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European Commission wants to give a higher profile to the social dialogue Communication on European social dialogue, English PDF Communication on European social dialogue, French PDF Communication on European social dialogue, German PDF
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European
Social Dialogue for Commerce Joint Statement by EuroCommerce and UNI-Europa Commerce
The European social dialogue for commerce between EuroCommerce and UNI-Europa Commerce is one of the most active in the European Union. It is also one of the most important ones with regard to representativeness, as commerce employs almost 25 million people in the European Union. During the last years, several agreements have been concluded, responding thus to the European Commission's challenge to the social partners to establish frameworks for a development of labour relations, which combine the needs for business flexibility, employment security and good quality employment. On several occasions, EuroCommerce and UNI-Europa Commerce have given their opinions together on employment issues, underlining the need for a commerce sector which produces high level services for the European consumers while providing secure and good quality employment. Major social dialogue conferences have brought together large and representative groups of business and trade union leaders, to discuss and seek common approaches to labour relations in what is one of Europe's most dynamic industries. Through round tables for social partners in the candidate countries, the social dialogue for commerce has shown the way also for other sectors in contributing concretely to the European Union enlargement process. Joint research and training programmes, including a recently concluded major project to help enterprises and their employees adapt to new e-commerce solutions, have supported the competitiveness of European retail and wholesale trade as well as the employment and employability of commercial workers. EuroCommerce and UNI-Europa Commerce, as well as their affiliates and members, approach the social dialogue in a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation, and in search of solutions that serve the common interests of the commerce and distribution industry and the people working in it. Recent agreements on fundamental principles and rights at work, telework, racism and xenophobia, supporting age diversity, and others - many of which deal with issues where reaching consensus has not been easy - show that the social partners are serious in their approach to their dialogue and prepared to take the responsibility which their role gives them. The social dialogue for commerce is increasingly focusing on the promotion of corporate social responsibility, thus responding to the European Commission’s initiatives. The work to support social inclusion, another Community priority, will continue as the social partners for commerce are examining the possibilities of negotiating in the near future an agreement in support of disabled people in working life. In this situation, the social partners wish to express their deep concern over recent developments, which put their continued European social dialogue at risk. Both EuroCommerce and UNI-Europa Commerce are strongly opposed to the proposal of the European Commission being interpreted in a way as to exclude EuroCommerce from the proposed Tripartite Social Summit. This would leave commerce as an industry without an effective representation on the employers' side, which would not be compensated by part of the commerce employers' associations being indirectly formally represented through confederal structures, which are predominantly oriented towards production industry. If EuroCommerce were to be left out from the Summit, this could negatively affect the organisation's role as a social partner and thus put major parts of the commerce social dialogue at risk. EuroCommerce was present in the Standing Committee on Employment. The European social partners for commerce express as their strong joint opinion to the European Council and to the European Commission that EuroCommerce must be present also in the proposed Tripartite Social Summit, and asks the European Union Presidency to take the necessary steps to achieve this within the present proposal. EuroCommerce Uni-Europa Commerce
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