(16 October 2014) The 41st Standing Committee of the Health and Social Services sector of EPSU met to elect a new leadership after the EPSU Congress that took place in Toulouse on May 2014.
The meeting that took place in Brussels saw the election of Margret Steffen (Ver.di, Germany) as President, Christina McAnea (UNISON, UK), Maryvonne Nicolle (CFDT Santé Services Sociaux, France) and Kirsi Sillanpää (Tehy, Finland) as the 3 Vice-Presidents.
A major debate was about establishing links with new EP: an exchange of views took place about a Round Table of EPSU HSS affiliates with MEPs in the first half of 2015. This is based on the evaluation of the Round Table in the EP organised in November 2011, that was very successful.
Of course, the work of EPSU and PSI on the fight of the Ebola virus disease was discussed at length at the meeting. One outcome is a PSI-EPSU Statement and letters EPSU wrote to EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg (outgoing) and Vytenis Andriukaitis (incoming), to future EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Pierre Moscovici and to the EP ENVI Committee. This adds to our Press Statement "The fight against Ebola - health workers on the frontline while politicians cut budgets" issued on 9 October.
The tight agenda also saw discussions about the follow-up to Directive 2013/55/EU on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications – EC Screening Exercise on Regulated Professions (2014ff) and the EC consultation launched on 7 April 2014 on the introduction of the European Professional Card (EPC) for nurses, doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists, engineers, mountain guides & real estate agents.
The Committee had a look at the EPSU-HOSPEEM Work Programme 2014-2016 as well as at the Thematic Priorities for Social Services 2015 and 2015 and how the social partners are going to move forward a public services agenda.
EPSU became campaign partner to EU OSHA’s Health Workplace Campaign 2014-2015 “Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress”.
Members continued with their assessment of the contents and recommendations from DG SANGO study on education and training requirements of healthcare assistants (HCA), building on contributions by colleagues from Germany, the United Kingdom and Finland (with a presentation on the Finnish "Practical Nurse"). This issue will be taken up again in future meetings, not least to discuss opportunities and problems linked to a proposal by Commission services to consider the development of a Common Training Framework for HCA.
A major issue of concern was of course Free Trade Agreements (CETA; TTIP; TiSA) under negotiation and impact on health and social services. Several EU members states are already campaigning on the subject.
Last but not least, there was a follow-up to the PESSIS II Project looking into social dialogue in the field of social services (which is a mapping exercise and capacity building for employers from the not-for-profit sector in view of social dialogue in the field of social services).
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