Brussels, 17/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - European social partners are proposing assistance to Europe so that it can benefit from the digital revolution. In a joint declaration that they submitted to European leaders during the Tripartite Social Summit on the 16 March, they identified the challenges and opportunities involved in this transformation to the labour market.
In their preamble, the European social partners state, “The future of work, social security, taxation, creating a level playing field and fair digital economy for enterprises of all sizes and sectors and for workers, as well as scaling-up digital skills, are some of the most important challenges we have to tackle together”. Social partners are represented by the European Trade Union Confederation, BusinessEurope, the European Association of Craft and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (UEAPME) and the European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services (CEEP).
Before offering their support to the European Commission, European social partners explained, “Whether digitalisation will ultimately increase employment will depend on how successfully European enterprises adapt to technological developments, and on the extent to which the EU will be able to create a favourable policy and regulatory environment to safeguard the interests of enterprises and working people at the same time”. They want regular exchanges to be organised between the European Commission and social partners and for workers to be given the chance to adapt and “have access to new opportunities”. In this perspective they are calling for an inclusive societal approach. A lengthy passage in their declaration involves the subject of skills in view of the communication on “New Skills in Europe”, which is expected to be presented on 25 May next. They also state that “ensuring people have the skills required in changing labour markets is fundamental to enabling Europeans to benefit from the new jobs that are being created…While digital education should start right from primary education we must make sure that the older generations have access to skills updating and further education”.
In a separate declaration, the CEEP draws attention to the specificities of public services and it states that “It is crucial that the regulatory framework promotes innovation in public services by guaranteeing users' privacy rights and encouraging standardisation and interoperability”. Both the separate and joint statement tackle questions relating to the social dialogue and the need to establish appropriate rules and skills. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)