EUROPEAN COMMISSION Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities DG Extraordinary Liaison Forum on the functioning and potential of European sectoral social dialogue 30 September 2010, 09:15 17:30 Hotel Crowne Plaza, rue Gineste, 3-1210 Brussels Commission européenne, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese Commissie, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium. Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11. http://ec.europa.eu/socialdialogue
Background and concept The European Commission, in cooperation with the Belgian Presidency, is organising, on 30 September 2010, a one-day conference on European sectoral social dialogue. The main purpose of the conference is to present and discuss the findings of the Commission Staff Working Document on the review of the functioning and potential of European sectoral social dialogue; review the major developments and achievements of European sectoral social dialogue and assess the functioning of European sectoral social dialogue committees since their formalisation in 1998; promote an exchange of views, experiences and best practices between the social partners; develop operational proposals to strengthen the capacity of the social partners; and discuss ways to further improve European sectoral social dialogue, notably by enhancing the effective implementation of the outcomes reached, encouraging better use of the full potential of European sectoral social dialogue, including negotiations and standard-setting at European level, and promoting an effective contribution of European social dialogue to the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy and to other, related EU policy priorities in areas such as restructuring, health and safety at work, climate change and decarbonisation, and others. The conference will consist of four working sessions each of which will be devoted to one particular dimension of European sectoral social dialogue: 1. discussion and consultation; 2. negotiation and implementation of agreements; 3. joint actions/projects; 4. contribution to the EU policy agenda). Horizontal issues such as capacity-building and representativeness of social partners, including the integration of actors (SMEs, new operators, self-employed, etc.) and representatives from new Member States, and the effective monitoring and followup of social dialogue outcomes relate to and may be raised in all sessions. In their presentations, social partner representatives are invited to summarise best practices and exchange experiences from their sector. Each session also foresees room for an open discussion and exchange of views with the audience. The conference will gather some 150 participants, including representatives from the 40 existing European sectoral social dialogue committees and from organisations interested in the set-up of new sectoral social dialogue committees; inter-professional social partner organisations, experts and academia, Member States and international organisations. Highlevel speakers at the conference include Ms Milquet, Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Employment and Equal Opportunities, Belgium, EU Presidency, and Commissioner Andor. The conference will also provide a good occasion to give visibility to European sectoral social dialogue as a key tool of governance of the EU. In addition to disseminating among the social partners, and to the wider public, the Commission Staff Working Document on the review, functioning and potential of European sectoral social dialogue, it will also be an occasion to release other related publications (Commission brochure on Recent developments in European sectoral social dialogue 2010 edition ; recent Eurofound reports/publications; and others). Guidelines to speakers In order to allow the intervention of all interested participants and to leave sufficient time for further statements from the floor and discussion with the audience, speakers in the thematic sessions of the Forum are invited to make concise presentations of a maximum of 5 minutes and to restrict themselves to a maximum of 4 slides when using a PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint presentations should be sent to the conference organisers by 27 September 2010 at the latest. Interventions from the floor should be restricted to a maximum of 3 minutes. Speakers/participants who wish to disseminate additional material (speech/statement; recent social dialogue texts; brochures; etc.) to the conference participants are asked to submit this material to the conference organisers by 27 September 2010 at the latest. 2
Draft Agenda 08:30-09:15 Registration and coffee 09:15-10:00 Welcome and opening Mr Jean-Paul Tricart, Head of Unit for Social Dialogue and Industrial Relations, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission Keynote speakers: Ms Joëlle Milquet, Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Employment and Equal Opportunities, Belgium, EU Presidency Mr Laszló Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Presentation of the Commission Staff Working Document on the functioning and potential of European Sectoral Social Dialogue and introduction to the thematic sessions by Mr Jean-Paul Tricart 10:00-11:15 Session 1: Ensuring good governance and policy impact through discussions and consultations This session will discuss the contributions of sectoral social dialogue to consultations, impact assessments, good governance and policy making across a range of topics (internal market, restructuring, climate change and greening of jobs, energy, transport, trade, etc.) at EU level. It will also address horizontal issues of capacity and representativeness of social partner organisations and the overall dynamics of European sectoral social dialogue. 11:15-11:45 Coffee break Mr Jean-Paul Tricart, Head of Unit for Social Dialogue and Industrial Relations, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission Mr Jan-Willem Goudriaan, Deputy Secretary-General, EPSU, and Mr Nicola Rega, Advisor on Environment and Sustainable Development Policy, Eurelectric Climate change - Just employment transition principles for the European energy sectors Mr Fabrice Warneck, Policy Officer, UNI europa Retail market monitoring and re-launch of the internal market Mr Jacques Druart, SPF Personnel et Organisation, Belgium European social dialogue in central administrations Ms Andrea Husen-Bradley, Advisor, EMF Enlarging the scope of consultation of sectoral social dialogue committees Mr Frank Baumeister, Head Sector Policies, UEAPME European sectoral social dialogue and small and medium-sized enterprises challenges and perspectives 3
11:45-13:00 Session 2: Making full use of the potential for negotiations at European level This session will present and discuss experiences, good practices and potential of sectoral and multi-sectoral negotiations in the context of European social dialogue, and related horizontal issues of capacity, representativeness and implementation. Mr Paul Windey, Chairman, National Labour Council, Belgium 13:00-14:30 Lunch Mr Godfrey Perera, Secretary General, HOSPEEM Preventing risks from the use of sharps (hospitals and healthcare sector) Mr Bart Samyn, Deputy General Secretary, EMF, on behalf of the Negotiation Platform on Silica (NePSi) Workers' health protection from crystalline silica dust Mr Poul Monggaard, President, UNI europa Hair & Beauty Risk prevention and health protection in the hairdressing sector Ms Francisca Martinez Toledo, Head of Projects, Europêche The transposition of the ILO Convention on work in the fishing sector Mr Italo Inglese, Member of Human Resources Directors Working Group, CER, and Ms Sabine Trier, Deputy General Secretary, ETF Follow-up of the agreement on the working conditions of mobile workers engaged in interoperable cross-border services 14:30-15:45 Session 3: Learning from joint actions and projects by social partners This session will present projects and joint actions carried out by social partners and/or other promoters and co-financed under the EU budget lines for social dialogue. It will also address related questions of added value and follow-up in social dialogue and scope for synergies across sectors. 15:45-16:15 Coffee break Mr Rudi Delarue, Director, ILO Office for the EU and the Benelux Countries Mr Xavier Durieu, Secretary General, EuroCommerce and Mr Anders Hammarbäck, EPSU, Chairperson of the European sectoral social dialogue committee for local and regional administrations Multi-sectoral guidelines to tackle third-party violence and harassment related to work Mr Martin Couchman, HOTREC, Chairman of European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee in the HORECA sector, and Ms Kerstin Howald, Tourism Sector Secretary, EFFAT Towards the implementation of the Qualification and Skills Passport (QSP) in the hospitality sector Mr Werner Buelen, Assistant to the General Secretary, EFBWW, and Mr Domenico Campogrande, Director Social Affairs, FIEC Posting of workers in the European construction industry 4
16:15-17:15 Session 4: Strengthening social partners contributions to the Europe 2020 Strategy and other related EU policy priorities This session will discuss the contributions of both sectoral and cross-industry social partners and social dialogue in response to the crisis and their role in the governance and delivery of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Mr Armindo Silva, Director for Social Dialogue, Social Rights, Working Conditions, Adaptation to Change, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission Ms Valeria Ronzitti, CEEP The role of public services in the Europe 2020 Strategy and beyond Mr Gerald Kreuzer, Vice-President, ETUF:TCL Agenda for new skills and jobs, future skills needs and sector councils Ms Bianka Stege, General Secretary, EFEE, and Mr David Poissonneau, Policy Coordinator, ETUCE Europe 2020 and the education sector Mr Joël Décaillon, Deputy Secretary General, ETUC, and Mr Steven D'Haeseleer, Director for Social Affairs, BUSINESSEUROPE An industrial policy for the globalisation era and sectoral industrial policies in the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy 17:15-17:30 Closing remarks: "European sectoral social dialogue at crossroads" Mr Robert Verrue,* Director-General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission * to be confirmed The Extraordinary Liaison Forum will be followed by the signing ceremony of a multi-sectoral social partner agreement on third-party violence and harassment. All participants are cordially invited to attend the signing ceremony and the subsequent drink. 17:45-18.00 Solemn signature of the multi-sectoral social partner agreement on guidelines to tackle third-party violence and harassment related to work CEMR, CoESS, EFEE, EPSU, EuroCommerce, ETUCE, HOSPEEM, UNI europa 18.00-18.30 Drink 5