70 likes | 158 Views
ANTICIPATING SKILL NEEDS IN THE COMMERCE SECTOR Fabrice Warneck UNI Europa. Social dialogue project. 3 sub regional meetings and 1 final conference financed by EU Commission Multisectoral approach: participation of training experts/ firms, public authorities + SOC. PART.
E N D
ANTICIPATING SKILL NEEDS IN THE COMMERCE SECTOR Fabrice Warneck UNI Europa
Social dialogue project • 3 sub regional meetings and 1 final conference financed by EU Commission • Multisectoral approach: participation of training experts/ firms, public authorities + SOC. PART. • Objectives: assess existing actitivities (are there national sector councils, what do they do ?) and the need for a European sector council
Challenges in the commerce sector • High workforce turnover, low education level • low working conditions: Retail not seen as a career of choice, often a transition job • workers do not arrive with the right skills: they learn on the spot • EuroCommerce: writing and counting not even satisfactory • New skills are needed, especially I.T.
RESTRUCTURING IN COMMERCE • Economic crisis: fix term contracts not reconducted • Sub-contracting: private security, logistics, temporary agency work, bakers, butcher, facing … • New technologies: workforce redeployment for other tasks and responsabilities and job losses • Self-scanning, self check out, RFID, …
UNI-E commerce position on new technologies • The introduction and increased use of new technologies is to be approve when: • It is a process negotiated via social dialogue • No lay-offs resulting from new technologies • Sufficient training and other measures to help workers adapt to change • Respect of personal integrity of workers and customers • Qualification levels and working conditions to be mantained or increased • Health and safety of workers to be ensured
Trade union objectives • Notion of service to customer: not about smiling, but providing advice and expertise • Cut absenteism and voluntary departures by improving working conditions • Reduce accidents at work • Reduce job losses • Gender gap: majority of workers are women but they get less training
Next steps • Recognition of competences, know-how, to faciliate transitions between jobs and sector • raise the debate: SMEs not enough involved, multinational companies do provide training on the technology they choose • Final conference: 7th December 2010.