Europe needs stronger worker consultation and better tools for managing restructuring
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes the initiative of the European Commission and the Luxembourg Presidency in reopening a debate on ways to handle restructuring. A coherent EU-wide strategy is vital, given that badly managed restructuring is a threat to many of the Lisbon objectives including full employment, better jobs, and social and territorial cohesion.
“The prime objective of well managed restructuring must be that no-one is left unemployed and excluded at the end of the process,” said ETUC Deputy General Secretary Maria Helena André. “It is the responsibility of companies and the relevant public authorities to find a solution that meets the needs of every individual.”
The ETUC is not opposed to change, which can be an important stimulus for development and progress. But it must be planned, well managed, and followed up in a way that removes the fear and insecurity felt by many workers in Europe, who now worry that their livelihoods are going to disappear overseas.
We cannot accept that workers alone should pay the price of restructuring, or that globalisation and technological progress should become alibis for forcing people into poor quality jobs with bad working conditions and inadequate pay. This would not be in the interests of industry, workers, or society in general.
The ETUC therefore insists on:
The better use of existing mechanisms for managing change, including political, financial, legislative and contractual instruments.
Prior advance notification and consultation with the social partners before restructuring gets underway, to set up a framework of measures to support workers in the process of change.
Personalised solutions for workers made redundant as a result of restructuring: including counselling, support in job-seeking, work placements in other firms, professional retraining, and access to credit for setting up small businesses that meet local needs.
Good quality training and lifelong learning for all employees, which should be an ongoing process throughout companies in Europe.
Adequate social benefits to provide a safety net for workers confronted by a period of unemployment.
Strong partnerships between actors at regional and local levels, offering the most effective means of finding appropriate solutions for each community.
More research into the long-term prospects of European industrial sectors, to give advance warning of areas where jobs may be at risk in the future.
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