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The UNI Europa Services Manifesto sets out our vision of an innovative and quality-oriented services industry; an industry that is driven by fair competition in the single market, creates sustainable growth, and benefits consumers, workers, and businesses alike. In view of the 2014 European elections, our Manifesto offers advice to the European Parliament and Commission on how to turn this vision into reality.

Support our Manifesto: Sign the UNI Europa Pledge 'Quality Jobs for Quality Services'

With the Manifesto Pledge, UNI Europa gives EU policy-makers the chance to make their commitment to quality jobs and quality services visible. By signing up to the Pledge, policy-makers declare their support for the arguments brought forward in the Services Manifesto. UNI Europa will list participating politicians on its website where European voters can check if the candidates they vote for care about quality jobs and social Europe.

Why care about good work in services?

As services are highly labour-intensive, it is crucial to understand that quality, innovation, and productivity in services are functions of decent working conditions. This is what we understand as a virtuous circle: quality employment in services improves the quality of services as such. Recognising this virtuous circle must be the starting point of all policies affecting the services industry. Above all, this insight must inform a comprehensive EU services policy which needs to be drawn up and implemented to ensure a favourable long-term development of the European services industry.

Why is it important?

There are good reasons why services contribute in excess of 65% to both employment and output in the EU: Services fulfil essential functions in modern societies and complex economies. Businesses to consumer services either respond to citizens’ most basic needs (e.g. retail, care, or media services) or boost their quality of life (e.g. active leisure or hair & beauty services). Similarly, business services (such as financial, logistics, or IT services) enable firms to increase productivity and to concentrate on their core business. Ensuring that these essential needs are met in a way that fosters economic and social progress is an important, essentially political task.

2014-19: What can be done?

A lot can be done during the 2014-19 period to boost the European services industry. In order to harness the virtuous circle between decent employment in services and the quality of services itself, priority should be given to measures that:

• Develop a purposeful long-term strategy for services in the European Union
• Increase investment in infrastructure and skills development in services
• Strengthen social dialogue in services
• Counter precarious forms of employment
• Make single market regulation consistent with services quality and quality jobs
• Further workers’ and consumers’ common interests
• Modernise vocational education and training and lifelong learning in services
• Turn international trade in services into a driver of economic and social progress
• Support policy-oriented research for an improved EU governance of services

Why are we taking this step?

We are concerned about how little attention is paid to the quality of services and services employment at EU level. Especially the single market for services, an under-regulated market which encourages social dumping and low-quality services, illustrates this lack of attention. European integration must capitalise on the virtuous circle between quality employment and quality services to harness our industry’s full potential for competitiveness and quality of life in the EU. Boosting the potential for growth and employment of the services industry – our economy’s biggest sector – is crucial to end the current crisis and to set Europe back onto the path of social progress. 

Go to the related files section to download our Services Manifesto!