Industrial Relations in Europe 2012 - European Commission - Europa

Change Summit in Cancun in December 2010, where the EU and other governments recognised the
importance of ensuring a just transition, decent work and quality jobs. The social partners also
commented on a public consultation on the external dimension of EU energy policy. In a joint
position, they stated that the European Commission should recognise the dialogue between the
social partners as a valuable contribution in Europe and in neighbouring countries to shaping the
external dimension of EU energy policy and energy dialogue. Further, trade unions from several
European Member Sates conducted a project on the relationship between the quality of social
dialogue and nuclear safety. Social dialogue in the nuclear energy sector is always closely linked to
the state and characterised by the prominent role of employee representations. This project stressed
the role of maintaining a vibrant social dialogue in times of restructuring, the end of former
monopolies and increased reliance on subcontracting.
Since 2008, the social dialogue committee for the live performance sector has been discussing the
impact of the crisis on this sector. The economic slowdown has placed the sustainability of this
sector under pressure due to the consequences of austerity for public finances. In May 2009, the
social partners adopted a joint statement, expressing their concerns and calling for sustained public
funding support for the performing arts. In January 2011, the social partners sent a joint letter to the
Dutch authorities, conveying their concerns about what they considered to be alarming plans for the
future funding of the performing arts in the Netherlands, urging the Dutch government to reconsider
its intentions. In December 2012, the social partners of the live performance committee were among
the signatories of an open letter of the International Cultural Industry Associations to the Spanish
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, as well as the European Parliament and the Commission, protesting
against the Spanish government's intentions to abolish the reduced VAT rate applicable to
admissions to cultural activities such as cinema, live music events and theatre. The organisations
concerned claim that this will lead to a reduction of investments in the entire Spanish cultural sector
and will destroy thousands of jobs.
Employment, industrial policy and competitiveness
Against a background of continuing economic uncertainty in many parts of the EU, the related
topics of industrial policy, the competitiveness of economic sectors, the employability of the
workforce and the challenge of demographic change have continued to receive special attention in
social dialogue.
An agreement on competence profiles for process operators and first line supervisors in the
chemical industry was signed by the social partners in this sector – ECEG and EMCEF – on 15
April 2011. This framework of action was the outcome of a project managed jointly by the two
social partners, and includes the definition of minimum core competences for the two job profiles
and a commitment by their national member organisations to report annually on all implementation
actions. On 20 March 2012, ECEG and EMCEF also adopted a joint opinion on the proposal for a
Directive on energy efficiency, with the aim of ensuring the global competitiveness of the European
chemical industry.
In the civil aviation social dialogue committee, three of the recognised social partners, representing
airports, independent ground handlers and workers (ACI-Europe, the International Aviation
Handlers' Association (IAHA) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation, ETF), adopted a
276