INTEGRATING SERVICE USER & WORKFORCE INVOLVEMENT IN PUBLIC SERVICES EXPLORING THE CONNECTIONS Round Table Social partner perspectives on combining user and workforce involvement Roberta Roncone - member of the Secretary of Cisl Public Function Union in Emilia-Romagna (Italy)

In what sense and under what circumstances are users viewed as a legitimate employment relations actor? In Italy, currently, public service social dialogue does not include formally and directly user representatives: trade unions and user representatives dialogue/interact with administrators or public managers separately. User representatives are involved only indirectly and to a limited extent. Trade unions are not asking to have moments of discussion/confrontation with user representatives. Users are invited by public managers through the form of committees and associations that expose some of their requests or complaints about the organization of the services (example: opening hours).

What does the policy interest in user involvement imply for the management of the workforce in your sector/country? The policy interest in user involvement implies that work organization could change to better meet users' demands. For example, about opening times of some services in the health sector (such as nursery school for longer hours during the afternoon or clinics for medical tests booking during weekends), or teachers’ office time in the education sector. Some resistance from workers and unions occur because the users’ requests may result in organizational changes and more flexibility in working time (but it is a necessary choice to innovate public services). Another case where users involvement may impact on the management of the workforce are decisions about the externalization of services. An example regards the organization of municipal schools in Modena, a city of Emilia-Romagna region: we tried to involve parents to maintain the direct provision of public municipal schools but users/citizens preferred to support the administrator’s proposal to outsource the service because they believed that the service would improve and cost less.

In what ways does user involvement strengthen and/or weaken the traditional model of social dialogue? In my opinion, today, in Italy, social dialogue in the public services is not effective as it could be, and user greater involvement could strengthen it. Social dialogue could become more effective and complete if it includes all together the actors who play a role in the context of public services (users, politicians, public managers and trade unions) with a pact of mutual trust. User involvement is also strategic to innovate work organization of public services, to avoid complaints and to eliminate negative general opinion about Italian public services.