From 16 to 19 November 2017, a seminar was held in Lisbon, Portugal entitled "Reconciliation and balance between private life, family and work", organized by the CFTC (Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens), with the support of EZA and the European Union.
42 representatives of workers' organizations from Cyprus, France, Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria, Germany, Albania, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy and Romania attended the seminar.
The seminar was hosted by Joseph Thouvenel, CFTC Confederal Vice President.
At a time where merchant materialism was increasingly overbearing, the financialization of the economy imposed, its standards to the world of work, forcing a number of employees to choose between their work, family and personal life. Yet, Europe was built on the assertion of the primacy of the human being. Nowadays, due to the commercial pressure, ultra-liberalism and some labor organizations are reconsidering the humanistic model of the founding fathers of modern Europe.
One aspect of this is the imbalance in life time. It is up to the Christian Social party, employees as well as employers, to build a city at the service of all, particularly respecting family, personal and spiritual time.
The following topics were covered:
Parental time for the toddler: quantity or quality? What are the requirements for a balanced growth of children? by A. Schaub-Thomas, psychotherapist (Belgium)
- Answers to the questionnaire "Balance of life time" by C. Blondelon, CFTC (France)
- Balance of life time: the employer's point of view by T. Tron-Lozai, MEDEF (France)
- Balance of life time, CESE's position by P-J Coulon, CFTC (France)
- Role of European family associations by N. Speranza, FAFCE (Italy)
- How could a female parliament member reconcile between work and family life? by C. Barros, MP (Portugal)
- Cypriot, Portuguese and Romanian issues by D. Diomidious, DEOK (Cyprus), MR Martin, FIDESTRA (Portugal) and M. M. Darle, Cartel Alfa (Romania)
- How to influence political decisions? by J.F. Poisson, former Member of Parliament (France).
Seminar Outcomes:
Life time should not be spent on labor alone. Europe today favors trade, not human relations. If Europe remains limited to a large market, the commitment of people will not be granted because humans do not come down to their material dimension. Moreover, work does not have only one economic aspect: it integrates the worker into society and makes him participate, as a responsible individual, in a collective project to which he contributes.
Decisions:
Reduce the inequalities of rights between men and women (pay inequalities, access to responsibilities ...) respecting their differences. Revising the Life Balance Directive by proposing an extension of flexible work arrangements and paid family leave.
Claims:
1) Support families financially: Introduction of practical measures that allow families to live decently and safely. The salary must ensure a life with dignity, the taxation must favor the family and access to decent housing is to be assured. All this to grants families a real freedom of choice.
2) Developping the European legislation regarding the organization of working time in order to reconcile life time (Sunday work, right to disconnection, flexibility of schedules... etc.).
Consequences on work:
Working together to create true freedom of choice for families to achieve the balance of life time that suits them. The strict equality of rights, which is indispensable between men and women, must be established in respect of their differences and their complementarity. Defend the family as an essential and basic institution of society. Promote policies that allow families to maintain and strengthen themselves. Build "an economy of meaning".