Equality, employment, CSR on agenda of electricity social dialogue

The European electricity social dialogue committee considered a number of issues during its half-year plenary meeting, 22 June 2005.




Employment: The European Commission has issued a call for tender for a study on employment developments in the European electricity industry. It is the result of a joint demand by the social partners in December 2003. The study is to consider also the impact on employment of different European directives such as promotion of renewables, co-generation and emission trading. It will also consider how companies have dealt with restructuring and what the impact has been on working conditions, the extend of outsourcing etc. The study will be accompanied by a Steering Committee that includes the trade unions and employers.




Equality and diversity. The social partners agreed on the issues that should be covered in the next step to develop equality policies further. A practical toolkit will be developed. It will assist trade unions and employers in addressing equality and diversity issues. This ranges from mainstreaming equality in recruitment and selection procedures, harassment, equality committees or councils to the role of the social partners, equality reviews or audits and the need for commitment of senior management. A project will be considered to commence work on the toolkit.




Corporate social responsibility Eurelectric representatives made a presentation of existing CSR policies in a number of electricity companies. The trade union side made a number of critical remarks, focusing on the involvement of stakeholders and especially the trade unions, which is more often the not lacking. Both sides agree that it is important to promote the visibility of high standard CSR to establish a benchmark for the industry. The employers stressed that they agree with the unions that CSR is to be credibile, that the stakeholders should be involved and that the linkages between the economic, social and environmental pillars of CSR need to be considered.




South East European Energy Community The social partners were informed of ongoing work regarding a Memorandum on social issues by the Commission. The trade unions and the employers underlined that participation of the SEE electricity sector social partners in their work is key. There is a lot of experience. The Commission should provide practical assisitance.




Health and Safety The health and safety working group was established and will focus on updating the Health and Safety document from 1996, consider new developments, look at the situation in the New Member States and look at increasing visibility of the joint work.




Restructuring A presentation foreseen on a recent Commission Communication was postponed as the representative of the Commission was not able to attend.




The trade union delegation met in the morning to prepare. The issues discussed are based on the joint work programme adopted in December 2004.