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Printing company owners, employers, trade unions and employees will participate in national workshops as part of Intergraf and UNI Europa Graphical’s new EU project, Socially Responsible Restructuring and Reorientation of Printing Companies. The format of these workshops began to take shape at the first meeting of the project’s steering group in Brussels recently.



In 2010 Intergraf, together with UNI Europa Graphical, conducted an EU project on socially responsible restructuring in printing companies. The project produced two documents – a best-practice study, ‘The Future of the European Print Industry – In our Own Hands’ and a toolkit to guide companies on how to put the study’s recommendations into practice. Even though the documents were published in five languages and are freely available online, it is challenging for employers and trade union representatives in their daily work, to analyse their situation and put a strategy for their company in place.



This new project will bring the toolkit to employers and trade union representatives on the ground and demonstrate how to apply its recommendations in the real world through national workshops. The workshops will take place in seven different European countries, help participants identify problems and opportunities in their companies and give them practical advice on how to change for the future.



The project steering group, which is made up of Intergraf, UNI Europa Graphical, national employer and union federations, met on 23rd January, in Brussels. At the meeting, John Kirkham of Facta Consult, the firm behind much of the study and toolkit, addressed participants on his vision for the workshops. He outlined the structure and topics that will be addressed. The workshops will be proactive, hands-on and focus on ‘doing’ rather than talking.



Mr Kirkham, will lead the training of the national workshop coordinators. This will ensure that the workshops are conducted by experts versed in the documents and that consistent information will be spread across Europe. However, each workshop will be tailored to a national context to the maximum benefit of the participants. This could mean holding two workshops based on company size or geography, different themed workshops or even a series of half day workshops - whatever will work best in each country.



These workshops aim to jolt companies, their management and workers representatives into action and ensure that they will put the ideas they have learned into practice immediately. Whether this means restructuring, focusing on different technologies or manoeuvring within their market, it will involve two vital components – social responsibility and change.



The industry is facing difficult challenges and printing companies are struggling. In a global financial crisis the temptation is to think that these problems are out of any one individual’s control. In fact, the printing industry has particular structural, market and demand issues which can and should be faced head-on. These workshops will help companies, through efficient social dialogue what to secure the future viability of their business and provide good quality jobs. To paraphrase the 2010 study, the future is in their own hands.



The partners of the project are:

· from the employers side: Intergraf, Apigraf (Portugal), UNIC (France), BVDM (Germany), KVGO (Netherlands), BPIF (UK), FEDPRINT (Hungary) and the MPIA (Malta).

· from the trade unions side: UNI Europa Graphical, Filpac CGT (France), FNV/KIEM (Netherlands), UNITE (UK), the General Workers’ Union (Malta) and the Hungarian Graphical Workers’ Union.



For more information, please contact:

Beatrice Klose – Intergraf Secretary General

Tel: +32 2 2308646

E-mail: bklose@intergraf.eu



Nicola Konstantinou – UNI Europa Graphical

Tel: + 32 2 2345644

E-mail: Nicola.konstantinou@uniglobalunion.org



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Intergraf represents 23 national printing federations in 20 countries in Europe. Intergraf's main task is to promote and protect the interests of the printing and related industries, working with the European Institutions, and to enhance the sector's competitiveness through lobbying, informing and networking.



UNI Europa Graphical is part of UNI Europa, a European trade union federation uniting trade unions organising in services and skills sectors. UNI Europa Graphical represents 350,000 graphical employees through its 55 affiliated trade union organisations located in 50 different European countries. European integration and globalisation means that trade unions can no longer be effective if they work solely at national local level. In order to win better conditions for their members, unions representing workers in specific industries have to act together across Europe and internationally



The project is supported under the European Community programme for Employment and Solidarity –PROGRESS (2007-2013) It was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment, social affairs and equal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields.



The seven-year programme targets all stakeholders who can help shape the development of appropriate and effective employment and social legislation and policies across the EU-27, EFTA-EEA and EU candidate and pre-candidate countries.



For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/progress