Mutual recognition of EASE and EURO-MEI and the social dialogue
After several years of hard work - started in 2003 with the BSDSS project (“Building the Social Dialogue in the Sport Sector”) - the employers of the sport sector have organised themselves at European level in EASE, the European Association of Sport Employers. On the workers’ side, UNI-Europa remains the only organisation with sufficient structures and membership to represent the voice of sport workers of all kinds across Europe. Its Media, Entertainment and Sport sector, EURO-MEI, has been involved in the BSDSS project and is now, since 2006, co-operating intensively with EASE again in the RBT project (Reinforce the Representativeness of the Social Partners in the Sport Sector: Row the BoaT Project). This project represents the next step in the work towards the establishment of a European social dialogue committee for sports. Working together at European level will hopefully lead to an improvement of the situation between employees and employers at national level in the European Union Member States.
The general aim of the RBT project, led by EASE in co-operation with EURO-MEI, is to develop the social dialogue in the whole European sport sector encompassing its sub-sectors (voluntary, professional and commercial sports), keeping in mind the specificities of each.
Regulation at European level needs to be further developed. The sport sector has to organise itself and be pro-active to defend the specificity of the sector on many issues. The social regulation of sports will be a future task of the European social partners. EASE and EURO-MEI are willing to develop social dialogue at European level for the whole sport sector.
The finalisation of the RBT project in itself is the first step towards an application for the establishment of a European Social Dialogue Committee for the sport sector by the European Commission. Therefore EASE and EURO-MEI hereby state the following:
1) EASE and EURO-MEI, and their respective members, hereby recognise each other as social partners at European and national level for the sport sector in all its variety, including voluntary sports, professional sports and commercial sports, keeping in mind the specificities of each.
2) EASE and EURO-MEI believe that this mutual recognition is an essential pre-condition for the development of the social dialogue at all levels. It is the first step towards the establishment of a European Social Dialogue Committee for the sport sector by the European Commission.
3) EASE and EURO-MEI are convinced that social dialogue is a keystone in improving the professional standards of the sport sector.
4) To achieve this, the members of EASE and EURO-MEI have a vital role to play nationally and locally. EASE and EURO-MEI encourage their members at all levels (including the national level) to improve their arrangements for social dialogue and to develop and/or reinforce the content of this dialogue in order to respond to the needs and concerns of both parties.
5) EASE and EURO-MEI believe that coordination between the different levels of social dialogue (European, national and local) needs to be improved to increase the impact and the visibility of the results obtained.
6) EASE and EURO-MEI believe that the social dialogue in the sport sector should follow the European Social Model; promoting freedom of association, recognising representatives from both sides and building constructive dialogue, both at national and European level.
7) Finally, EASE and EURO-MEI will take practical measures to promote mutual recognition between their members and to improve the coordination of the different levels of social dialogue (European, national and local).
Arnhem, 8th February 2008 The English version is the original.
Marie Leroux Bernadette Ségol
EASE President Delegate UNI-Europa Regional Secretary
René van den Burg Jim Wilson
EASE General Secretary Director EURO-MEI