in the frame of its Commissions on ‘Women’s Rights and Gender Equality’ and ‘Education, Training and Research’, CESI honours this year’s international day and remains committed to the further promotion of equal opportunities between women and men.

According to CESI, the fundamental principle of equality between women and men is vital for the achievement of the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but it is also a common value of the EU and a necessary condition for achieving further growth, innovation, employment and social cohesion in the EU.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “In a changing world full of new challenges and risks, sustainable solutions require harnessing all talent of our communities. Diversity in research is vital in order to bring in fresh perspectives and deal with the complex issues of our times. And this means strengthening the role of women in these fields. Science must not miss the talents of women.”

He added: “Now is the time to stop systemic disparities, eliminate stereotypes and work towards a new culture in science and work that is free of biases and discrimination. As CESI, we stand ready to contribute our part in this.”

According to the Forecast, following a notable expansion by 5.3% in 2021 the EU economy will grow by 4.0% in 2022. The EU as a whole reached its pre-pandemic level of GDP in the third quarter of 2021 and all Member States are projected to have passed this milestone by the end of 2022. Moreover, after reaching a record rate of 4.6% in the fourth quarter of last year, inflation in the euro area is projected to peak at 4.8% in the first quarter of 2022 and remain above 3% until the third quarter of the year.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The European economy is recovering from the Covid crisis, growth is at very encouraging levels and many companies are comfortably back in the profit zone. At the same time, high inflation becomes an increasing problem for many citizens and workers. The net value of their savings decreases significantly, while wage increases have so far in general not kept pace with inflation. Workers in Europe need a pay rise to reflect at least inflationary developments. The purchasing power of workers must not decrease, workers must not pay the price of inflation. This is especially true for low-income earners that are threatened to face poverty or risks to fall into poverty through inflation. We should not forget that inflation for many goods that make up large shares of the expenditure of low- and medium-income households, such as energy, rents and basic foodstuffts, has recently been far beyond even ‘just’ 4 or 5%.”

More information about the Winter 2022 Economic Forecast is available on the European Commission’s website.

According to the European Commission, the Declaration should guide policy makers and companies in their dealings with new technologies and the digital transformation and recapitulate a set of rights and freedoms enshrined in the EU’s legal framework as values that all citizens in the EU should enjoy. The European Commission invites the European Parliament and the Member State governments acting in the Council to endorse this Declaration.

The proposed declaration spans to areas including access to internet connectivitiy, digital educaiton and skills, working conditions, digital public services, interactions with algorithms and artificial intelligence systems, and privacy and individual control over data as well as the proper protection of children online. Importantly, the ‘rights’ are not directly enforceable by individuals but rather serve as a compass that decision makers and managers should follow suit.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “A declaration to proclaim principles for a fair digital transformation is a welcome complement to the EU’s digitalisation agenda, which should above all be social. As CESI we have stressed that the principles for fair digital labour markets, employment and working conditions should not be missing. We welcome the planned commitment to ensure that everyone shall be able to disconnect and benefit from safeguards for work-life balance in a digital environment. However, it would have been good to clearly relate the right to protection of personal data online clearly to area of work and employment too. Surveillance at work is a clear no-go.“

He added: “We endorse in particular also the rights pertaining to accessible, seamless secure and interoperable digital public services, which are much-needed. Achieving this will require substantial investments in the hard and soft infrastructure and equipment of the public services and its staff. It is key to note however that public services will not work purely online. They should always also remain accessible to those who are no digital natives or prefer in-person services. Many public services also require human judgment and empathy towards the citizens to work. Not every service can work well purely online.”

Dear members, colleagues, friends and partners of CESI,

The population’s views on the Covid measures and vaccination (obligation) couldn’t be more divided, and the tone of the debate shows that the blocs are becoming increasingly irreconcilable.

According to a resolution of CESI’s Presidium from June 2021, “vaccinations are an indispensable tool to bring down Covid-19 in the long term and protect the health of the citizens, the continued business activities of companies as well as the seamless provision of public services. However, general obligatory vaccinations -enforced for instance by threats of dismissal of certain categories of workers in case of non-vaccination- are not an adequate way to proceed in the fight against the Covid pandemic. Threatening workers with the termination of employment contracts or work relationships burdens the functioning dialogue and long-established trust between workers and management upon which successful business and public service provision depend. More and targeted awareness-raising campaigns to encourage and convince all citizens and workers of the benefits of a vaccination against Covid-19 is a more effective and promising alternative”.

I believe that for us unions, there is more to it.

Recent studies seem to corroborate the assumption that vaccine opposition have, to a certain extent, been linked to precariousness. And in a recent article for the NZZ, Maurizio Ferraris, Italian philosopher and professor at the University of Turin, takes the position that the loss of social ties, loneliness as well the absence of perspectives are fertile grounds for conspiracy theories – and hence vaccine opposition.

Caroline de Gruyter, Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, writes in a recent opinion piece, that “social and political trust are declining. As a recent report by the University of Basel showed, one of the reasons why anti-vax movements in Germany and Switzerland radicalise so fast and so easily is precisely the fact that many citizens have drifted away from mainstream society – there is little that binds them together with other citizens, not even trust in scientists and doctors.”

Against that background, the societal bonds that trade unions bring cannot be valued enough. Beyond collective bargaining, social dialogue and interest representation, they can – and should – act as ‘intermediary bodies’ to engage with their membership to re-build social ties, re-connect citizens and re-store their trust in institutions. Trade unions can provide essential contact, empathy, understanding, dialogue, and not least persuasion.

They must play a mediation role. In a highly emotionalised context, where two sides face each other in a seemingly irreconcilable way, they are the glue that holds societies together. And they should be aware of it; in a determined, self-confident, and responsible manner.

Because all workers count.

As negotiations on a new directive on an EU minimum wage framework proceed, Eurostat published first data of the year on the national minimum wage rates of the 21 Member States that have statutory minimum wages; data on six Member States that have minimum wages through collective agreements were not included in the data set.

The statistics show that large disparities among the Member States persist. NineMember States, located in the east of the EU, have minimum wages below €700 per month, six Member States, located in the east and south of the Union, have minimum wages between €730 and €1,126, while in six further countries in central and western Europe statutory minimum salaries range between €1,500 and €2,257.

It is noteworthy that the highest minimum wage (Luxembourg) is almost 7 times higher than the lowest (Bulgaria). Moreover, even after adjusting national statutory wages to price differences across countries and expressing them in terms of purchasing power parities (PPPs), it appears that relative minimum pay is up to three times higher in countries such as Luxembourg and Germany than in countries such as Bulgaria or Latvia. As a general trend, minimum wages are relatively higher in Western Member States than in Eastern and Southern Member States

In a recent resolution, CESI expressed its support for the initiative of the European Commission to establish a framework that will ensure adequate wages in the Member States, noting that the new directive must:

-cover the bogus self–employed because they are de facto workers and should be recognized and protected as such,

-apply also to the public sector (but exclude civil servants falling under the so–called alimentation principle),

-promote collective bargaining and protect the role of social partners and trade unions in wage setting, and

-prevent Member States from applying exemptions for minimum wages at their discretion.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “We need adequate and poverty-preventing minimum wages for every worker in precarious employment, in all sectors. The Single Market provides us with great opportunities regarding the free movement of capital, persons, goods and services, but it must always consider the interests of workers and citizens, because, otherwise, it can open doors to social dumping and social inequalities. The social disparities among the Member States that arise from widely differing relative minimum wages are unacceptable and a European approach that will bring upward covergence in this regard is extremely important.”

In view of the ongoing Corona crisis and impending digital and ecological transitions, the same question is being raised both in the Member States and political circles in Brussels: how can the Member States combine investment boosts and debt brakes in a sustainable and crisis-proof manner? For Europe’s trade unions, too, this is a question that doesn’t yet appear to have found an answer.

According to the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), Member States may not take on more than 3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in debt each year and the public debt ratio must not exceed 60% of GDP. Are these rules too rigid to allow governments to adjust national fiscal policies in line with economic cycles and crisis responses? Or do we in fact need these rules to keep debt in check without any ifs and buts?

Reflecting back over recent years, we see that many countries have not been meeting the Stability and Growth Pact’s targets for a long time now, and not only “in the South”, but also in countries such as Belgium and Austria. Germany first violated the SGP 15 years ago under Chancellor Schröder and is currently exceeding the 60% government debt ratio. These developments were triggered primarily because of a series of derogation and flexibility mechanisms that granted Member States temporary deviations from SGP rules.

Although these mechanisms always require the approval of national governments in the EU Council of Ministers, they are mostly based on political rather than economic considerations. This is how some individual countries have been repeatedly given a “reprieve” in the past; since March 2020 and probably lasting until 2023, the Pact has even been completely suspended through what is known as the “escape” clause, allowing governments to tackle the Corona pandemic with massive and urgently-needed expenditure whilst at the same time looking towards the digital-ecological economic transitions that lie ahead.

Brussels is now considering putting the EU’s economic and fiscal governance on a new footing for the post-2023 period so as to introduce a reformed system that better combines flexibility, investment stimulus and sustainable debt reduction; even across economic cycles, crises and asymmetric (i.e. country-specific) shocks. Europe’s aim here is to find an effective and universally-accepted solution; with all the reform-readiness in the world, highly indebted Member States need urgent to medium-term substantial assistance from the financially better-off countries for investments – to be used to a considerable extent for modernising their public services and administrations. And these financially better-off countries, for their part, cannot really afford to dismiss offering assistance out of hand if they wish to avoid further social and economic division in the EU at all costs.

The EU internal market is too economically and financially integrated, and “rich” countries such as Germany are the ones deriving excessive financial benefit from it. And last but not least: Isn’t the EU’s very raison d’être to pursue the objectives of convergence and solidarity, which the “richer” Member States are only too ready to call for in other political contexts?

Of course, in principle, it is only possible to distribute what has been generated beforehand, and every country should be able to stand on its own two feet in the long term; the German Finance Minister Christian Lindner recently emphasised this point at the dbb’s annual conference. However, it is equally true that investments sometimes create the framework conditions for prosperity, economic development and, ultimately, tax revenues. In his opening speech , dbb Federal Chairman Ulrich Silberbach emphasised that investments, not least in public services, mean investments in stability, economic activity and prosperity.

Of course, it could be argued that additional investments, i.e. expenditure, come at the expense of future generations, as the German Taxpayers’ Association never misses an opportunity to point out. But it has been repeatedly shown that upstream investment, for example in public services, makes States and society more resilient to future crises; rendering them worthwhile in the medium- and long-term. And surely no one would question the fact that especially in times of Corona and sweeping digital and ecological changes, large-scale expenditure is needed to safeguard the interests of those very future generations.

With all due criticism of the ‘Greek conditions’ 15 years ago: for many, the austerity policies imposed by the Troika have been a resounding failure. It is true that selling off a strategically important port (now in the hands of the Chinese) and mass emigration, especially of young and educated people, is hardly synonymous with glittering prospects of ‘resilience’.

In a recent opinion piece for the Financial Times, Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi argued in favour of reforming the Stability Pact to facilitate public spending in the future: “We need to have more room for manoeuvre and enough key spending for the future and to ensure our sovereignty,” wrote the two Heads of State and Government. This view clearly contradicts the ‘breaking even’ dogma, and to write it off as simply wrong (from a German perspective) would be presumptuous. Rather, it is based on differing interests, economic cultures and, not least, historical experience. And it must be said that both are not faring too badly in economic terms at the moment.
And this is Europe.

So, when the German Federal Minister of Finance announced at the dbb annual conference that the debt brake would be introduced again as of 2023 and that it would serve to guide public spending decisions, some fundamental disputes (within the German traffic light coalition too) naturally arose about what form and direction the SGP ought to take. The outcome will also have an impact on the interests of all employees and civil servants working within the public services of the Member States and Europe. As CESI, we must therefore keep a critical eye on the debate, but must also remain broad-minded and careful not to declare any thinking off-limits. Because for us too, the stakes are high.

In this context, see also the decision of the EU finance ministers from January 18 who approved this recommendation: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-5080-2022-INIT/en/pdf

CESI President Romain Wolff and CESI SG Klaus Heeger met in Madrid the ANPE (National Association of Teachers in Spain) President Francisco Venzalá González and Vice-President Nicolas Fernandez, to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”.

On the agenda, important points related to the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the #teachers in Spain.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

With a programme focused on the recovery and strengthening of Europe, the French Presidency aims to upgrade the European economic and social model and defend the European values and interests.

The programme of the new Presidency has three ambitions:

• A more ‘sovereign’ Europe with protected boarders, better security, and an improved asylum policy in line with Europe’s values.
• A new European model for growth with a focus on digital and green transitions and the creation of high-quality jobs.
• A humane Europe that gives voice to the citizens, defends the rule of law, and fights again every discrimination.

CESI welcomes every policy initiative that can lead to a more inclusive, resilient, and social Europe and expects that the new Presidency will pay particular attention to well-functioning and inclusive social dialogue, the mitigation of the profound social- and employment-related Covid fallout, and the protection of labour and the most vulnerable during the green and digital transitions.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “The programme of the French Presidency includes some very important interventions in the field of employment that could upgrade working conditions and the labour markets of the Member States. Policy negotiations on adequate minimum wages in the EU, decent working conditions in the platform economy, a socially fair environmental-digital transition, the encompassing application of the principle of equal pay for equal work, and a better participation of persons with disabilities in the labour market are expected to be at the core of EU policy making in the coming months. And in all these developments, hearing all trade unions and social partners will be crucial.”

CESI President Romain Wolff and CESI SG Klaus Heeger met in Madrid the President Manuel Cascos Fernández and a delegation of Sindicato de Enfermería SATSE – Spanish Trade Union of Nursing Professionals to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”.

On the agenda, important points related to the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the nursing and physiotherapy professionals in Spain.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

CESI President Romain Wolff met in Madrid the President Miguel Borra Izquierdo and a delegation of CSIF Nacional – Spanish Central Independent and Public Employees’ Trade Union to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”.

On the agenda, important points related to the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the private sector workers and public administration staff in Spain.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

Without investment and innovation in public services, Germany will not be able to meet the existential challenges of the future, the dbb warns.*

“Digitalisation, climate protection (including the ecological transformation of the economy) education, social changes, social cohesion, immigration; we will not be able to tackle these future challenges without an efficient and motivated civil service that is properly equipped in terms of staffing and technology”, said dbb Federal Chairman Ulrich Silberbach at the opening of the dbb Annual Conference in Berlin on 10 January 2022.

With staffing stretched to an absolute limit and often antiquated technology, the civil service has practically been undergoing “a permanent stress test” for years. Employees have been waiting in vain for any display of appreciation and for employers and public authorities to realise “that it is high time to make long-term investments in their staff and to motivate them to stay by offering attractive working conditions”, criticised the head of the dbb. He also stressed that it was not the employees’ fault if the State was no longer functioning in ways that citizens had every right to expect. “If, as a result of political dithering and an obsession with the bottom line, we fail to futureproof our authorities and administrations over a period of years, we cannot feign surprise when disaster strikes”, said Silberbach. He went on to warn, “We cannot go on like this. A State that fewer and fewer people trust and that is failing to live up to their expectations is a State that can expect less and less from its people in return. If the cement holding our society together begins to crumble along with the civil service, if the system slowly but surely disintegrates into a number of component parts, we stand to lose social cohesion, respect for law and order, solidarity and respect.” There is also widespread frustration among employees about “staff shortages, increasing workloads, out-of-date technology and a web of bureaucracy which is stifling innovation and agility”.

The dbb chief outlined a clear roadmap for the sustainable modernisation of public services and stressed that time was of the essence, “We simply have to act now”, Silberbach urged. In addition to adequate staffing levels and attractive working conditions, public administration must finally enter the digital age. “Currently, we have a shortage of over 330,000 employees in the public sector. And that’s not all: almost 1.3 million colleagues are over the age of 55 and will therefore be retiring in the next few years. 1.3 million. How the federal, state and local governments are intending to compensate for this loss of know-how and manpower is still a mystery”, Silberbach emphasised. The already sluggish pace of digitalisation will not be enough to solve the problem alone, he said. Without people, there can be no State, and politicians should finally stop “constantly viewing employees as merely walking cost factors. Investments in public services are investments in stability, economic activity, education, security and prosperity.”

The dbb chief also called for greater respect and appreciation for the civil service in general. “Colleagues in the civil service must not be viewed as lightning rods for any policies attracting criticism. Those who bear political responsibility must make that clear time and time again and in no uncertain terms. Anyone attacking those who seek to represent and defend our State and the values it stands for is waging an attack on us all. That is why we expect more protection, more respect and more support from politics and society”, said Silberbach, also addressing the new Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, who is attending the dbb Annual Conference in person.

Livestream of the dbb Annual Conference 2022: https://www.dbb.de/veranstaltungen/dbb-jahrestagung/dbb-jahrestagung-2022/livestream.html

*Translation of the dbb Newsletter 04/22

In a proposal for a directive to help prevent the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes, the European Commission aims to ensure that letterbox companies -fake firms that have no or minimal economic activity- in the EU are unable to benefit from any tax advantages and do not place any financial burden on taxpayers. To become effective and legally binding, this proposal has to be adopted by the Member States acting in the Council.

A further proposal for a global minimum level of taxation for multinational groups in the EU aims to deliver on the EU’s pledge to be among actors to implement the OECD/G20’s recent global corporate tax reform agreement to bring a 15% effective tax rate for very large international companies. As foreseen by the OECD/G20, the tax rate would apply in at least 136 countries around the globe and represent more than 90% of the world’s GDP. This proposal, too, needs to be adopted by the Council.

CESI Sectetary General Klaus Heeger said: “We have been calling for an effective fight against tax avoidance by multinational companies for long. Taxes on labour are high, public debts increase in many countries, and governments in many places lack resources to finance quality public services for citzens – while big business can shift profits to tax havens and sneak away from taxation. One can always argue that 15% of minimum corporate taxation for very large multinationals is not sufficient, that the G20/OECD agreement contains too many loopholes, or that action by policy makers on taxation is too slow. However we should be aware that a deal that involves not only the EU Member States but all further relevant global actors as well, including many tax havens, is a complex challenge. In this sense we welcome and support the G20/OECD agreement as well as the European Commission’s plans to implement it and set additional rules to fight shell companies. The Member State governments acting in the Council must now quickly adopt the Euroepan Commission’s proposals and send a strong sign to global politics to follow suit. This should be considered a further important step towards fair taxation. There is still a long road ahead.”

A conversation with Marta Pilati, Policy Assistant in the Cabinet of European Commissioner Ferreira, on the EU cohesion policy 2021-2027 and the initiatives to strengthen social cohesion in the Union.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

In its proposal for a Council Recommendation, the European Commission suggests that Member States should “ensure that the Union’s transition towards a climate–neutral and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050 is fair and leaves nobody behind” and take the necessary measures “to adopt and, in close cooperation with social partners as relevant, implement comprehensive and coherent policy packages, addressing the employment and social aspects to promote a fair transition across all policies, notably climate, energy and environmental policies, as well as to make optimal use of public and private funding.” Specific measures a proposed to ensure that green transition will not bring adverse effects for citizens and employees. The role that quality green job creation, the maintenance of working conditions as well as inclusive access to education, training and life-long learning in green skills have for a socially fair transition is highlighted.

The proposal now needs to be deliberated and agreed on within the Council. The European Parliament is not formally involved.

In line with a consultation statement submitted to the European Commission during its drafting phase of the text, CESI:

• welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to address social and labour aspects of the just transition towards climate neutrality, as part of its European Green Deal. The objectives laid out in the proposal are generally correct and important to attain.
• stresses however that unfortunately a Council Recommendation is an insufficient legal tool to achieve socially fair and sustainable green transitions. Experience has shown that Member States implement (or not) non-binding Recommendations at their convenience. CESI questions the impact that a Recommendation will have.
• moreover underlines that a more holistic approach and streamlining across EU legislation would instead be necessary, comprising, most notably: (1) further reviewing EU legislation with the aim to better enforce existing legislation and identify legislative gaps to close and make labour markets and working conditions fairer and fit for the green age, (2) further binding measures for a strengthened participation of workers and their representatives in change management, and (3) more emphasis in the EU macroeconomic governance system and in EU funding tools, e.g. through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Just Transition Fund European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, to ensure that the necessary resources and infrastructure are provided to give to the at-risk jobs of today a future.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Already during CESI’s last Congress in 2020, we demanded a Social Deal to accomany the Green Deal at par. The EU imposes new rules for energy transitions and climate protection which will also involve significant costs for many citizens and employees. It is irreponsible that the EU set rules with impacts down to the level of the individual but then leaves the management of these impacts at the entire discretion of the Member States. A recommendation will likely be a paper tiger that Member States can just ignore without any consequences if it suits them.”

The aim of the online meeting was to explore concrete links between digitalisation and third-party violence and harassment at work. Together with other trade unionists as well as managers and researchers, CESI and its members had the opportunity to share their views on timely questions such as: Which are the specific impacts of digitalisation on third-party violence? What dimensions does cyberviolence have in the world of work and how widespread is it? Why is data security so important for workers and why is personal data considered a concern for occupational health and safety? Are the European multisectoral guidelines on third-party violence which were adopted in 2010 by a variety of European social partner organisations, including CESI, fit for the challenges raised by the recent digitalisation of work? What can social partners do to protect workers in the digital era?

The webinar started with an introduction to a recent report by the European Parliament on ‘Combating gender-based violence: Cyber violence’. It was mentioned that from a trade union perspective it is regrettable that the report fails to mention workplace and social dialogue issues but that it nevertheless includes relevant data to show the overall scope of cyber violence, noting that for instance that 4 to 7% of women in the Union experienced cyber harassment during the 12 months prior to report, while between 1 and 3% suffered from cyberstalking.

Jane Pillinger, independent researcher and consultant for the project, presented the key conclusions of a previous third webinar of the project which had been devoted to the creation of a preventative risk assessment culture at work. She also gave an overview of the results of an ongoing survey on the matter under the project which focusses on hospitals, prison services, employment services, front-line workers in local and regional government, secondary schools, urban public transport as well as telecoms, and mentioned that 15% of the respondents reported that cyber harassment is a predominant type of third-party violence.

Mathias Wouters, postdoctoral researcher at the Labour Institute of KU-Leuven University and co-author of a recent ILO report on links between digitalisation and violence and harassment at work presented possible concrete measures to constrain such behaviours. In particular, he underlined the role that persistence and repetition as well as an unequal power relations play in the act of ‘bullying’, which can be found also in ‘cyberbullying’. He explained how in cyberbullying one can also lead to multiplying ‘snowball effects’: Online aggressions can circulate a lot faster than in the analogous world and aggravate exponentially.

Tim Tregenza from the EU Agency for Safety and Health at work (EU-OSHA) described how occupational health hand safety-related risks in ICT can be prevented by holistic, systematic and systemic approachs and stressed the need of a coherent framework which brings together aspects of data security, harassment, telework and occupational health and safety. As Mathias Wouters, he confirmed that the social media have become an established vector of harassment and online violence. He also pointed out how data protection has become a health and safety concern as new technologies and social media blur private and work life.

For CESI, this webinar constituted the continuation of an awareness-raising action on the topic started with its own project on third-party violence at work (2019-2020) and particularly including an own #NOVIOLENCEATWORK campaign based on a video and manifesto against third-party violence at work, be it offline, or online.

The speakers’ presentations of this fourth webinar, as well as a report in English, will be available here.

About the multisectoral European social partner project

“The role of social partners in preventing third-party violence and harassment at work” is a joint project of HOSPEEM, EPSU, CEMR, CESI (co-applicants) and ETF, ETNO, ETUCE, EUPAE, UITP (associated organizations), co-funded by the European Commission, for the years 2021 to 2023.

The project aims to assess the effectiveness at the national level of the EU multi-sectoral social partners’ Guidelines to tackle and prevent third-party violence and harassment related to work (2010), which CESI signed in 2018, as part of the TUNED delegation, for the central government administrations’ sector. It will identify areas for improvements and explore possibilities for reviewing the Guidelines’ content and nature considering recent legislative developments and the ILO Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment (2019). The final objective of the project is to become an awareness-raising tool on a gender-sensitive approach to third-party violence and harassment at the workplace.

In a hearing on July 1 in the run-up to the drafting of an own-initiative report of the European Parliament on ‘Democracy at work’, Aleardo Pelacchi, a long-standing Confsal trade unionist from Italy and expert in European Works Councils, had in particular

• pointed to the need to strengthen the right to unionise as a basis for functioning worker representation at company-level, noting that trade unions can only defend the rights of workers effectively is their overall coverage and involvement is high;
• emphasised the urgent need to establish better guidelines for more effective worker participation processes at company level;
• stressed the necessity to further strengthen meaningful worker participation in European Works Councils in particular. “This should include real, ex-ante involvement and not just ex-post information transmittance after corporate decisions have already been made”, he had noted.

The final version of the report adopted by the European Parliament plenary last week, on December 16, takes up much of these considerations. The report, which is non-legislative, makes recommendations towards the European Commission for instance to:

• “put forward without further delay a directive on binding environmental and human rights due diligence and responsible business conduct, including workers’ rights such as the right to organise and collectively bargain”. It notes that “workers’ rights to organise, to collective union representation, to freedom of assembly and association, and to collectively call for reforms within their workplaces are fundamental aspects of the European project and core principles of the social model.”
• boost the role and functioning of European Works Councils (EWCs), stressing “the importance of ensuring timely and meaningful information and consultation [of EWCs], before management decisions are made” and highlighting that “workers’ representatives, including trade unions [in the EWCs], must have access to the requisite expertise and support documentation regarding management decisions” to ensure that “a genuine dialogue” and “meaningful participation” can take place in re-structurings.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Workplace democracy and workplace participation of employees is an important element for a sustained success of firms and business. Only when employees are engaged, involved and heard will they be able to adjust successfully to the diverse and profound social, economic, green and digital transitions that we are experiencing. Without employees taking ownership, without the insights of the workers that actually fulfill and deliver job functions, company and workplace changes will only be imposed top-down and risk to fail in their practical implementation. We are glad that the report of the European Parliament gives a number of key proposals to the European Commission to improve employee participation at the workplace both in general and in the context of the European Works Councils in particular.”

Further information about the report of the European Parliament is available here.

A conversation with Eszter Sandor, researcher at Eurofound, on teleworking and the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of workers.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

A conversation with Oliver Röpke, President of the Workers’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee, on the the green and digital transitions and the lessons learned from the pandemic.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

A conversation with Maria Teresa Fabregas Fernandez, Director of the Recovery and Resilience Task Force at the European Commission, on the social elements of the RRF and her expectations towards CESI’s ‘Summer Days 2022’.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

A conversation with Birgit Wintermann, Labour Law Specialist at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, on the impact of the green and digital transition on our societies and labour markets.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

A conversation with Daniela Rondinelli, MEP, on the proposed Directive on adequate minimum wages.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

CESI SG Klaus Heeger and the representatives of USLIP IASI News, Laviniu Adrian Lăcustăand Alupoae Laura, met today to talk about the European strategy: “A Europe fit for the digital age, empowering people with a new generation of technologies”, the impact of digitalisation, required competencies, safety procedures, work-life balance and the need of digital tools for the teachers in Romania.

More about DiWork – Digitalising public services: Making it work for citizens, business and workers: https://lnkd.in/dFrbQue4

A conversation with Rainer Lindholm, member of the Federal Government of TVML. TVML (Customs Officials Association/ Tullivirkamiesliitto- Tulljänstemannaförbundet) represents workers in all areas of customs in Finland in a variety of different positions.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

A conversation with Vic Van Vuuren, Director of the ILO Enterprises Department, on the mandate of the Enterprises Department, Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) policies, and the role of the EU in promoting decent work.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

Dear members, colleagues, friends, and partners of CESI,

As we are approaching the end of the year, time to look back at 2021. What are our findings?

Of course, the sentiment of an everlasting COVID-19 ‘déjà vu’. Our 2021 new year’s wishes where: “Looking back at an extremely difficult year, we would like tot thank you for the great cooperation, strong support and overwhelming trust that came to the fore over the last twelve months.” I believe we could recycle it for our 2022 new year’s wishes.

And yet, despite the feeling of being caught in an eternal COVID measures loop, I believe this year was not in vain, at least not in terms of activities. Many, many events, encounters, online debates and positionings took place in the frame of our ‘CESI@homes’ and ‘CESI@noons’, our ‘PULSER’, ‘DiWork’, and ‘WeEP’ projects, our ‘CESIInsides’ and ‘CESITalks’ interview series, and of course in the context of the activities of the Board, Presidium, CESI Youth, Commissions and Expert Commissions.

From minimum wages to pay transparency, from the fight against precarious work to combating third party violence, from the challenges of the future of work to the importance of public services, from green and digital transition to the central role of trade unions: I believe we left marks in the national and European agendas.

By focussing also on specific interests of the workforce in some of the sectors that have been particularly hit by the pandemic –public administrations, education, defence, civil protection, and, last but not last, health- we did not shy away from sometimes difficult debates; and I very much hope that this truly reflected the interests of our members and their affiliates.

2021 has been, yet again, a tough and challenging year. Our activities, plans, expectations and objectives had to be adapted repeatedly to unexpected and rapid changes. We had to remain flexible and, at the same time, effective.

And I believe that we managed to do it – together with the support and the commitment of our secretariat, our members, our partners, and our friends. And I hope we were able to give some support and commitment back.

And if we look at 2022? A lot is (and remains) on our plate. We aim to further improve our yearly planning and activity implementation cycle, our internal and external communication channels, and our visibility. We want to continue to establish and strengthen partnerships and relations both with our members and external organisations – having an open door for everyone who wants to get engaged and committed with and within CESI. In this sense, allow me to congratulate the new CESI Youth leadership for its (re-)election. We look forward to continuing a great journey with you, even (or especially) through troubled waters.

Yes, we will pursue our objectives as a trade union umbrella organisation with passion, enthusiasm, collegiality, empathy, and helpfulness. The human factor counts. Now more than ever.

And we count on you.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – to our members, to our political representatives, to our staff, to our partners and to our friends.

A conversation with Rade Panic, President of the Serbian Trade Union of Doctors and Pharmacists (Синдикат лекара и фармацеута Србије- SLFS). SLFS represents doctors and pharmacists employed in the private and the public sector.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

A conversation with Francesco Corti, Associate Researcher at CEPS, on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the implementation of national execution plans, and CESI’s ‘Summer Days 2022’.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

A conversation with Diederik Samsom, Head of cabinet of EVP Frans Timmermans at the European Commission, on the social dimension of the European Green Deal and its impact on workers and jobs.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

Today, the European Commission proposed a set of measures for the protection of platform workers and the sustainable growth of platform economy.

The proposed package includes three interventions:

-A non-legislative communication on the EU approach and initiatives on platform work.
-A legislative proposal for a Directive on improving working conditions of people involved in platform work.
–Draft guidelines interpreting the application of EU competition law to collective agreements of the solo self-employed, including the self-employed in platform economy, which will be open to feedback from stakeholders and will, if applicable amended, be published in their final version in the second quarter of 2022.

The proposed Directive is based on a legal rebuttable presumption that if a person working through a platform meets two of a series of pre-established criteria, then he/she is to be considered as an employee enjoying the rights linked to the employment status, meaning labour rights (a minimum wage, working time, collective bargaining, paid leave, protection against work accidents) and social benefits (unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, old-age pensions). Additionally, the proposed Directive includes provisions regarding the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms and the balance between human monitoring and automated decisions when they affect working conditions.

The proposed draft guidelines on the application of EU competition law to collective agreements of solo self-employed persons aim to ensure that certain agreements will not trigger the European Commission’s intervention under the EU Treaties, for instance where solo self-employed struggle to influence their working conditions because of a weak bargaining position.

The European Commission estimates that its proposed measures will create better working conditions for more than 28 million people working through platforms and may lead to the re-classification of up to 4.1 million people as employees.

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: ”After two phases of consultations among the social partners on the content of the suggested measures, we are pleased to see that our voices have been heard to a considerable extent. The new rules will provide increased legal certainty, homogeneity and transparency in platform economy, something that will benefit workers, customers, and also platforms themselves.”

A conversation with Erzsébet Boros, President of the Hungarian Civil Servants and Public Employees Trade Union (Magyar Köztisztviselők, Közalkalmazottak és Közszolgálati Dolgozók Szakszervezete- MKKSZ), which represents workers from national and local administrations and economic and civil organisations financed from the national budget.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

Sara Rinaudo, Chair of CESI’s working group on the future of work, talks with Dragoș Tudorache, MEP and Chair of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA), about the impacts of the use of Artificial Intelligence on our labour markets and the world of work.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies. It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks

A conversation with Albert van der Smissen, Chairman of the Dutch Categorial Financial Union (Nederlandse Categoriale Vakvereiniging Financiën- NCF), which represents staff of the Dutch tax and customs administration.

#CESItalks is a series of conversations with MEPs and EP officials/experts on social and employment policies.

It is part of a project co-financed by the European Parliament: “WeEP – The EP and workers: a well-designed post-pandemic recovery plan.”

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

Against the background of the post-Covid recovery and the heralded digital and green transitions, social and employment policies are more than ever of major relevance.

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

#CESItalks