Social Services Working Group - 21.09.16 - Report

(26 September 2016)

The Working Group Social Services on 21 September 2016 in Brussels was attended by 42 participants from 15 countries and from 28 affiliates.

The meeting dealt with four topics: 1) EPSU’s horizontal priority and work on organising and recruitment in the field of social services with presentations from colleagues from Denmark, Hungary, Sweden and the United Kingdom; 2) Social dialogue in the social services sector and activities and positioning of EPSU to accompany the PESSIS 3 Project and influence its outcomes; 3) Taking stock of EPSU’s positions and policy proposals in the field of personal care and household services; 4) EPSU’s approach to EU-level initiatives on standardisation in social care.

The main decisions taken at the SC HSS as well as some highlights are listed below:

  • The participants agreed to keep the topic “organising in social services” as recurrent issue on the agenda(s) of the next meeting(s). Another topic for mutual exchange and learning will be the work of EPSU affiliates on how best to address challenges related to the privatisation (including the service provision by multinational enterprises), marketisation and/or commercialisation of social services or how to block or reverse such strategies.
  • The EPSU Working Paper “Common guidelines for EPSU members in view of the development of social dialogue at EU-level with relevant and representative employers‘ organisations” (available in EN, FR and DE) was adopted Participants recommended the paper to the EPSU Executive Committee. The document agreed amongst EPSU members from HSS and LRG, should give assistance and guidance to national members when considering the common priorities in the field of social services in their discussions with national employers and which topics are seen as of high common interest with these employers in the framework of a possible future EU-level social dialogue.
  • Colleagues agreed to aim at identifying a mandated EPSU representative in the European Committee for Standardisation Technical Committee “Quality of Elderly Care” (CEN TC 449). There was also an update on related initiatives for EU-level standardisation in the field of health and social services. Together with CPME, CED, HOPE and the ETUC EPSU had drafted a letter to the European Standardisation Organisation (CEN) and the national standardisation institutes explaining the concerns and objections

Summary information was shared (orally or in writing) about other activities in the field of social services since April 2016:

  • EPSU Child Care Seminar, 1 June 2016, Brussels. An article summarises the main outcomes of the seminar and gives access to the presentations. Colleagues i.a. recalled the need and benefits of public investment in child care.
  • In the context of PESSIS 3 Project, two meetings bringing together representatives from employers’ organisations in social services (mainly from the not-for-profit sector/social economy) from Austria, Belgium, France and Germany as well as several EPSU colleagues from the same countries took place on 11 May 2016 and on 4 October 2016 in Brussels. At both meetings a “Common Declaration” elaborated by the employer’s side and setting out main field of interest and policy priorities for joint initiatives and a possible social dialogue on the employers’ side (on which EPSU colleagues had been invited to give comments) was discussed and amended.
  • An article summarises the main points of discussions, the proposals made to MEPs and EPSU’s input into the Seminar “Unlocking job creation in the social services sector, the role of the EU?” held on 28 June 2016 in the EP in Brussels