Electricity employers and unions talk employment, health & safety, equality
The European electricity employers (Eurelectric) and the trade unions met 17 October 2006, Brussels. On the agenda:
Statement on health and safety and training. An earlier 1996 statement is slightly revised to take account of new Member States and new directives. It also mainstreams gender equality, includes new risks and recognises a role for trade unions and employers regarding out-sourced and subcontracted activities especially in the case of dangerous situations. The statement also proposes a permanent working group on health and safety and including female representation. It will officially be adopted at the plenary meeting 13 December 2006. Further discussion will take place on making the statement more visible.
Draft Toolkit on Equality and Diversity. Following a joint statement on equality and diversity, a joint workshop and joint study the social partners agreed to prepare practical tools which could assist employers and trade unions when addressing equality issues. The toolkit includes a large number of practical examples of how unions and companies addresses equality issues, many of which are based on case studies of companies in the electricity industry. The toolkit also has examples of policies, checklists and other materials which address the many issues employers and unions are confronted with when trying to mainstream gender equality. The toolkit will be published at a joint seminar of the social partners 14 December, Brussels. This seminar is open to all unions.
Corporate social responsibility. The committee agreed changes to the programme of a conference 12 December. The conference is open to all unions.
Evaluation of the employment seminar, 16 October 2006. While overall the social dialogue committee was positive as regards the progress made, and underlined the importance of the survey, critical comments were made as regards the lack of information on how liberalisation had effected employment, positively or negatively, in other sectors. The trade union side referred to findings such as on outsourcing, lack of new recruitment and the skills gap (and even lack of qualified workers). The final results are not yet known but the social dialogue committee agreed to discuss the study and seek to draw common conclusions from it. It was further noted that we should consider how we can draw the attention of politicians to it.
Work Programme 2006-2007. The social dialogue committee also agreed the work programme. It includes the issues mentioned here (employment, health and safety, equality, corporate social responsibility) as well as seeking a common position on restructuring, discussing demographic change and ageing workforce, consider a joint reaction to the Commission Green paper on European Energy Policy, reflect on the challenges to the social dialogue committee of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the social aspects of the South East European Energy Community. It was agreed a speaker for the Commission would be invited to present the MoU at the plenary meeting 13 December 2006
EPSU also confirmed that Sven Bergelin will be the EPSU vice-President in the committee.
Next dates:
12 December 2006 Joint Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility
13 December 2006 Plenary meeting of the European Social Dialogue Committee electricity
14 December 2006 Joint Conference on Equality
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