Brussels, 13/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - The Spanish Presidency of the EU announced on its website on Tuesday 12 January in Madrid, that the First Vice President of the Spanish Government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, signed an agreement with the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the Spanish trade unions CC.OO and UGT to formalise social dialogue in the public sector during Spain's term of office in the European Presidency. By virtue of this agreement, the Spanish Government will instigate the necessary contacts with the other Member States to promote this social dialogue process, preparing rules of procedure and a work programme to formalise it. To this end, the Spanish Government will create a working group, which will include representatives from the European Trade Union Federations and different Member States.
The Secretary of State for the Civil Service, Carmen Gomis Bernal; the Federal Secretary of the EPSU, Carola Fischbach-Pyttel; the secretary general of FSC of (Federation to Services to the Citizenship) CC.OO, Enrique Fossoul de la Sierra, the secretary general of the FSP (Federation of Public Services) of UGT, Julio Lacuerda; and the national president of CSI-CSIF, Domingo Fernández all signed this agreement. (G.B.)