Social Services Working Group

Social Dialogue in the field of Social Services

Setting out the way forward – Towards defining an EPSU position?

Joint HSS/LRG Social Services Working Group

13 March 2013, Brussels

followed by the Standing Committee HSS and by the Standing Committee LRG on 14 March 2013.

Venue: ETF, Galerie AGORA, Rue du Marché aux Herbes 105 – 1000 Brussels

We would like to invite you to participate in the Joint HSS/LRG Social Services Working Group meeting, which will bring together EPSU affiliates from the health and social services and local and regional government sector to exchange experience on social dialogue in the field of social services, in order to setting out the way forward towards defining an EPSU position.

LETTER OF INVITATION

- Invitation Working Group Social Services

GEN 1 Invit Social Services WG

- Map of the venue area (ETF)

Area map

INFORMATION ON BACKGROUND, CONCEPT AND OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT

The meeting is a follow-up activity to the Working Group on Social Services on 24 October 2012 and to a meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Local and Regional Government on 12 September 2012 where the results of the PESSIS project were presented and discussed. You’ll find further information on this project @ www.epsu.org/a/9070.

We will look into structures, practices, and experiences, including good and bad examples, of EPSU affiliates from both the local and regional government sector and the health and social services sector with collective bargaining and collective agreements in the field of social services (in particular: elderly care, child care, services for persons with disability, sheltered workshops)
in different Member States of the EU. Participants will also revisit selected country reports elaborated under the PESSIS project.

We will assess your experiences and the project outcomes in view of possible steps to cover (in a mid-term perspective) the sector of social services by structures of EU-level sectoral social dialogue, at least those services provided by either local and regional authorities or by organizations of the social economy/not-for profit organizations. We will aim at identifying issues that could be addressed at an EU-level social dialogue provided appropriate structures are in place and this will be supported by EPSU affiliates. We will also discuss the possibility of elaborating an EPSU position on this issue, to be further discussed in the Standing Committees HSS and LRG and to be presented to the Executive Committee of 16 and 17 April 2013.

Please find below a draft programme that can still be adapted. Speakers are currently being approached by the EPSU Secretariat and all need to be confirmed. In addition to the documents related to the PESSIS project uploaded to page www.epsu.org/a/9070, the minutes of the Working Group on Social Services of 24 October 2012 and other relevant documents will be uploaded to this page during January and February 2013.

PRACTICAL DETAILS AND REIMBURSEMENT MODALITIES

Colleagues representing EPSU affiliates in the sectors HSS and LRG are invited to participate in the meeting. We expect participating unions to cover all travel and subsistence costs of their representatives. Committee members from countries under 100% on the ‘5 band’ index are referred to the ‘rules governing financial assistance for travel and accommodation costs’.

Please read carefully the documents enclosed for modalities of reimbursement for the Working Group and the EPSU Standing Committees, where different financial rules apply.

INTERPRETATION

Interpretation has been requested for English, French, German (active) and Spanish or Italian (passive).

OTHER IMPORTANT MEETINGS

- 13/3 – Social Services (joint HSS/LRG event) to be held at ETF
- 14/3 – HSS to be held at ETF
- 14/3 – LRG to be held at ITUH

The draft agendas for the two statutory meetings on 14 March 2013 have been sent out in the week of 21 January 2013 with separate mailings to the collleagues concerned.

Please organise your travel arrangements accordingly.

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION

Please complete the participation form and return it by Monday 4 March 2013 at the latest.

- Hotel list in Brussels

Hotels Bxl 2012 ETUC rates-7

- Participation form

part form

- meeting documents

Links related to PESSIS Project

- Project “Promoting Employers’ Social Services Organisations in Social Dialogue (PESSIS)” (January 2012-September 2012)

a) Homepage, Leaflet and E-Newsletters

b) Country Reports - for Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Scotland - these reports are available in the official language of the country and in EN

c) European Summary Report - (incorporates all 11 country reports and provides an introduction and conclusion to them)

d) Final European Report - this report, available in EN only, includes the recommendations elaborated by the project partners, to be stilll discussed with and approved by EPSU affiliates

e) Final Conference Report (22 June 2012, Brussels)

- Further information on Social Services Europe

More information on "Social Services Europe", the network of European NGO platforms providing social services that intends intends to support the setting up of up a European platform/umbrella organisation for employers from the social economy/third sector/not-for profit sector can be found under the links listed below

a) Homepage

b) EPSU Newsletter Article (December 2011)

EPSU Report “Care Services for Older People in Europe - Challenges for Labour”

The report was published in February 2011, following a joint HSS & LRG seminar in October 2010. It that makes a number of recommendations and calls upon the EU to seize the challenge of creating good quality and secure employment in the eldercare sector with both hands

Overview on main activities, outcomes and priority issues for EPSU in social services (2010-2012)

- Letter Carola Fischbach Pyttel to EPSU affiliates (LC GEN N° 5 (2013)) - in EN, FR, DE, ES, RU and SV