Finance
Corporate Social Responsibility: EU banking social partners’ Statement on common understanding
European social partners in the banking sector have agreed in November 2013 and signed on 31st January 2014 a joint statement on CSR. It revises the Joint Statement which had already been signed in 2005, taking into account the sector’s current challenges after the financial crisis. The social partners agreed that nine years after the first joint statement on CSR, it is now the moment to mark the sector’s endeavours by setting this revision. The undersigned are convinced that the statement will contribute to a dynamic boost in the European banking sector, focusing on the most precious: the workers and the employment.
The Joint statement refers to ILO Global Dialogue Forum conclusions on the impact of the crisis on the financial sector workers which took place in Geneva in 2009
The signatory parties (UNI Europa Finance, European Association of Co-operative Banks, European Banking Federation and the European Savings and Retail Banking Group) see the Joint Statement on CSR as a positive signal which they envisage to send also to bank sector social partners at national level. More specifically they point out that information and consultation in multinational enterprises can be important and helpful tools to find solutions in difficult situations, especially with regard to employment and support of the staff.
The Joint Statement especially focuses on the following core issues:
Training, learning and development; Core labour standards; Work – life balance; Internal communication; and Equal opportunity.
In the CSR joint statement, European social partners “recognise that the European social dialogue banking has an important role to play in order to strengthen attractiveness and confidence to help in the process of the growth of sustainable profitability and employment in the sector.”
European social dialogue in the banking sector
UNI-Europa Finance is the trade union social partner in the European social dialogue in the banking sector.
On the employers’ side, there are three federations: Banking Federation of the European Union (EBF), the European Savings Banks Group (ESBG) and European Association of Cooperative Banks (EACB)
Formal social dialogue meetings take place around four times per year in Brussels, involving affiliates from the trade union and from the employers’ side from all over the European union.
At the EU level, UNI Finance work is guided by the Banking Social Dialogue Working Group (Vice-President Pia Desmet, pdesmet@bbtk-abvv.be, coordinator representing UNI Europa affiliates: William Portelli).
Read more on the European Commission’s website on EU social dialogue in the banking sector:
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=480&langId=en&intPageId=1826
In the frame of the latest European project of the banking social dialogue, social partners have produced a booklet and a website on Lifelong learning in the banking sector:
http://www.socialdialoguebanks.eu/
You can also download the booklet here. Joint conclusions by European social partners of that project can be found here.
Social dialogue in the insurance sector
UNI-Europa Finance is the trade union social partner in the European social dialogue in the insurance sector.
On the employers’ side, there are three federations: Insurance Europa (IE), the Association of Mutual Insurers and Insurance Cooperatives in Europe (AMICE) and the International Organisation for Insurance Intermediaries (BIPAR).
Formal social dialogue meetings take place around four times per year in Brussels, involving affiliates from the trade union and from the employers’ side from all over the European union..
At the EU level, UNI Finance work is guided by the Insurance Social Dialogue Working Group (Vice-President Pia Desmet, pdesmet@bbtk-abvv.be, coordinator representing UNI Europa affiliates: Elke Maes).
Read more on the European Commission’s website on EU social dialogue in the insurance sector:
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=480&langId=en&intPageId=1841
The demographic challenge has been one of the main topics discussed between insurance sector social partners at European level. In May 2016, the have published a booklet on good practice examples of company initiatives, together with trade unions, in the fields of lifelong learning, healt&safety, work life balance, telework and working longer. The booklet is also available in Czech, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Italian, French, Polish and Romanian.
This is a follow up of the previous European project in 2012, when social partners had produced a booklet on the demographic challenge in the insurance sector.
Telework is a key topic for European social partners in the insurance sector. In February 2015, they have signed a joint declaration on Telework. The declaration is also available in French, German, Dutch, Czech, Greek, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Italian, Spanish and Romanian.
The Europan social partners in the insurance sector have committed themselves to work on the impact of digitalisation on employment and working conditions in insurance. On 12 October 2016, they have signed a joint declaration on the social effects of digitalisation.
This declaration is currently also available in German, French, Dutch, Romanian and Italian
Social dialogue with Central Banks
UNI Europa Finance is the trade union social partner in the direct dialogue with the European system of central banks (ESCB), together with the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the Standing Committee of European Central Bank unions (SCECBU).
There are two plenary and two working group meetings per year, taking place at the ECSB’s premises in Frankfurt.
UNI Europa Finance is the most representative organisation organising central banks and financial supervisory authorities throughout Europe. UNI Europa Finance’s working group on central banks brings together affiliates from all over Europe. The main aims are to foster exchange between central bank employees and to represent their interests.
This work is closely linked to UNI Europa Finance’s work on regulation. The new European banking union and the role of the ESCB and its staff are major challenges which we discuss in this frame.
At the EU level, UNI Finance work is guided by the Central Banking Social Dialogue Working Group (Vice-President Pia Desmet, pdesmet@bbtk-abvv.be, coordinator representing UNI Europa affiliates: Luc Pletinckx).