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Trade union Unia has launched talks with pharmaceutical group Novartis in a bid to save hundreds of jobs in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis wants to cut or relocate 500 ‘traditional’ jobs in production, development and management, while at the same time recruiting some 350 high-skilled workers, mainly in bio-tech. The company plans to move some jobs to India.

Multinational energy and automation company Schneider Electric has reached an agreement with European trade unions that will help workers to anticipate change and deal with the impact of globalisation. Schneider Electric has 45,000 employees in 29 European countries. Negotiations addressed current challenges such as energy transition, digital transformation, evolving professions and increasing the number of young employees.

Brussels, 25 November 2016 To: Education and Training Committee Members Governance  of the EU funds needs major improvement The ETUC and CEEP, together with their education sector partner organisations ETUCE and EFEE, organised a joint conference on 23 November entitled: “Investment and EU Funds for Education and Training – The European landscape and the role of the Social Partners”.

Commenting on the Skills Agenda launched today by the European Commission, Thiébaut Weber, ETUC Confederal Secretary, said “Europe needs a big push to support workers to increase their skills, and to cope with the transition to a digital, carbon-free and ageing society.” “The Skills Agenda is a useful step forward and the proposal for a Skills Guarantee, which was an ETUC demand, is very positive.”

Tomorrow European Commissioner Marianne Thyssen will unveil proposals for an EU Skills Agenda in the European Parliament, with a press conference later in the week. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) believes that an ambitious agenda with concrete actions is essential: to upgrade skills to enable people seeking work to get jobs, for workers to remain employed and to move to better jobs, and to enable the European economy to meet the many challenges ahead.

Twenty quality standards for apprenticeships are proposed by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Unionlearn (TUC) in their new publication “A European Quality Framework for Apprenticeships –  a European Trade Union Proposal”. Despite increased interest by policy-makers in apprenticeships as a means to combat youth unemployment, apprenticeships have been in decline in recent years (and even more so since the 1980s).

Brussels 18, 2016  To Excutive Committee Members For Information to ETUC Members Orgaisaitons   New Skills Agenda”: Improving training opportunities for workers in Europe (ETUC position) Adopted at the Meeting of the executive committee on the 13th April 2016

The European quality framework for apprenticeships was launched during a conference held on 14 April 2016 in Brussels. This framework consists of 20 quality criteria, which have been developed in a bottom-up approach through engaging with experts at national and European levels over the course of 4 joint sectoral seminars and 20 national country visits. Other language versions of the publication will follow shortly.

This is a call for a subcontractor to provide expertise as part of the implementation of the ETUC project on “Improving social partners’ involvement in EU support for public investments in training and education". Deadline for submission 8 February 2016.

ETUC assessment of the European Commission Work Programme 2016   ETUC position adopted at the ETUC Executive Commitee on the 16-17 December 2015 Introduction   This paper provides an ETUC assessment of the European Commission’s (EC) Work Programme 2016 (WP) No Time for Business as Usual.  

From now on, young people starting work in the electricity sector should get better pay and working conditions, thanks to a landmark deal between the social partners. An industry undergoing major changes in Europe needs smart, skilled workers. Trade unions and employers alike recognise that it is important for new recruits to get high-quality training, good working conditions and career opportunities.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes today’s adoption by EU leaders of the Riga conclusions, a new set of priorities to improve Vocational Education and Training (VET) for the period 2015-2020. Luca Visentini, ETUC Confederal Secretary, speaking at the meeting of ministers in charge of Vocational Education and Training in Riga, said:

Three European sectoral trade unions: industriAll Europe, the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) have signed an important new agreement with the power and energy group ENGIE, to help workers adapt to the energy transition.

Adopted at the ETUC Executive Committee on 11-12 March 2014       Background   Work-based learning, which is generally associated with apprenticeships for young people and dual systems of vocational training, is part of the policies supporting the transition from school to the labour market. It is integrated into broader education and training policies linked to labour market issues. [1]  

Speech given by Bernadette Ségol, General Secretary of the ETUC 2 April 2014, Autoworld, Brussels Check against delivery

Traineeships can admittedly be a springboard towards employment for young people.  Unfortunately, they can also constitute a trap, and that is why the European Parliament and the Council have launched a call for a “Quality Framework for Traineeships” (QFT). 

Best practices and trade union contributions

Brussels, 07/11/2013 Annexes available in the PDF version Introduction

Brussels, 22-23/10/2013

Brussels, 18/10/2013

Brussels, 05-06/03/2013 {{Background }} The Communication of the European Commission on Rethinking Education was published by the European Commission on 20 November 2012, accompanied by seven staff working documents: http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/rethinking_en.htm.The Communication will be integrated into Council conclusions, which will be adopted by the Education Council on 15th February 2013.

Brussels, 05-06/03/2013 {{Introduction }} The ETUC’s ambition: To continue and intensify mobilisation