The pandemic had also led us to believe that the future of work would be characterised to a large extent by smart working. Even then, we were starting to think about what we would do with vacant office space. However, this prediction was on a smaller scale than anticipated at the height of the pandemic. Nevertheless, the pandemic did mark a profound change in working practices. A profound reorganisation of employment occurred. Not only did this happen to a greater extent than anticipated, but it also led to many employees switching companies and sectors. It was a period during which the rate of change that had already become apparent in certain professions rose sharply. The problems of the ecological transition and the effects of digitalisation, which are being exacerbated by artificial intelligence, were also already becoming apparent. The strong upturn after the pandemic accelerated the decisions associated with technological change and was also boosted by the initial effects of demographic change. The international seminar for European studies , organised by MCL (Christian Workers Movement) and EFAL (National Board for the Education and Training of Workers) in collaboration with EZA from 16 to 18 September 2024 in Lucca/Italy and funded by the European Union, was based on these considerations. The seminar entitled “Creating jobs in the real economy and ensuring the active participation of workers” was a three-day event that was well attended with 40 representatives of workers' organisations and local authorities from Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Montenegro and Italy.
The work of the first panel was opened by EZA Co-President Piergiorgio Sciacqua with a greeting from the Mayor of Lucca.
One of the key topics of this seminar was employee co-determination in companies. Interest in testing new and relatively unexplored ways and forms of employee involvement in company management has increased over the last ten years. The innovation is due primarily to the fact that these experiments come from the grass roots, with no organic structure, often informally and under the radar. The forms taken by this new participation in the last 10 years are mainly direct and often far removed from the debate on ‘industrial democracy’ that developed in the 1980s and 1990s and which ended with various legislative proposals that were often not implemented. However, there is also a third, still emerging and even more modest form, which is based on a potential top-down consultation on strategic decisions in large companies and can, with some optimism, be regarded as the ‘nucleus’ of strategic participation. In this context, the attendees discussed the issues of employee co-determination within the framework of Christian social teaching, along with the importance and form of social dialogue in collective bargaining. Country examples from Austria, Portugal and Spain were used to illustrate differences and similarities. The topic of public procurement was discussed using the example of Italy.
The issue of the real economy was addressed in the second round of discussions, which focused on an in-depth debate. The real economy includes all companies that produce goods and services and therefore comprise the fabric of a national economy and create the markets. These companies also create the majority of jobs. This brief definition is sufficient to understand the undeniable primordial importance of this macro sector of the economy. The real economy is large and far-reaching, and this is precisely why it cannot survive without the financial economy, which is symbolically represented by the banks that provide the capital for the production and circulation of the goods and services. However, access to financial capital is not always easy, particularly for smaller companies such as start-ups and SMEs. The state itself is therefore always trying to encourage investment in these types of companies, which represent the majority of the production system, especially in Italy.
The decision to invest in the real economy is therefore based on the opportunity to actively support the development of the country and to achieve long-term benefits for both the company and the community. Investments in start-ups in particular enable investors to participate in their growth and success in a way that benefits them. This type of investment could occur alongside purely financial or speculative investments that are aimed exclusively at personal gain.
The participants agreed that workers’ organisations must play an important role in this context.