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The economic crisis has increased the already difficult situation of web offset and gravure printing. To avoid being dragged into a race towards worse working conditions and lower wages, the 80 representatives of workers and trade unions from 14 different countries must find an agreement during the second UNI Europa Graphical conference on web offset and gravure printing, which is being held in Verona and focuses on the minimum transnational standards.



Without doubt the crisis is serious. In the printing industry, the business collapse is particularly felt, said Simon Dubbins, President of UNI Europa Graphical. Not all enterprises are dealing with the economic problems in the same way. Many are using this situation as an excuse to worsen work conditions, which was clearly expressed during the conference.



For example, the British Printing Industry Federation is offering a wage increase of only 0.65% and is not prepared to accept any negotiations. In Germany, the rotogravure printing companies have already been hit, or they will soon, by a reduction in their work.



This is all taking place in a general scenario of problems that the trade unions and industry representatives in the offset reel and rotogravure printing category have been trying to deal with for a long time: employees are sacked, factories are closed and income is reduced.



John Caris, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Roto Smeets de Boer, blames overcapacity. In recent years in Europe a further 28 rotogravure printing machines have been installed and, according to Caris, the employers are not to blame but the machine producers, who have introduced new and improved machines to the market. A level of consolidation will only be reached by closing other printing works. Caris is insisting on a social debate at European level, and is urging all those taking part in the conference to work together to find social-contractual solutions for the entire trade.



However, Caris’s declarations have been somewhat refuted, because Andreas Frohlich of ver.di claims that over-capacity is the result of a natural force and that the social-contractual solutions have failed because employers had made unilateral demands which consequently sacrifice the workers.