Working Group Social Services discusses investment in quality care and personal and household services

(12 March 2015)

Child care In the WG SS, Yves Hellendorff from CNE, Belgium, presented an initiative that caused their membership in the sector to rise with 19 % in 2014 by starting a joint campaign with the employers explaining social dialogue and offering workers the possibilities of further training. The initiative has especially addressed young unemployed people and elderly awaiting their pension.

EPSU is preparing a briefing on trade union successes in organisation and recruitment, like the Belgian example, from different sectors and countries. Furthermore, a summary report of the EU policy framework on child care is being prepared by EPSU. EPSU also highlighted the need for greater effort on social investment in short-, medium- and long-term child care as an unpublished Commission report reveals issues in the area. Last, the Wicare report was discussed.

Elderly care and long-term care In EPSU’s updates on the European Commissions plans especially “effectiveness” of costs are mentioned as well as reference to the European Semester, which points to more austerity measures.

PESSIS 2 The PESSIS 2 project was finalised in September 2014, the aim of the project was critically to assess the role of the social dialogue in social service sector in Europe. 17 case examples were brought together and shed light on the matter and thus providing EPSU and SSE (Social Services Europe) with the ability to make recommendations to strengthen the social dialogue in the sector. The sector is characterised by a trend away from institutionalisation and towards personalisation, thus changing the circumstances for social dialogue; the national context differs greatly between public sectors and for-profit or not-for-profit sectors in terms of collective agreement coverage. Furthermore, the degree of representivity of the employer’s side is rather low, comprising a problem for the social dialogue.

On the discussion in the WG SS, EPSU emphasises that PESSIS 2 was supported by the Executive Committee, in line with the “Social Services for all”-chapter in our resolution, and that PESSIS 2 does not constitute a social dialogue activity. Additionally, parallel work at EU level eases the achievement of EPSU objectives. In conclusion, EPSU affiliates will take this discussion home in order for a Memorandum to be drafted in 2015.
Personal care and Household Services (PHS)
The project, 4Quality, launched by the Commission, creating a platform for the PHS sector consisting of trade unions federations and service provider organisations. The aim of the project is to improve the quality of jobs and services in the sector. The sector is characterized by many issues: low pay, precarious working conditions, a lot of undeclared work, limited opportunities for training as well as the challenges conditioned of employers being unorganized. EPSU affiliates will be included in the project in the way that six EPSU members can join a regional seminar. There will be three regional seminars:
- On May 6th in Rome (Belgium, France Italy and Spain).
- On May 26th-27th in Brighton (Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom)
- In mid September in Vienna (Austria, Czech Republic and Germany).

EPSU will financially support two colleagues from each non-hosting country, thus In Vienna there will be two extra seats as there are only two non-hosting countries represented.
The project will also deliver tools of good practices, policy recommendations for the policy makers.