News

Over 60 participants from the Banking sector, coming from both the employer’s and the trade union side, met in Brussels on 15-16 October 2013 to discuss how to strengthen social dialogue and how to promote Lifelong learning (LLL) in the sector.

The conference concludes one year’s intense joint work in the frame of a European project, co-financed by the European Commission and following up on the joint declaration on Lifelong learning of 2003. The project aimed to focus on capacity building, using Lifelong learning as important topic of the industry across borders and encourage participants from the targeted countries, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria to the European Social Dialogue.

The European social partners (UNI Europa Finance, European Association of Cooperative Banks, European Banking Federation and the European Savings Banks Group) identified the practices of LLL at national level. The social partners found that Lifelong learning is a key topic - especially in a dynamic and changing sector such as the banking sector. Lifelong learning can be a good starting point to establish and to strengthen dialogue between social partners.

Speakers from both the employers’ side as well as the trade union side emphasised the importance of continuous training, especially in a sector which continues to feel the consequences of the financial and economic crisis.

National social partners from Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria reported about the added value of the workshops which had been held in their countries in the frame of the project. Those workshops have provided important stimulus to learn about European social dialogue.

Given the importance of multinationals in many Central and Eastern European countries the social partners emphasised the relevance of the European level of social dialogue in addition to the existing structures and corporate levels.

A new website and a booklet of good LLL practices, were presented at the conference. They are intended to be good practices to undertakings and social partners at all levels, but also not only to follow the good examples but also to develop their own new innovative ways.

In order to follow up on this successful project, social partners committed to identifying possible conclusions to be discussed during the plenary session of the Sectoral Social Dialogue that will be held in Brussels on 22^nd November.

Click here to access the project’s website and the booklet: http://www.socialdialoguebanks.eu/

This joint press release of the European social partners of the banking industry can also be downloaded in PDF format.