Activities of EU social partners
against youth unemployment
Joint working group ETUI-EZA, Brussels 18th February 2014
Norbert SCHÖBEL
DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Unit B1 Social Dialogue, Industrial Relation
"It is precisely those European countries […] with the most
developed social partnerships that are among the most
successful and competitive economies in the world. "
President Barroso, State of the Union 2012 Address
We also have social dialogue, collective bargaining and
consultation as part of our DNA."
President Barroso, The Employment Policy Conference,
6 September 2012
Industrial Relations in Europe
• Social market economy as core value
•
of the EU (Art. 3 TEU)
Charter of Fundamental Rights:
• Freedom of assembly and association (Art. 12)
• Information and consultation within the
undertaking (Art. 27)
• Collective bargaining and action (Art. 28)
• Social dialogue as a central component of the
European social model – at EU level and in the
Member States
European social dialogue: a pillar of
Europe’s social model
•
Social partners contribute to defining European social
standards
• EU social partners are involved in the European
policy-making process:
- Social partner consultations
- Increased consultation of sectoral dialogue
committees in the Commission‘s impact assessment
process
• Outcomes of their autonomous dialogue
• European Social Dialogue complements the national
practices of social dialogue and industrial relations
which exist in the Member States
EU employment and social policy
European Social dialogue
What is it?
• Discussions, consultations, negotiations and joint
actions
• undertaken by the social partner organisations
• representing the two sides of industry
(employers, trade unions)
• at European level (limited to EU Member States).
European Social dialogue
Strong institutional recognition
• Article 9 (new horizontal clause)
• Art. 152 TFEU (New): Union recognises and promotes the
role of social partners at Union level + Tripartite Social
Summit
Article 154 TFEU: promotion of consultation of European
social partners by the Commission + balanced support for
their dialogue
Article 155 TFEU: agreements concluded by EU social
partners
European social dialogue
European social dialogue
Outcomes European Social Dialogue
• To date (November 2013)
• 771 jointly agreed texts
• 20 agreements adopted by EU social partners setting
minimum standards
Cross-industry
(Multi-)sectoral
Autonomous
implementation
4
4
Implemented by
Council Directive
4
8 (5 +3
requests)
Types of European Social Dialogue outcomes
(*) Including 3 agreements for which implementation by Council decision has been requested
European social dialogue: challenges
• Actively involving all national social partners
– is essential to ensure the European social dialogue process:
• is legitimate
• achieves effective outcomes and follow-up at national level
– European social partners have made progress, but more remains to be
done
• Consultation and administrative capacity
– European social partners are involved in the European policy-making
process
– Requires capacity to coordinate among their members and to deliver
timely reactions
– Capacity depends on that of their national affiliates
European social dialogue: challenges
• Capacity to negotiate agreements at European level
– One of the conditions for participation in a sectoral dialogue committee
– The potential offered by the institutional framework to sectoral
negotiation is not yet fully exploited
– Commission provides technical and financial support to negotiations,
as well as legal advice upon request
• Capacity to implement agreements
– Most European sectoral social partner organisations have limited
capacity to influence their national affiliates
– Follow-up at national level depends on:
• effective involvement of national sectoral social partners in EU
dialogue
• interaction between the EU social dialogue mechanisms and
national industrial relations systems
• representativeness of social partners
Youth unemployment –
Main Commission initiatives
• Youth Employment Package
• Youth Employment Initiative and Youth
Guarantee
• European Alliance for Apprenticeship
• Quality framework for Traineeships
Social Europe
The ESF 2014-20 – support to youth:
• The most relevant investment priorities:
Sustainable integration of young people in particular those not in
employment, education or training, including young people at risk of
social exclusion and young people from marginalised communities,
into the labour market, including through the implementation of the
Youth Guarantee.
• The Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) will be programmed under
this investment priority
• The YEI was decided by the European Council on 7-8 February
2013
• To support measures set out in the Youth Employment Package,
and in particular the Youth Guarantee (actions to directly
support individuals)
Social Europe
Youth Guarantee
• Ensure that all young people up to 25
• receive a good-quality offer of
• employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a
traineeship
• with four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal
education
• To enhance what the ESF already does, but from a new
perspective: starting with the needs of the individual persons
• EUR 6 billion for the period 2014-2020 - open to all NUTS2
regions with levels of youth unemployment (15-24 age group)
above 25% in 2012 - EUR 3 billion from the ESF and a further EUR
3 billion from a specific 'youth employment' MFF budget line
Social Europe
How can social partners get involved?
• ESF/YEI
Programming
stage:
Design
of
Partnership
Agreements and ESF/YEI Operational programmes
Implementation stage: Partnerships at national and
local levels, esp. with PES and education intuitions
Monitoring Committee: Selection criteria approval;
approval of Annual Implementation reports, performance
framework, etc.
•
Youth Guarantee
National level: Get involved in the design, monitoring,
evaluation and review of Youth Guarantee schemes
EU Level: Turn Framework of Actions on Youth
Employment and other EU activities into concrete action!
Social Europe
European Alliance for Apprenticeships
• Initial Vocational Education and Training
(IVET) + alternation between in-company
training and school education
• 3 activity pillars:
• Improvement of apprenticeships
• Change of mind-sets
• Smart
use
of
EU
programmes
(Erasmus+; ESF, EaSI, EIB)
• Joint declaration by EU Social Partners,
Commission and Council Presidency
Social Europe
Quality Framework for Traineeships
• Can enhance education to work transitions
• Becomes increasingly the norm (46% in EU),
but often problematic (lack of learning content:
18%;
bad
working
conditions:
23%;
pay/compensation: only 40%; lack of contract:
35%; no certificate= 34%)
• Overall 30% of traineeship is of low quality
• Council
Recommendation:
Traineeship
agreement covering learning objectives, working
conditions, duration (6 months), certificate
Social Europe
EU Social partners' contribution
Framework of Actions on Youth Employment
• First priority of the EU social Dialogue Work
Programme for 2012-2014 at cross-industry level
• EU Social partners reject the inevitability of a lost
generation and agreed to focus on the link between
education, young people's expectation and labour
market needs – invest in more and better jobs!
• 4
priorities:
1)
learning;
2)
3) employment; 4) entrepreneurship
transition;
• Short-term and long term Social Partners' Actions and
Recommendations addressed to EU institutions and
Member States + Annual reporting + overall
evaluation during the 4th year
Social Europe
Social partners' contribution
Examples of other initiatives/projects
• ETUC Youth Committee: 2012 project with focus on
quality
transition
between
education
and
employment; 2013 focus on youth guarantee and
apprenticeships/traineeships
• Solidarnosz: Implementation measures at national
level (PL + 4 other countries) in relation to the EU
framework of actions
• Sectoral projects: e.g. commerce, construction
• Projects related to demographic challenges: e.g.
leather, agriculture, woodworking, chemical and
insurance sector
Social Europe
Links - Youth employment
Youth Employment
http://ec.europa.eu/social/youthemployment
ESF Technical Assistance apprenticeship/traineeships
http://ec.europa.eu/social/youthtraining
ESF web site
www.ec.europa.eu/esf
European Alliance for Apprenticeships:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/vocationalpolicy/alliance_en.htm
Quality Framework for Traineeships:
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId
=89&newsId=2011&furtherNews=yes
Social Europe
Financial support: Budget lines to
support EU social dialogue
• Budget heading 04 03 01 08 – Industrial relations and Social
•
•
dialogue
– Call for proposals VP/2014/01 (Social Dialogue)
– Call for proposals VP/2014/04 (Industrial Relations)
Budget heading 04 03 01 05 – Information and training measures
for workers' organisations
– Call for proposals VP/2014/02
Budget heading 04 03 01 06 – Information, consultation and
participation of representatives of undertakings
- Call for proposals VP/2014/03
Financial support: ESF and IPA
• European Social Fund
Supports initiatives aimed at strengthening the administrative
capacity of social partner organisations in Member States (national
actions)
• Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)
Helps potential candidate and candidate countries in their quest to
join the EU - Relevant components:
• Transition Assistance and Institution Building
• Human Resources Development
Links – EU Social Dialogue
• DG EMPL – Sectoral Social Dialogue:
• http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=480&langId
=en)
• Social Dialogue Text Database:
• http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=521&langId
=en
• NEW: Industrial Relations in Europe 2012:
• http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId
=en&pubId=7498
• EU Social Dialogue Newsletter – to subscribe contact:
• EMPL-SD-NEWSLETTER@ec.europa.eu
Thank you for your
attention!
Norbert Schöbel
norbert.schoebel@ec.europa.eu