Brussels, 12/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - On the occasion of the dialogue seminar on the theme “Flexicurity from a Values Perspective”, the representatives and experts from Europe's churches discussed the modernisation of employment policies, based on flexicurity, with representatives of the European institutions. The seminar, which was held in Brussels on 28 February in the presence of European social partners, was organised jointly by the European Commission, the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Secretariat of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE). The seminar, during which the churches stressed the need to adopt a much broader approach in employment policies, concluded with an observation: “there is still a long way to go in order to translate commonly shared values into concerted policies. The dignity of the human being and protection of the most vulnerable in the labour market must be the starting point of the implementation measures”, a COMECE press release indicates.
On the subject of flexicurity, Vladimir Spidla, the European Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner, pointed out that “the main aim of flexicurity is not merely to protect workers against precarious situations but to protect human dignity. Flexicurity focused more on society than on the labour market”. Jan Figel, his counterpart for education and culture, stressed that “education can contribute to make the flexicurity initiative successful in all the countries and regions of the EU”. In the view of COMECE Assistant Secretary General Stefan Lunte, the concept of flexicurity “is rooted in the tradition of the Churches. In the socio-political arena it should be measured by the degree of progress made for the weakest participants in the labour market”. Ms Bozica Matic, from the Slovenian Permanent Representation to the EU, said that it was time “to start to implement flexicurity and to put it into practice together with all stakeholders, including churches and religious communities”.
On the subject of employment issues and segmentation of the labour market, the Director of the CEC Church and Society Commission, Rüdiger Noll, explained that churches in Europe are concerned about the increasing segmentation of the labour market, the increase in precarious employment situations and the growing marginalisation of certain groups, such as the long-term unemployed, less skilled people and those who have migrated. “The success of employment policies depends on a very high level of mutual trust, which makes it necessary to involve all groups in society: not only employers and trade unions but also churches and diaconal organisations”, he said. Professor Gerhard Wegner, from the Social Sciences Institute of the Evangelical Church in Germany, said that the institutions of society (social security offices, job centres, youth departments etc.) should propose “stronger empowerment approaches in order to improve opportunities for people to participate in society, particularly in the labour market”. MEP Jacek Protasiewicz (EPP-ED, Poland) expressed the expectation that “the churches [will] help people find their way in the modernised labour market and face its changes”, and hence the importance of lifelong learning. He also stressed the importance of strengthening “the ethical dimension of relations between employees and employers”.
On the concept of human dignity, the Bishop of Linz (Austria), Ludwig Schwarz, pointed out that “the human being is not only created as an individual but also open to community. Only free time shared with others gives human being in their relationships to others its full dignity”, he said. (G.B.)