17. EUROPEAN SOCIAL DIALOGUE
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10564/02
COM(02) 341
| Commission Communication: "The European social dialogue, a force for innovation and change".
Draft Council Decision establishing a Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment.
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| Legal base: | Communication: —
Draft Decision: Article 202EC; consultation; simple majority
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| Department: | Trade and Industry
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| Basis of consideration: | Minister's letter of 12 November 2002
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| Previous Committee Report: | HC 152-xxxviii (2001-02), paragraph 8 (16 October 2002)
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| To be discussed in Council: | December 2002
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| Committee's assessment: | Politically important
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| Committee's decision: | Cleared
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Background
17.1
The "social dialogue" refers to the long-standing practice
whereby the Commission consults the main EU "social partners"
— the European-level representatives of employers and employees
— on proposals for EU social legislation.
17.2
This document comprises both a Communication and a draft Decision.
The draft Decision proposes the establishment of a Tripartite
Social Summit for Growth and Employment to replace the Standing
Committee on Employment (SCE), in which the social partners presently
meet once a year with Employment and Social Affairs Ministers.
17.3
In his original Explanatory Memorandum on this proposal (which
we considered in October), the Minister for Employment Relations
and the Regions (Mr Alan Johnson) told us that, although the SCE
was widely considered to be unsatisfactory, it was not yet clear
whether the Commission's proposal would provide the solution.
We asked the Minister to explain this comment, to give us an
assessment of the perceived value of the recent Social Summits
and to tell us the views of the UK national member federations
of the European social partners.
The Minister's letter
17.4
The Minister has now responded. He says:
"The impetus for change in the structure of forum for Employment
policy debate came from social partners, and was supported by
both European Commission and European Council. In the 'Joint
Contribution by the Social Partners to the Laeken European Council',
published on 7th December 2001, the social partners suggested
a Tripartite Social Summit, bringing together the troika, the
Commission President and a restricted delegation of social partners,
and that this should replace the Standing Committee on Employment.
This demand was both acknowledged and agreed in the Presidency's
conclusions on the Laeken Council.
"The tasks laid down in the 1970 decision, and amended in
1998, to establish Standing Committee on Employment, 'to ensure...
that there shall be continuous dialogue, joint action and consultation
between the Council...Commission and the two sides of industry...',
are still relevant today. However, the social partners consider
that the operations, the membership, the working methods, and
the use to which its results are put, are out-of-date. In particular,
it was not synchronised with other tripartite mechanisms, such
as the Macroeconomic Dialogue, nor was it linked effectively to
the delivery of the Lisbon strategy, which is the focus of the
Spring Economic Council."
17.5
Turning to the views of UK national member federations of the
European social partners, the Minister tells us:
"The social partners broadly welcome [the Tripartite Social
Summit] as both beneficial and timely. CBI[56]
follow UNICE[57] in considering
that dismantling SCE implies finding alternative channels between
Employment and Social Affairs Council and social partners, acknowledging
that this can be done without a formal council decision. UNICE
also requests an additional dialogue on education and training.
CEEP[58] UK registers
specific disaccord with their omission from the technical co-ordination
of the employers' delegation. TUC[59]
warmly welcome tripartism at European level, reserving a degree
of comment until proposals are further defined."
17.6
Finally, the Minister reports that clarification of certain technical
and procedural issues is currently being undertaken at working-party
level in conjunction with the Council Legal Services.
Conclusion
17.7
Although the Minister has not responded to our request for
an assessment of the value of the recent Social Summits, his letter
does reveal that the impetus for change came from the social partners
themselves, and was supported by both the Commission and the Council.
We note that, despite their support for the Tripartite Social
Summit, the social partners consider that other channels of communication
will also be necessary, and we trust these will be established.
17.8
We now clear the document.
56 Confederation
of British Industry. Back
57 Union
of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe. Back
58 European
Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation. Back
59 Trades
Union Congress. Back
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