EPSU Statement – 23 June 2015
On 2 June, the EU Social Dialogue Committee for Central Government, led by EPSU for the trade union side, adopted a joint response to the EC Consultation on a possible consolidation of three EU directives dealing with workers’ rights to information and consultation at the workplace .
In the absence of EU common minimum standards on information and consultation rights for EU central government employees, TUNED, the trade union delegation, and EUPAE, the employers’ platform, confirm to the Commission they are currently negotiating a legally binding text with a view to secure a common definition of information and consultation notably on restructuring.
“ The EPSU Congress last year mandated its central government branch to secure EU common minimum standards on information and consultation rights via legislation or negotiation. It is an important step forward that the employers, EUPAE, have confirmed in writing they share the ambition to reach a binding deal for the millions of central government employees and their trade union representatives, many of whom are kept in the dark on changes affecting the future of their jobs. It is very helpful for a good continuation of the negotiations.” said Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU General Secretary.
The Commission’s Consultation underlines that minimum standards on information and consultation rights enshrined in a number of EU directives do not apply to public administrations. Yet since the start of the crisis, austerity measures have led to unprecedented restructuring in central government causing more than 1 million job losses, pay cuts and weakening of trade union rights. Most restructuring has been imposed with little information and consultation of workers’ trade union representatives, let alone negotiations. In addition, public administrations have become central to EC country recommendations of the European Semester.
The EU social partners, the EPSU–led TUNED for the trade union side and EUPAE, for the employers’, agree that there is no reason why the principles of information and consultation rights would not apply to central government employees regardless of the nature of their employment contract. They put in writing their intention to reach a legal framework on common information and consultation rights by the end of the year.
On the consultation question relating to the relevance or not of a recast of the 3 directives, TUNED and EUPAE warn that the objective must be to improve the social dialogue, not to indulge in a mere administrative, quantitative simplification process without taking into account the general interest specificity of the public sector.
Next TUNED/EUPAE information and consultation drafting group: 3 July, EPSU offices, Brussels.
The SDC CGA plenary also agreed a common set of policy recommendations for a quality administration in central government as part of a year project aiming to implementing a joint TUNED/EUPAE agreement on the subject with a focus on people in a vulnerable situation.
Further Information
- SDC CGA response to EC consultation, adopted on 2 June 2015 in EN and FR
- ETUC response to EC consultation adopted at its executive committee meeting of 18 June 2015
- SDC CGA policy recommendations Quality Administrations, adopted on 2 June 2015
For further information, please contact:
Pablo Sánchez Centellas +32(0)474626633 [email protected]
EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC and comprises 8 million public service workers from over 265 trade unions; EPSU organizes workers in the energy, water and waste sectors, health and social services and local and national administration, in all European countries including in the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood. EPSU is the recognized regional organization of Public Services International (PSI).
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