Local Government sector proudly adopts action plan on well-being at work

(6 December 2016) The Social Partners of the Local Government Sector approved a general framework for well-being at work for local and regional governments in Europe at their Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee, yesterday.  This is the outcome of a two year project which focused on how municipalities are developing into new service providers, and how social dialogue can frame these important changes.

Restructuring of local and regional government, new forms of service delivery and organizational changes have implications for the quality and the availability of services that citizen and businesses rely on regarding workers’ job security, health and well-being.

The new action plan sets out a framework for Social Partners in this sector, showing how to leverage the effects of new developments, such as by creating new forms of public services (digitalization and migration), demand for new skills and competences and appropriate resources.

The plan also calls on European social partners, and national social partners, the partners at workplace level, public authorities and other relevant stakeholders to act together to preserve and develop quality public services and to achieve concrete results and progress in favour of worker’s well-being.

Local and regional governments play a vital role in Europe as providers and as suppliers of a variety of services to citizens and businesses, as well as being significant employers. In many countries, austerity policies have affected local and regional governments more heavily than in the public sector as a whole.

The new programme also acknowledges the ILO decent work agenda which includes job creation, rights at work, social protection and social dialogue with gender equality as a cross-cutting objective.

To download the framework please click here. It is also available in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Swedish.