Report
To the seminar participants
For information: to the members of the ETUC Youth Committee
Young trade unionists in @ction in the enlarged European Union
Report
Seminar held in Bratislava, Slovakia on 3-4 February 2006
Right at the start of the seminar, after warmly welcoming all the participants, Youth Committee Coordinator Juliane Bir briefly put the project in context.
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) had already organised specific projects for ’candidate countries’ (now fully-fledged EU Member States) in the past. One such project, financed with the support of the European Commission’s DG Education back in 2002, focussed on the impact of the white paper on young trade unionists from CEECs. During this seminar, it became clearly apparent to the young participants that an initiative associated with enlargement and its repercussions would be useful, for youngsters in the countries concerned know little about the various EU institutions, legislation and even the European dimension of trade unionism.
The questions most frequently asked are:
How does the European Union work?
What are its institutions?
How are workers represented at European level?
What European trade union action is or can be taken?
This kind of information is invaluable for assessing the repercussions and key issues associated with enlargement in the countries in question.
The conclusions of work on this have also highlighted a serious deficit regarding youngsters’ participation in youth organisations, and trade unions in particular. Across Europe, rates of unionisation are at best stagnating and at worst steeply declining. The young workers cited many different reasons for not joining unions. These reasons varied depending on the country and sector concerned. Nonetheless, participants from the countries in question did have some reasons in common:
a lack of knowledge about trade unions;
a lack of contact with the trade union world;
job insecurity and job turnover;
a warped image of what trade unions are;
trade union structures that are hard to reconcile with the job-related changes experienced by young people;
’anti-union’ sentiment pervading some work environments.
This is why the youngsters described recruitment and union membership as a challenge in terms of citizenship and its European dimension (via ETUC) and one of the key elements in a European identity.
Accordingly, the Youth Committee opted to propose this project, in a bid to fill any gaps and meet the expectations of our young members.
The project will entail three stages:
The preparations which served to produce material for the European campaign.
The main event, namely, the organisation of three training seminars in three new Member States, including Slovakia, the venue of the third seminar.
An assessment that will involve organising a meeting between young trade unionists from all the new Member States who took part in the respective actions, but also with participants representing the four candidate countries and representatives of the former EU-15.
Juliane also reiterated that the project was above all aimed at young trade unionists from the 10 new EU Member States.
She also spelled out the two main objectives of the project:
I) training (given to the participants) on:
the institutions of the European Union;
the Constitution and the acquis communautaire;
the European dimension of trade unionism, with a specific mention given to social dialogue.
II) information (received and subsequently disseminated by the participants) on:
European trade unionism as a part of European citizenship and a European identity;
the role of young people in this movement: What situation? What types of action to take? How to get through to young affiliates and non-unionists?
She then briefly ran through the agenda and working methods.
The seminar was meant to be as interactive as possible and give the participants a tool that they would be given a chance to evaluate at the end of the session.
Juliane concluded her introduction by thanking KOZSR’s Erika Brselova for her valuable and capable assistance throughout the preparation phase.
She then gave the floor to KOZSR Vice-President Eugen Skultety, who was in charge of the organisation’s trade union policy.
Eugen warmly welcomed all the participants to Slovakia. _ He also stressed the important place and role for young people in the trade union movement, especially with respect to taking over from the ’old guard’. He also highlighted how essential their commitment was, especially at a time when the number of affiliates was steadily falling.
The members of the coordination team were then invited to introduce themselves:
Cinzia Sechi, project manager
Hélène Cipriano, technical assistant.
The proceedings began with a fun activity aimed to get the participants to know each other.
In pairs they were asked to interview one of their peers, asking them the following questions:
Their surname
Their first name
Their post or job
What they expected to get out of the seminar
What the EU meant to them (summed up in a word, phrase or symbol).
Once the answers had been given, Juliane summed up the participants’ expectations and their generally positive view of the EU.
The table below lists the key words used to sum up the EU. Some cropped up several times.
| The EU in a word or phrase |
|---|
| Co-responsibility |
| Combined strength |
| Unity |
| Partnership |
| Freedom |
| Acquaintance (getting to know one another) |
| Family |
| Change (for the better) |
| Bureaucracy |
Institutions
Cinzia then took the floor to present the institutions of the European Union.
The bare outlines of her presentation are set out below.
Her presentation was divided into to main parts:
Defining the EU
Giving an overview of the main Community institutions.
Cinzia started off by reiterating that Europe is above all based on a generous or noble concept. Indeed, the project of European construction had emerged from the rubble of World War II, its aim being to prevent and future wars. Yet the idea was not limited to merely preventing wars, but also intended to create instruments of solidarity enabling regions or countries to develop.
Europe must not be a fortress that loses sight of the principles on which it was based. European construction was undoubtedly one of the greatest historical undertakings of the 20th century, based on positives values cherished by the trade union movement, such as economic and social progress, the preservation of peace, respect for human beings, and the pre-eminence of law over force. This was why we, the unions, had to make sure the project was continued.
I What is the European Union?
First of all, Cinzia reminded the participants of all the events that had made the European Union what it is today, listing the key dates in its development.
European construction was the fruit of a series of developments. Originally an economic organisation, it was trying to transform itself into a political entity.
Her presentation touched on the following questions:
Is Europe a superpower above nation-state level?
What is the scope of Community law?
Does Europe have a Constitution?
II The European institutions
All the EU’s political impetus stemmed from European Council meetings, of which there are generally two a year (one per EU Presidency). These gatherings were attended by all the heads of state and constituted the most important truly decision-making body at European level. Patricia then took pains to describe the main European institutions, which together make up the institutional triangle, namely the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.
The Council of the European Union
The Council is the EU’s main decision-making body and co-legislator, along with the European Parliament. It represents the EU Member States, and one minister from each national government participates in its meetings. Ministers’ decisions are binding on their government, i.e. their signatures are equivalent to the signatures of their entire government.
The European Parliament
This institution co-legislates with the Council of Ministers. The European Parliament expresses the democratic will of the Union’s 450 million inhabitants and represents citizens’ interests in discussions with the other European institutions. The members of the European Parliament (or MEPs) do not sit in national groups, but rather belong to groupings with a European dimension which combine all the major political parties active in the EU Member States.
The European Commission
The Commission is a politically independent institution that represents and defends the interests of the EU as a whole. It is the driving force behind the system of European institutions, proposing legislation, policies and action programmes, and responsible for implementing the decisions reached by Parliament and the Council.
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
ETUC is the only trade union organisation recognised by the European institutions.
It represents 60 million workers throughout Europe.
Cinzia then capitalised on the presence of Eugen Skultety, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC), to ask him to say a few words about his experience within that tripartite organisation.
A lively debate with the participants followed each part of the presentations by Cinzia and Eugen.
How do young people view the trade unions?
The young participants were then divided into three working groups to answer the following questions:
How do young people view trade unions?
Why is this the case?
What do they expect from trade unions?
Juliane drew a parallel between the answers to these questions and those given by other youngsters, summed up in a study and reports from two ETUC Youth conferences.
The common points that emerged were very striking.
First and foremost, as she had done at the previous seminars in Lithuania and Cyprus, Juliane highlighted the need for action to be taken by unions to remedy such negative perceptions and at the same time be proactive with respect to communication, information and campaigning.
To that end she set out several ideas, based on experience gained at national and European level:
set up youth departments in unions;
encourage solidarity between different generations;
develop trade union training aimed at young people;
develop websites and make them more interactive;
use dynamic, language that appeals to and makes an impact on youngsters;
let young people organise the recruitment of their peers; - organise summer camps combining trade union activities with fun.
ETUC and ETUC Youth
Next, Juliane presented ETUC and ETUC Youth.
ETUC speaks with one voice to defend the common interests shared by workers at European level. Its primary aim is to promote the European Social Model and promote the development of a unified Europe characterised by peace and stability, where workers and their families are able to benefit fully from human and civil rights and enjoy a high standard of living.
The European Social Model strives for a society that combines sustainable economic growth with a consistently high standard of living and level of employment, including full employment, social protection, equal opportunities, high-quality jobs, social inclusion and a process for taking political decisions in which citizens are fully involved.
ETUC believes that worker consultation, collective bargaining, social dialogue and good working conditions are the key to boosting innovation, productivity, competitiveness and growth in Europe.
ETUC is fighting for a European Union with a strong social dimension and for a balanced macroeconomic framework that takes full account of the needs and aspirations of its citizens. To this end, it is helping to draw up economic and social policies at the highest level, working together with all the EU bodies, i.e. the EU Presidency, the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament.
This means:
taking part in the Tripartite Social Summit every spring, to assess the headway made in the Lisbon Agenda for 2000-2010;
having the right to be consulted, along with the other European social partners, on any decisions concerning employment, social affairs and macroeconomic policy;
maintaining close relations with avec an ’intergroup’ of MEPs;
coordinating the unions’ participation in several advisory bodies, including the European Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) and the European agencies responsible for vocational training, living and working conditions, and health and safety.
ETUC has played a key role in the drafting of key EU legislative texts, including the European Works Councils Directive (1994), the Information and Consultation Directive (2002), the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Constitutional Treaty of the EU.
At the same time, ETUC negotiates with employers in the so-called ’European Social Dialogue’. Further details on this are provided below.
To defend its claims, ETUC can call upon its affiliates to take action. It has coordinated major campaigns aimed at integrating new provisions on employment into the EU Treaty, encouraging voters to take part in European elections and support the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Constitutional Treaty. In recent years ETUC has regularly organised European demonstrations to coincide with European summits, for example in Lisbon in June 2000, Nice in December 2000 (where 80,000 workers took part in the Eurodemonstration staged in support of social Europe) and in Laeken (Belgium) in December 2001. It also organised European Action Days in spring 2003 and 2004.
ETUC adopts all its policies and activities via a democratic structure of elected representatives. Its Congress is its supreme body, meeting up every four years to elect a General Secretary. Its Executive Committee and more select Steering Committee are responsible for implementing policies between Congresses, whereas the Secretariat, which has its headquarters in Brussels, runs ETUC’s day-to-day activities.
The Youth section is an integral part of ETUC, comprising representatives of structures for the youth of organisations affiliated to ETUC. It conducts its activities in line with ETUC’s Constitution, operating funds and programme.
Its main tasks are:
to take up positions on subjects concerning young people in the workplace, which will then be submitted to ETUC’s Executive Committee;
to influence the work done by ETUC by making sure that young people are duly considered in its policies;
to develop action programmes and coordinate normal activities based thereon;
whenever necessary, to organise seminars, conferences, study meetings and campaigns for delegates from its affiliates.
Systems of worker representation in Europe
The second morning of work started off with a presentation by Cinzia on systems of worker representation in Europe.
Her presentation covered the following points:
definition of bodies that represent workers and their equivalent in various languages;
the composition of these bodies;
their status and modus operandi;
trade union density and structures;
percentages of conflicts;
the subject areas handled.
European Social Dialogue
The last theoretical presentation covered European Social Dialogue.
ETUC maintains industrial relations with employers in the European Union via the European Social Dialogue. For many years the European social partners have cooperated within European advisory committees and bodies.
Twenty years ago, in 1985, at Val Duchesse in Brussels, European Commission President Jacques Delors officially launched the bipartite European Social Dialogue between ETUC and the employers. The Treaty of Maastricht, which entered into force in 1993, recognised the social partners’ right to negotiate binding European framework agreements that are either enshrined in European law in the form of directives or implemented ’autonomously’ by the European and national social partners.
Since 1985, sectoral social dialogue committees have been established in 31 different sectors of industry. The social partners have adopted in excess of 40 joint multisector texts and 300 sectoral texts.
English presentations on the institutions, systems of representation, ETUC and social dialogue are available as PowerPoint files.
What action needs to be taken with respect to young people and trade unions?
As an introduction for the second working group assigned to draw up national action plans, Juliane presented some new material from the ETUC Youth campaign to the participants, designed to help them implement unionisation campaigns.
There are three types of poster, sticker and pamphlets, all conveying the message: "The first time. Alone, it’s much more difficult."
Grouped into their respective countries, the youngsters were thus given the means to implement action plans, which they will present at the final seminar, due to be held in Brussels in June, along with the action that has been taken and details of its implementation (see the enclosed documents).
Conclusion – Evaluation
Next, the participants were given an opportunity to evaluate the seminar in writing, as well as orally, asking each of the participants in turn.
All in all, the participants were very positive about the seminar, making the following main points:
the possibility of meeting young people from other countries and other trade unions;
the chance to learn;
the means to disseminate that knowledge;
being given European campaigning material;
discovering a new country.
The one key point that could have been improved was:
the duration of the seminar, which it was felt had been too short.
The coordination team ended the seminar by thanking the participants for the quality of their input and for their commitment to the work done, the interpreters for their assistance, and Erika and Hélène for their practical support in preparing and holding the seminar.
Campaign Material
Action Plans
Examples of good practice
Contact