European Sector Social Dialogue with EMCEF involvement – Integration of Social partners from New Member States

1. European Sector Social Dialogue with EMCEF involvement –Integration of Social partners from New Member States Michael Wolters, EMCEF Secretary General Turin, 21 February 2012

2. Content Social Dialogue Extractive Industries Social Dialogue Electricity Social Dialogue Chemical Industry Social Dialogue Gas Energy Community with Western Balkan Countries Social Dialogue Paper NEPSI – crystalline Silica Conclusions: Future challenges for unions from the New Member States and Candidate Countries of the EU

3. Social Dialogue Committee in the Extractive Industries • Decision to set up a SSDCfor the mining industry was taken in 2000: • Body for discussions on future strategies focusing on economic developments & their social consequences, environmental protection, health & safety, occupational training • The Committee enlarged and was renamed to cover the extractive industries in 2004 • Today 6 parties are involved: • EMCEF • APEP, EURACOAL, EUROMINES, IMA Europe, UEPG

4. Social Dialogue Committee in the Extractive Industries (2) • Numerous position papers and participation in consultations on fundamental EU policy developments implying impacts on the industry and employment, such as: • Climate change policies and GHG reduction targets within the EU • Energy policy • Raw material policies • Environmental issues (e.g. soil protection, 2007) • State aid to coal (2010 Council Decision on the revision of regulation) • Declarations , positions and project work on social issues: • Health & safety: 2004 Declaration is to be updated (2012), project on accidents of young workers and sub contractors (2009); OEL NO2 & NOx • Cooperation with the Standing Working Party Extractive Industries • Skills and training are crucial and need to be addressed

5. Good Practice: BDSZ Project – Future of Miners (2009) • BDSZ (Miners’ Union, HU) launched a EU project in 2009 involving unions and social partners from Germany, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Czech Republic • Dealing with climate change policies and their impact on employment in the mining industry • Outcome is the Budapest Declaration on the Future of Coal in Europe • The Budapest Declaration (II & III) has been taken over as joint position by the Social Partners in the Extractive Industries • Focusing on: • the importance of coal extraction in Europe for security of supply • Need for Research and Development of new and clean technologies, CCS & CCR • Coal extraction in EU under save conditions compared to other regions

6. Sector Social Dialogue Committee Electricity • Social dialogue for the electricity sector was established in 2000 • Social Partners are EPSU (European Public Service Union) and Eurelectric (employer federation) • Over the years social partners worked on a number of projects: • Current project on mapping skills and qualifications (2012) • “Climate Change policies and Just Employment Transition Principles” (2010) • Restructuring: A toolkit for social responsibility (2008) • Demographic Change: toolkit on age diversity and age management strategies (2008)

7. Sector Social Dialogue Committee Electricity (2) • Position papers, responses to EU consultation on EU policy developments: • Joint Declaration: Safety and Security in the Nuclear Industry (2011) • Joint Position on the EU Energy Roadmap 2050 (2011) • Response to public consultation: Towards a new Energy Strategy for Europe 2011 - 2020 (2010) • Declaration on Corporate Social Responsibility (2009) • Social Partners seek stronger involvement in the impact assessment also on EU energy policies and closer contact with DG Energy

8. Sector Social Dialogue Committee Chemical Industry • The sectoral social dialogue committee was set up in December • 2004 between EMCEF and ECEG (Employers’ Federation) • In 2003 EMCEF, CEFIC and ECEG signed a memorandum of understanding regarding Responsible Care® (Health & safety and environmental issues) • Lack of skills and life long learning (LLL) • Active role in the REACH legislation (2006) • Participation in the High Level Working Group on the competitiveness of the European Chemical Industry (2009) • ILO project on capacity building for the social dialogue on national and European level for New Member States (2009/2010)

9. Sector Social Dialogue Committee Chemical Industry (2) • Project on demographic change in the chemical industry (2010) • Framework agreement on competence profiles for process operators and first line supervisors in the chemical industry ( in several languages of the new member states: BG, CZ, HU, PL, RO) (April 2011) • Study on active aging management as a follow up to the demographic change project (2011/2012) • EMCEF, ECEG and CEFIC common declaration "The framework conditions for a sustainable chemical industry in Europe: The view of the social partners” (September 2011) • Project on a feasibility study on a Sector Skills Council for the chemical industry (2012)

10. Social Dialogue Committee for the Gas sector • Social dialogue for the gas sector was established in 2007 • Social Partners are EPSU (European Public Service Union) and Eurogas (employer federation) • The subjects are similar to the ones of the SSDC Electricity: • Future of the European gas sector • CSR • Skills and qualifications • European Energy Policy • Vice-Chair for EMCEF is TamaszSzekely from VDSZ (Hungary)

11. Energy Community with Western Balkan Countries • Establishing a common regulatory framework for the energy markets • Memorandum of understanding – necessities for regional electricity market development in South East Europe • Social Partners in the Electricity and Gas Sectors are involved in the Social Forum • Implementation of Social Action Plans for each country • Subjects: • Capacity Building for Social Dialogue • Market liberalisation and restructuring • health & safety • The energy community needs more pressure: at the last meetings social dialogue was only discussed with ministries of several states, but neither with employers’ associations nor with trade unions! EMCEF criticised this approach of the Commission.

12. Sector Social Dialogue Paper • The SSDC in the paper sector is the youngest of EMCEF SSDCs and was established in 2010 • Social Partner is CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries) • Priority issue is Heath & Safety in the pulp and paper manufacturing: • Joint project – compilation of a Best Practice Guide (2011-12) • Questionnaire sent to affiliates for the collection of best practices • Expert group (members of CEPI and EMCEF) is selecting practices and elaborating the Guide • Guide will be distributed to affiliates for use at plant level • Contributing to the EU-OSHA campaign “Save Maintenance”

13. Sector Social Dialogue Paper (2) • Other important issues are: • demographic change and attractiveness of the industry to young people • Skills and qualifications • Several policy areas are of concern to Social Partners as they could have significant impacts on the industry: • Bioenergy, biodiversity, climatepolicies, raw material policies, sustainableconsumptionandproduction, etc.

14. NEPSI – European network for silica • NEPSI is a voluntarily social dialogue agreement between 2 European trade union federations (EMCEF and EMF) and 15 industrial sector organisations • The “Agreement on Workers’ health protection through the good handling and use of crystalline silica and products containing it” was signed on 25 April 2006 • Main aims: • exchange examples of good practice, • dissemination of work sheets and videos how to deal with crystalline silica in an appropriate way, • distribute the material to all affiliates in most of the EU languages, • biannual reporting of employers how they improved the OSHE regarding silica dust and • workshops for affiliates especially in the New Member States

15. Future challenges for unions from the New Member States and Candidate Countries of the EU • All social dialogue meetings on European level are funded by the EU; travel costs and accommodations are reimbursed to the trade unions and employers. • Working group meetings are limited to 3 languages, which makes it difficult to respond to the language needs from (New) Member States; some room for flexibility • Interest of participation or capacity inside the unions is very low in the Eastern European Countries. • Several examples from the past prove the possibility to discuss national interest on European level (shale gas or trade union laws) • There is a paramount need to increase the experience and / or the number of trade union officers to fulfil the “demands” from the European level: • Without experts in vocational educational training (VET) the framework agreement on competence profiles or any result of a Sector Skills Council cannot be implemented on national level • Without experts for health and safety the advantages of the NEPSI agreement cannot be implemented on national level

16. Future challenges for unions form the New Member States and Candidate Countries of the EU (2) Furtherpointsforthediscussion: Merger of unions versus deeper cooperation – 2 ways to improve trade union work? Added value: Appeal for EU funded projects to strengthen trade union officers: vocational training in main action fields? How to improve language skills (English or French) as a capacity to participate in EU meetings? How to develop a regional exchange of unions from similar branches? E.g. regional work of the future EIWF Social Dialogue versus Tripartism?