A seminar about “Labour mobility and social security under the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic” took place from 16 to 18 February 2023 in Dublin / Ireland, organised by EUROFEDOP (Europese Federatie van het Overheidspersoneel), with the support of EZA and funded by the European Union. Eurofedop member organisations POA and PDFORRA kindly co-organised this seminar and welcomed all delegates. The seminar was attended by more than 80 representatives of workers’ organisaions from European countries.
The programme started with an official welcome by the Eurofedop President followed by opening remarks of Karl Dalton, General Secretary, POA and Mark Keane, President PDFORRA.
In the evening, all delegates visited the impressive Dáil Éireann, the Irish Parliament.
Resilience was the central theme running through the seminar, focusing specifically on the question of how to be(come) a resilient and future proof trade union organisation. To this end, the programme consisted of speakers coming from different countries and backgrounds, but also from across different generations.
The programme zoomed in on the impact of COVID on working conditions, labour relations and the consequences of teleworking.
Speakers included local experts and representatives of the European Commission and Eurofound. An Irish member of European Parliament also attended the session and the ‘next generation’ panel on Friday morning. The focus and involvement of young professionals was key to discuss future proof trade unions for public service employees.
A presentation by the European Commission addressed the various EU social initiatives within European Pillar of Social Rights. Subsequently, a panel discussion looked at the way these EU initiatives play out across different sectors and countries.
The President of Eurofedop and a select delegation also visited the offices of Eurofound, the European foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions, based in Dublin. Eurofound’s Working Life Unit presented research and data on the rise of teleworking.
Eurofound also showcased its EU PolicyWatch database which provides information on policy measures related to various crisis contexts. Eurofedop and Eurofound leadership made useful connections, and a follow up on comparative research on social dialogue and the representativeness studies will certainly take place.
The seminar closed with a hand over of the Eurofedop manifesto from the President to the representatives of the ‘next generation’. In the manifesto, EUROFEDOP members urge that people, the public servants of Europe, remain at the centre of all policies and legislative proposals regarding work and public administrations.
Crisis or no crisis, the right conditions need to be in place to conduct decent trade union work and safeguard healthy labour relations.