Introduction into ACTRAV European Programme and ITC-ILO UNI-Europa project By Evelin Toth

TU challenges in Europe Great regional diversity: 51 countries in Europe and Central Asia with diverse economic, political, social and cultural conditions, Severe employment and social consequences of the crisis, Implementation ILO Decent Work Agenda, European trade union integration, Representation, TU unity, influence on policy-makers, bargaining and enforcement power, know-how, absorption capacity to benefit from international projects, modern leadership, effective management of human and financial resources, quality labour education programs, rejuvenation of TU movement…

Topics addressed in 2010 National and European Sectoral Social Dialogue Employment and Informal Economy Economic and Financial Crisis Empowerment of young TU leaders OSH ILO Outcomes: 10, 13, 14…

2010 in numbers Total number of training activities: 11 Activities in Turin: 6 Activities in the field: 5 Total number of participants: 273 Women: 105 (38%) Men: 168 Evaluation average:4.42 Research and study: participation of 57 trade unions from 15 countries

Sectoral activities in 2010 Follow-up on EU-funded project Strengthening the capacity of EMCEF affiliates for social dialogue at national and European level with EMCEF (chemical industry, energy) Research and training project on social dialogue in NMS and CC with ETUC Decent Work for Transport Workers with ETF

Activities in 2011 Strengthening Social Dialogue in Commerce with UNI-Europa Decent Work for Precarious Workers with ETUC and selected European Industry Federations Core Course on Social Security

Commerce in EU (1) Around 31.5 million people work in the retail (19.7) and wholesale (12.0) sector in the EU, which corresponds to almost 15% of all jobs. Commerce accounts for almost 10% of the EU’s GDP (2007). 14% of workers in wholesale and 21% of retail workers have entrepreneur status. But the share of self-employment is falling. Part time work accounts for 10% in wholesale and 31% in retail. 53% of the workforce is female, but in retail women make up almost two thirds of the workforce. 85% of the workforce has a low or intermediate education level (57% intermediate).

Commerce in EU (2) The commerce sector is one of the sectors with the largest proportion of micro enterprises. In 2005, small firms (with less than 50 employees) employed 60% of commerce workers and firms with more than 250 employees employed 27.8%. However, while the share of employment in SMEs is decreasing, employment in large enterprises is increasing.

Identification of a problem Limited participation of social partners from New Member States and Candidate Countries in European sectoral social dialogue committee for commerce

Limiting factors in NMS and CC Decline in membership as a dominant feature, Little tradition of social partnership and autonomous, bipartite collective bargaining, Proliferation and fragmentation of trade unions which adversely affects TU dialoguing strength, Unification because of weakness, not because of strength, Chain to young people is broken, Image of trade unions…

Problems related to ESD An overall low level of social dialogue and industrial relations (disrespect for collective agreements), Poorly designed institutional framework, weak labour and SD institutions, Barriers in external (language) and international communication (dissemination of ESD related info to members) and internal capacities (insufficient knowledge about ESD forms and processes) Insufficient understanding of ESD by trade union members… Lack of sectoral employers’ organisations, Absence of employers’ interest in being involved in EU-level sector projects and activities

Partnership

Development Objective Increased institutional capacity of UNI-Europa affiliates in commerce sector for participation in sectoral social dialogue at national and European levels

Immediate Objectives Improved knowledge on EU sectoral social dialogue Improved exchanges of good practices and experiences among trade unions Increased cooperation with employers (EuroCommerce)

Outputs 140 representatives of UNI-Europa affiliates trained in 12 months Increased quality and quantity of participation of trained EMCEF affiliates in European sectoral social dialogue committee in commerce Improved implementation of results of European social dialogue on national level

Countries and participants 17 sectoral trade unions 140 participants Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey

Activities Training trainers Sub-regional seminar 1 Closing Bipartite Workshop

Contact The ACTRAV-Turin Labour Education Programme is the training arm of the Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) of the International Labour Organization (ILO).  It is part of the International Training Center of the ILO based in Turin, Italy. It is the largest international labour education programme in the world. Evelin Toth Education - Europe Programme for Workers' Activities e.toth@itcilo.org Skype ID: evelin.toth