final adopted text of the Congress resolution
(10 June 2009, Brussels) For the congress period 2009 – 2014, the EPSU 8th EPSU Congress unanimously adopted the resolution on National Administration. The resolution was introduced by Charlie Cochrane (PCS, UK), EPSU Committee Chair for the sector.
The congress committed to: Strengthening Social Dialogue,
Specifically Mr. Cochrane outlined that; “We put an end to trade union divisions, a major obstacle to establish a European social dialogue with our employers’ counterpart EUPAN. Together with CESI (a sister European Trade Union Federation) we set up a single trade union delegation, TUNED”.
The Congress noted that this progress had created the momentum to work with the Employers and, in concrete terms, the adoption of common positions on equality and diversity, mobility, and stress at work.
The social dialogue process between National Administration employers and trade unions will be given a trial run.
Mr. Cochrane also noted that the Committee held its first European Action day, in cooperation with colleagues from health and social services, against prison overcrowding. The action day gave the committee a mobilizing edge and helped trigger discussions with the European Commission and Council of Europe. It is intended to continue this mobilizing work during the next congress period.
On social Dialogue, Mr. Cochrane stated that; “We say that central government should lead by example not by exemption”. The Congress agreed that the National Administration section will continue coordinating Europe-wide bargaining information to help back demands for better pay, pensions and working conditions.
The growing impact of EU policies in the sector, for instance the services directive, better regulation agenda, public finances initiatives, requires an effective and representative social dialogue committee at EU level.
The EPSU chair emphasized that the national administration section would “continue countering the marketisation of the state, and of the EU for that matter”.
On the need for Quality working conditions in the sector, Mr. Cochrane made the important point that, “We don’t buy the distinction between back offices as “bad” and front offices “good”. This referred to the need to have well structured systems of national administration with sufficient depth of support, rather than arbitrary cuts which would reduce quality.
The Congress noted that central government is a multifaceted sector with hundereds of different jobs. Congress committed to giving greater visibility to these jobs, give a human face to civil servants who are caricatured, often by their own employer, as “burdens”.
This would lead, in the period 2009-2014, to links being forged between employees in prison services, immigration services, and in other areas.
Continuity of work in the Committee is another priority. A youth mentoring system to encourage younger members to engage in the Committee work would be initiated, based on work that had real relevance to young national administration workers.
Congress also committed to increasing the number of women representatives in the Committee to be in line with the EPSU constitution.
The following congress participants spoke during the debate on the resolution:
- Peter KEMPEN, USF, Belgium
- Jean-Paul DEVOS, CSC Services publics, Belgium
- Thora PETERSEN, HK/STAT, Denmark
- Sue BOND, PCS, UK
- Philippe SOUBIROUS, FGF-FO, France
- Leodolfo BETTENCOURT, STE, Portugal
- Ilias DOLGYRAS, ADEDY, Greece
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