1 / 15

Gary Dixon

Gary Dixon. Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. Work Programme in employment & social affairs - achievements and challenges. Presentation to European Chemical Industry Social Partners Conference. The Irish, L ithuanian and Greek Presidencies. Key Priority:

diallo
Download Presentation

Gary Dixon

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Gary Dixon Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

  2. Work Programme in employment & social affairs - achievements and challenges Presentation to European Chemical Industry Social Partners Conference

  3. The Irish, Lithuanian and Greek Presidencies • Key Priority: Delivering on the Compact for Jobs and Growth agreed at the June 2012 European Council a welcome shift in focus from fiscal consolidation towards economic recovery, growth and job creation. Tackling the high level of unemployment across Europe, especially youth unemployment (“Youth Guarantee”). Promoting job-rich recovery – not just austerity.

  4. Priorities for 2013 (year of the Citizen) Facilitating Worker Mobility – • Enforcement of Posting of Workers • Supplementary Pensions (Portability) • Enforcing free movement rights for mobile workers • Recognition of Professional Qualifications

  5. Health & Safety • Safeguarding workers from exposure to electromagnetic fields (“physical agents”) • Commission proposals on the protection for workers using hazardous chemicals. • Securing Council Decision to authorise Member States to ratify ILO Chemicals Convention (170) – on the safe use of chemicals (on the basis that those parts falling under EU competence are no obstacle to ratification).

  6. Irish Presidency Objectives for Europe 2020 – 3rd European Semester • Reinforcing coordination and multilateral surveillance; • Attention to “cross cutting” issuesof shared interest to EPSCO & ECOFIN (e.g., pensions, wages, tax wedge on labour; • Strengthening the involvement of the EU social partners in the European Semester – discussions on issues beyond just wage developments.

  7. Europe 2020 Strategy - European Semester - Who does what? Multi-lateral surveillance / Pressure Cooker of Council deliberations Commission’s inputs to process (AGS/JER)

  8. Semester Process – where are the openings for involving Social Partners

  9. 3rd Semester Calendar November 2012 : 2013 AGS and JER presented February 2013: • EPSCO Council : 28 February (Brussels) • adopted conclusions on the Commission's AGS and Joint Employment Report • Confirmed Employment Guidelines (unchanged) for 2013 • Policy debate on the priorities for action in employment and social matters fed into the Presidency's synthesis report submitted to the March European Council. April 2013: Submission of National Reform Programmes May 2013: Commission puts forward draft CSRs June 2013: Sectoral Councils & European Council adopts CSRs

  10. Europe 2020 - Irish Presidency’s application oflessons learnt in 2nd Semester • Better and regular dialogue between MS and Commission during preparation of CSRs; • Clearer assignment of competencies and better cooperation between the different Council formations – to ensure that EPSCO can participate in the procedure on an equal footing with ECOFIN; • Need for holistic approach that does not focus purely on economic governance, but also fully integrates the social dimension and involves Social Partners; • Affording MS greater flexibility in CSR implementation and greater choice of the methods used to achieve the results.

  11. Focus of CSRs addressed to Member States • Pension age; early retirement; promoting active ageing • Alleviating tax wedge / supporting low earners • Monitoring Employment Protection Legislation (EPL), combating youth unemployment and labour market segmentation • Supporting Youth Employment • Reviewing wage indexation and/or wage setting systems to allow wages better reflect productivity • Enhancing participation of women in labour markets • Boosting efficiency of Public Employment Services (PES) • Facilitating access to training/Life Long Learning

  12. Social Dialogue and IE Presidency • Informal meeting of the Presidency Trio with EU Social Partners 7-8 February (Dublin, Ireland). • Involved in experimental EMCO dialogue with EU and national Social Partners on wage developments. • Macro Economic Dialogue before ECOFIN Council 5th March. • Tripartite Social Summit 14th March. • Promoting greater Social Partner involvement in Semester processes at EU and national levels.

  13. Social Dialogue related proposals awaiting initiative by Commission • Collapse in December 2012 of cross-sectoral negotiations on revision of Working Time Directive – awaiting response of the Commission • Revision of Tripartite Social Summit statute • Revision of statutes of tripartite agencies: Eurofound (Dublin); Bilbao-OSHA; CEDEFOP (Thessaloniki) • Sectoral Social Dialogue Agreements that can be made legally binding under Article 155(2) • Inland waterways (working time) • Hairdressers (health and safety)

  14. Many Challenges Ahead –Social Dimension of EMU On 14 December the European Council agreed that the roadmap for the completion of the EMU should include a social dimension, involving social dialogue.

  15. Gary.dixon@djei.ie ROLL ON VILNIUS

More Related