TENDER SPECIFICATION
“Europe: End Precarious Work Now! Decent Work and Equal Treatment for All”
Budget Heading 04.03.01.05
Information and training measures for workers’ organisations
Grant Agreement VS/2014/0554
Contract 2:
Communication campaign & tools
1. Background
In 2000, the Member States of the EU resolved to make the Union the most competitive and
dynamic knowledge-based economic zone in the world – an economy with the capacity to
achieve sustained economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.
Almost 15 years later we have to state that these targets have not been achieved. Worse
still, the national and the European labour markets have changed dramatically over the past
years, and the number of poor-quality and insecure low-wage jobs has risen drastically.
Precarious work is frequently associated to the following types of employment:
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part-time work
fixed-term work
temporary work
on-call/casual work
seasonal work
agency work
bogus self-employment
posted work
subcontracted work
service contracts
abuse of apprenticeship and traineeship programs
One of the worst features is the reappearance of zero-hours contracts in the UK, which allow
employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work. According to a recent survey, almost
600,000 people are on zero-hours contracts, representing about 2% of the UK workforce,
and there are 1.4 million contracts with no guaranteed number of hours, as one worker could
hold more than one contract.
All economic sectors are affected by precarious work, the public and the private sector, the
service sector as well as manufacturing are facing a growing casualisation of work
(conversion of permanent to precarious jobs, failure to create permanent jobs even if
employment is growing).
Austerity measures and reforms of labour markets undertaken in many Member States, often
upon request of the European Union, which considers deregulation and more flexibility as the
only remedy to overcome the economic crisis, have aggravated the problem.
Precarious work is generated by employers seeking to minimize labour costs and to shift the
economic risks of their businesses onto their workforce. The specific elements contributing to
precarious work are constantly in transformation, as employers always find new ways to do
so.
Precarious work generally implies:
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low and unsecured/irregular wages
flexible terms and conditions of employment
lack of protection against dismissal
critical working conditions
limited or no access to social protection schemes such as health care, pension
contributions and unemployment insurance;
absence or limited access to trade union rights
absence of collective bargaining power
lack of control over working hours
low chances of promotion
uncertainty about future employment
limited or no access to education and vocational training
Nevertheless, not all forms of non-standard work are automatically precarious, in certain
periods of life or under specific personal circumstances workers might wish to temporarily
abstain from full-time permanent work. However, non-standard work has to be considered as
precarious, if it is not voluntary but imposed by the employer, and if the worker does not have
the choice to go back to regular employment.
Full-time, permanent work used to be the dominant form of employment relationship and still
largely structures entitlements to social protection and welfare, therefore the significant
growth of non-standard forms of employment relationships means that growing numbers of
Europe’s workers are excluded from employment protection and welfare benefits.
A precarious job often implies a precarious life, precarious relationships and therefore the
impossibility to plan a conventional existence. A lack of job continuity does not allow workers
to improve their skills, it therefore becomes even more difficult to obtain a secure job.
Individuals in precarious work are more likely to be excluded from social rights, such as to
decent housing, medical care, pensions and education, while exclusion from these social
rights pushes individuals into precarious work. Work precariousness thus feeds into other
situations that cement individuals into precarious lives. Precarious work also incurs the risk of
individuals lacking adequate social protection in old age. Increasing precarious employment
is one of the causes for the growing poverty in Europe.
What is more, an extensive use of precarious work determines the progressive destruction of
workers’ individual and collective rights, it undermines collective bargaining and it weakens
trade union action. In all its forms, precarious work draws disproportionally on the most
vulnerable groups of workers; it deepens poverty and insecurity, undermines solidarity and
entrenches inequality.
Precarious employment has also fostered segmented labour markets, which obstruct the
movement of workers to more stable employment, particularly for vulnerable groups including
migrants, women, young people and the disabled.
More and more often, workers do the same job at the same location, but benefit from
different wages and employment conditions. This seriously violates one of the fundamental
values of the EU: the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination.
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But also employers may suffer from these developments, as companies which behave in a
socially responsible way, provide their employees with secure jobs and respect all labour and
social legislation often see their competitiveness jeopardised. Therefore, the fight against
precarious work is also a contribution to strive for fair competition in the EU.
A wide range of EU legislation and policies shape the framework for labour markets and
employment policies, e.g. competition law, internal market principles, social legislation, public
procurement legislation, company policies, smart regulation, immigration policies, etc.
Social legislation is getting more and more fragmented, setting different rules for different
categories of workers, e.g. part-time workers, fixed-term workers, temporary agency workers,
posted workers, seasonal workers from third countries, intra-corporate transferred workers,
etc., which opens the door for employers to “shop” for the cheapest workforce with the lowest
standards of protection.
EU programmes such as Smart Regulation, REFIT, etc., are also systematically reviewing
EU labour and social legislation. Aiming at simplifying EU laws and reducing regulatory and
administrative burdens for businesses, such programmes threaten to weaken the existing
legislation and minimum standards on working & employment conditions, health & safety at
the workplace, information & consultation of workers, which are a substantial part of the
“acquis communitaires”.
All this generally undermines the EUs task to improve the living and working conditions of the
peoples of Europe and to strive for social progress and social cohesion (as stated in the
Treaty on the Functioning of the EU).
Trade unions in Europe have been closely monitoring the developments described above
and they have constantly alerted of the impact they are having on labour markets and
employment, and on the society as a whole.
2. Objectives of the project
For many years, the European Trade Union Federations and the ETUC have been fighting
against the growing precarisation of work. With this multi-sectoral project, the project
partners want to build on the work undertaken so far by each of them and jointly elaborate a
common strategy for decent work and equal treatment for all workers.
With this common action, the European Trade Union Federations and the ETUC want to
achieve the following key objectives:
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facilitate the internal discussion amongst EFFAT, EFBWW, EPSU, ETF, IndustriAll,
UNI-Europa, ETUC and their national affiliates on how to join forces in the fight
against precarious work
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raise awareness of the various forms of precarious work and the damaging impact
of the growing casualisation of employment
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highlight the need for a harmonised Europe-wide framework of labour and social
legislation with binding minimum standards for all, to avoid social dumping and
unfair competition, and to ensure decent work and equal treatment for all workers
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come up with proposals for solutions: what needs to be done to close legal and
administrative loopholes which facilitate the casualisation and precarisation of
employment
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develop a common strategy for the implementation of the recommendations
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elaborate a communication strategy to support the execution of the project and the
dissemination of the results, including the necessary tools
The project conforms to the objectives of the Budget Heading 04 03 01 05 - VP/2014/002,
and particularly meets the following priorities:
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to address the employment and social dimensions of EU priorities relating to the
recovery from the crisis, taking into account increasing inequalities within and
between Member States
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to strengthen the capacity of workers' organisations to address, at EU/transnational
level, changes in employment, modernisation of the labour market, quality of work,
anti-discrimination, active inclusion and decent work
The project will pay particular attention to vulnerable groups most severely hit by the growing
number of precarious jobs, such as women, young people and migrants.
3. Purpose of the contract
The purpose of the contract is to support the European Trade Union Federations and the
ETUC in the execution of the project “Europe: End Precarious Work Now! Decent Work and
Equal Treatment for All”, and more concretely, to elaborate a communication strategy and
campaign tools for the dissemination of the results, to achieve the above mentioned
objectives of the project.
4. Tasks to be performed by the Contractor
The expert should provide the following services:
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Elaboration of a communication strategy to give support to the execution of the
project and the dissemination of the results
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Production of an awareness raising video showing the various forms of precarious
work and the damaging impact of the growing casualisation of employment, with
testimonies of different categories of workers from various economic sectors and with
examples of innovative approaches / successful practices to fight precarious work
(exact content to be determined by PSC)
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Design of flyers to facilitate the dissemination of the results of the project, e.g. the
recommendations for changes in legislation, the action plan for implementation,
common strategy for decent work and equal treatment for all
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Elaborate slogans highlighting the demands of the project partners
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Design of banners which can serve multiple use, e.g. conferences, demonstrations,
etc.
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Make all tools applicable to multi-platform use, e.g. websites, YouTube, social media,
apps.
The communication strategy and the supporting tools shall be elaborated based on the
findings of the research by another expert, the input of the Project Steering Committee
and the discussions at the intermediary conference.
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In addition to the above mentioned tasks, the external expert would have to carry out the
following tasks:
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Presentation of the progress in the work to the Project Steering Committee
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Presentation of the strategy and the tools at the intermediary and final conferences
The work of the Contractor will be advised by a Project Steering Committee composed by
representatives of the project partners.
5. Expertise required
Candidates should meet the following requirements:
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Experience with elaborating communication strategies, PR campaigns and
dissemination tools in an international / European context
Experience with the design of flyers, banners, Apps, social media presence
Experience with the production of short films / videos with voice-over and / or subtitles
in several languages
In-depth know-how of the professional use of social media
Familiarity with European and national trade union structures
Familiarity with international, European and national labour legislation, industrial
relations and social dialogue
Excellent communication skills in English, other European languages are an asset
6. Time schedule
The duration of the Grant Agreement is 18 months: 1 December 2014 – 1 June 2016.
This contract will start immediately after the awarding of the contract and end with the
accomplishment of all tasks.
Meetings are planned as follows (exact dates tbc):
Project Steering Committee
Intermediary conference
Final conference
June 2015, January and April 2016
October 2015
February 2016
7. Payment
The maximum budget available is € 27,000 (incl. VAT).
Travel and accommodation will be covered by the grant agreement and reimbursed by
EFFAT upon justification.
The Contractor will receive an advance and a final payment.
8. Legal obligations
Basis of the contract is the grant agreement between the European Commission and EFFAT.
The terms of this grant agreement are also applicable to the Contractor.
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9. Selection criteria
The selection criteria are: verifiable expertise and references, price not exceeding the
amount stated in the grant agreement.
10. Award Criteria
The contract will be awarded to the tenderer whose offer represents the best value for
money, taking into account the following criteria:
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Capacity to understand and achieve the objectives of the project
Quality and coherence of the proposed methodology
Proof of compliance with required expertise and qualifications in the field of
communication, campaigns, tools, etc. (please attach references)
Ability to deliver within project deadlines and budgetary limits
The respect of the principles of transparency and equal treatment with a view to avoiding any
conflict of interest will be undertaken.
11. Content and presentation of the bids
The bid should include:
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Methodology
Time table for the execution of the contract and the number of performance days
CV(s) and references demonstrating the expertise and the experience of the tenderer
Information on the sub-contractor's previous experience of similar work
Daily fee (VAT excluded and VAT included, indicating the applicable VAT rate) and
the total price of the bid
Complete contact details and bank details and a proof of the professional registration
of the tenderer (VAT number, enterprise number)
The bid must be presented in English.
Offers must be received by 2 March 2015 at the latest.
All candidates must deliver their bid by registered mail and by e-mail to:
Kerstin HOWALD
EFFAT
Rue Fossé aux Loups 38
1000 Bruxelles
Belgium
E-mail: k.howald@effat.org
Brussels, 30 January 2015
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