Grant application under Budget Heading Innovative Projects for Worker Mobility in the EU. Call for proposals 2008 VP/2008/014/68

Transcription

1 FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DES TRAVAILLEURS DU BATIMENT ET DU BOIS EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF BUILDING AND WOODWORKERS EUROPÄISCHE FÖDERATION DER BAU- UND HOLZARBEITER Grant application under Budget Heading Innovative Projects for Worker Mobility in the EU Call for proposals 2008 VP/2008/014/68 European Construction Mobility Information Net (ECMIN) Brussels, 23 June 2008 Sam Hägglund EFBWW-FETBB : Bank: ING 1000 Brussel n Rue Royale 45, Boîte 3 Fax: IBAN: BE B Bruxelles info@efbh.be BIC: BBRUBEBB

2 CONTENTS 1. Project description Background Aim of the project Relevance of the project with regard to worker mobility in the EU 2. Partners involved in the project 3. Working programme 4. Timetable 5. Expected results

3 European Construction Mobility Information Net (ECMIN) 1. Project description Background While the internal markets in finances, goods and even services are on the way to become a reality and the political integration within the EU has been deepened, the mobility of workers within the EU is still rather the exception than the rule. Though in the process of the enlargement this pattern has started to change, there are still some obstacles which stop even young, mobile and trained workers from seeking and obtaining work abroad. One of the most important factors is the lack of precise and at the same time concise information about the specific working conditions in specific sectors in the other member states in a language one is able to understand. There are some institutions like the EURES and also some websites and brochures which already provide information in various languages on the general and cross-sectoral living and working conditions and about jobs in other MS. But by its nature the EURES cannot be too sector-specific. There are also websites of several sectoral unions in possible countries of destination which provide information on sector-specific working conditions, alas in most cases this information is provided only in the local language or in English. There is also a database website run by FIEC and the EFBWW about the posting of workers conditions in English, French and German, but it is on the posting conditions only and designed to be a reference tool for companies and union experts. Furthermore, this and other existing information often consists of collective agreement and legal texts, etc. and is even difficult to understand for native speakers of the language in which the information is provided. While academics often speak two or three of the most important European languages, skilled workers often do not understand complicated pieces of information in foreign languages. So, the labour market across the EU in the sector is not transparent enough. In many MS most jobs in the construction sector and certain other sectors open to migrant and mobile workers are of a short-term nature and/or project-based so that migrant workers will often not stay long enough in the country to learn the language intensively to be able to inform themselves properly in the official language of the MS. In an EU with over 20 official languages, no one can expect even from highly skilled workers to speak many of these languages. That is why many of these workers are hesitant to look for employment abroad. Others turn to labour agents or posting companies in their country who often do not provide correct information about the general conditions in the sector in other countries, because their business model is relying on a lack of information vis-à-vis the side of the worker.

4 Or workers without proper prior information accept direct job offers from the other country which later turn out to be sub-standard or even below the legal minimum in the sector. This may create a negative effect on the working conditions of the domestic workforce and thus does not lead to more general acceptance of foreign workers. In such cases also the generaly acknowledged rule same wage for the same work at the same working-place is violated on the back of the afected workers. But it will take months before they get aware of that. When they find out eventually that they could have earned much more from the beginning, had they been informed properly and prior to their employment in the other country, many feel general disappointment and will not think positive about their experiment to go abroad for work. When and if at all they turn to the courts they often will find that they should have claimed their wages earlier, etc. Many of these negative side-effects could be avoided if workers would know exactly - before they go and sign work contracts - about the usual working conditions in their sector in the different possible destination countries and whom they could address, who understands their language, to give further advice without charging high fees etc. For instance, in the European construction sector migration is nothing new but still there is no transparency for interested workers about working conditions in the European construction labour market. Because the sector itself is not the most attractive for young people with good formal and language knowledge the percentage of construction workers who speak one of the major European languages is low. So they would be in need of more information about the sectorspecific conditions in the other MS in their own language. Because building and construction is one of the sectors where labour mobility has always been there and also all the problems described above for workers as well as the unions in the sector are presently existing, the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) and its affiliates in the sending and receiving countries of migrant workers want to build up an information network for construction workers to get better information prior to a possible migration. Aim of the project The top priority of the project is to provide possible migrant workers within the EU with precise, concise and easily-accessible information about the most important sector-specific working conditions in the most important countries of destination. The major instruments to do this are a website in several languages (first Polish, then Romanian, later other major migrant languages), printed information and the provision of the contact data of persons who speak the native languages of the migrant workers and are well-informed about the specific construction working conditions in the countries of destination. Because mobility in construction today may also mean for instance to work as a Pole on a London site for four months and then work with a different company in Berlin without returning to Poland in between, we also want to build up a network amongst those people giving advice

5 to construction migrants in the countries of destination. At the same time we also want to involve the EFBWW affiliates in the MS countries of origin of the migrants within the EU and other institutions as a further information channel. The web-site and the printed material will contain the most important sectorspecific conditions such as construction wages, working hours, overtime payments, daily and weekly allowances, rules on accommodation, construction-specific holiday and pension-schemes and some other points of interest for the affected workers. In words that a construction worker can understand and in her or his language. It will also provide for a contact person in each country of destination from whom the worker can obtain further information in its native language. The project shall initiate a long-term information network which will rely on the fact that most construction unions in Europe affiliated to the EFBWW will keep the information up-dated out of their own interest. Relevance of the project with regard to worker mobility in the EU The Internet site and the sector specific network is an ideal addition to the EURES network providing the migrant workers in construction with precise and in-depth sectoral and country specific information. It will lead to more market transparency in favour of the workers. It will also help the EURES advisors and other advisors in the countries of origin to answer specific questions of construction workers willing to migrate. At the same time it will help to reduce fraudulent practises of some unscrupulous labour agents and employers who have built their business on a lack of information on the migrants side. By this it will also contribute to avoid wage discrimination and will help to reduce negative effects on the receiving labour market. It will help to create a better functioning labour market in the sector of building and construction and will help workers who want to make use of their right of free movement to obtain the information they need. 2. Partners involved in the project The European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) a European representative social partner for the construction industry will manage the project. The practical Coordination will be done by three coordinators from the partner organisations IG BAU, ACV B&I and NFBWW. The affiliated trade unions of the EFBWW (70 trade unions in 30 countries) will provide the necessary help, support, information and advice during all the stages of the research. Both the research to gather, streamline and edit the information on the most important sector-specific conditions (such as construction wages, working hours, overtime payments, daily and weekly allowances, rules on accommodation,

6 construction-specific holiday and pension-schemes and some other points of interest) and the development of a website, will be subcontracted (following EU regulations) 3. Working programme 1) Kick-off meeting project team Selection of the co-ordinating expert for the research and web design expert 2) Network partners host countries: Establishment of a network with cooperation partners inside the European union in the construction sector. This will concentrate on the main countries facing labour migration. The network requires: a) officials responsible for the provision and continuous updating of the country-specific information b) persons within the trade unions who speak certain languages and are willing to provide information to migrants in their mother tongue 3) Network partners Poland: Establishment of a network with cooperation partners in Poland who will promote the project among Polish construction workers 4) Editorial work: Compilation, standardization and web-enabled processing of countryspecific information on working conditions in the construction sector. Consultation with the responsible persons within the unions to control the information. Translation into Polish and English, at a later stage translation into Romanian (Phase 2) and into other languages required (Phase 3) 5) Designing the Pilot-Website: Programming, conception, design and content 6) Meeting with experts from host countries: Presenting the trial website. Advertising and broadening the project concept and aims among the unions 7) Workshop Poland: Meeting between the Polish speaking secretaries of the affiliated unions and the partners in Poland 8) Publishing the website in Poland: Target group-specific launch of the site in Poland in cooperation with local partners. Distribution of leaflets/brochures. Polish part of the Website is going online.

7 9) Evaluation of the pilot phase: Improve, upgrade and expansion of the site. 10) Evaluation meeting trial phase 11) Start phase 2: Extension of the project to Romania. Completion, extension and improvement of the contents of the site. 12) Meeting with experts from host countries Presenting the trial website. Advertising and broadening the project concept and aims among the unions 13) Workshop Romania Meeting between the Romanian speaking secretaries of the affiliated unions and the partners in Romania 14) Publishing the website in Romania: Target group-specific launch of the site in Romania in cooperation with local partners. Distribution of leaflets/brochures. Romanian part of the Website is going online. 15) Evaluation of phase 2 16) Evaluation meeting phase 2 + identifying other target countries 17) Phase 3: Extension of the project to other target countries Completion, extension and improvement of the contents of the site extending it to other target countries.

8 4. Timetable Tasks Responsibilities 1. Kick-off meeting project team 11/08 Project management 2. Network partners host countries 11/08 continuously Coordinating expert 3. Network partners Poland 12/08 continuously Coordinating expert 4. Editorial work 12/08 03/09 Coordinating expert continuously 5. Designing of the pilot website 12/08 until 8/09 Web design specialist 6. Meeting with experts from the host 4/09 Project management countries 7. Meeting experts host countries and 5/09 Project management of the Polish Network 8. Publishing the pilot site in Poland 9/09 continuously Coordinating expert 9. Evaluation of the pilot phase 9/09 Project management 10. Evaluation meeting pilot phase 9/09 Project management 11. Start phase 2: Romania 11/09 Coordinating expert 12. Meeting with experts from host 11/09 Project management countries 13. Meeting experts host countries and 5/10 Project management Romanian network 14. Publishing the website in Romania 6/10 continuously Coordinating expert 15. Evaluation phase 2 7/10 Project management 16. Evaluation meeting phase 2 7/10 Project management 17. Start phase 3 8/10 Coordinating expert

9 5. Expected Results The project will provide possible migrant workers within the EU with precise, concise and easily-accessible information about the most important sector-specific working conditions in the most important countries of destination. A website in several languages (first Polish, then Romanian, later other major migrant languages) will be developed containing the above information Additionally the information contained on the website will also be made available in printed form. Signature of the legal representative: Sam Hägglund General Secretary