U R O F E D O P Algemeen Secretariaat Secrétariat Général Generalsekretariat Secretariat General Secretaría General EUROFEDOP SEMINAR 3-4-5 04 2003 GREECE REPORT Mobility - CAF/EQM - PENSIONS Europese Federatie van het Overheidspersoneel Fédération Européenne du Personnel des Services Publics Europäische Föderation der Öffentlich Bediensteten European Federation of Employees in Public Services Federación Europea del Personal de los Servicios Públicos Montoyerstraat 39, B-1000 Brussel, België Rue Montoyer 39, B-1000 Bruxelles, Belgique tel. + 32 (0)2 230 38 65 fax + 32 (0)2 231 14 72 e-mail: info@infedop-eurofedop.com website: www.eurofedop.org
Report "Mobility - CAF/EQM - Pensions" 2 1. Introduction One of the priorities of the Greek Presidency of the European Union is to continue the long and difficult process towards modernisation of the European Social Model. This falls within the framework of the objectives as formulated in Lisbon in 2000, whereby the emphasis is put on increasing and improving employment as well as reinforcing the social cohesion. Modernisation is also a matter that concerns in the first place pension systems. In order to deal with the high pressure that pension systems are facing at demographic and financial level, the member states have been applying since a number of years the open coordination method. But also the improvement of the quality of public services, a goal that administrations in Europe often try to achieve with the help of CAF, plays a role in the modernisation process. Finally, the Commission wants to achieve the objectives of Lisbon by encouraging the mobility of workers. The current importance of these subjects was once more underlined at the European Council of 20-21 March 2003, where the governmental leaders once more stressed the importance of the reform of pension systems and called on the Member States to improve the quality and efficiency of public services. They also took a number of measures, e.g. in the field of social security systems, to increase the mobility. Leo Pauwels, President EZA; Giannis Antonakos, Vice-President ADEDY, Bert Van Caelenberg, Secretary General Eurofedop
Report "Mobility - CAF/EQM - Pensions" 3 In their introduction, Mr Leo Pauwels, President of EZA, and Mr Dimitris Sioufasm, of Neo Dimokratia, underlined the role of trade unions in the European Social Model in general and the importance of their input into the modernisation of the public sector in particular. 2. Pensions The discussion around the reform of pension systems was held on the basis of the Commission report Adequate and Sustainable Pensions and the national reports that were the foundations for this report. Mr Nicolas Jeurissen of the European Association of Public Sector Pension Institutions pointed at the urgent need for far-reaching reforms but compared the pension systems with an enormous cargo ship that can only change course very slowly. Trade union expert Nico Poorters (CCOD/CCSP) once more underlined that it is within the national context that member states, in spite of the common nature of their problems and the open coordination policy, have to take concrete decisions. The discussion also showed that it will be difficult for new member states to find their role in the open coordination method, because it is nearly impossible to compare their specific problems with the reforms as suggested. Finally, Mrs Rodi Kratsa, MEP (Greece), stated that solidarity has to be the key notion in reaching the Lisbon objectives. It is goes without saying that, within the specific sectors of Eurofedop, the discussion will be continued and duly followed up, e.g. at the Trade Council Ministries on 11 and 12 December 2003.
Report "Mobility - CAF/EQM - Pensions" 4 Rodi Kratsa, European Parliament (Greece); Fritz Neugebauer, President Eurofedop; Bartho Pronk, European Parliament (Netherlands); Giannis Antonakos, Vice-President ADEDY 3. Models for quality improvement : CAF/EQM Mrs Lemonche-Fernandez, Ministry of Public Administration, explained how the Spanish Administration tries to improve the quality and efficiency of public services through the implementation of CAF (the Common Assessment Framework). This model was developed in 1998 by the Innovating Public Services Group (IPSG) on the basis of earlier, more general models and was introduced at the first Quality Conference in Lisbon. However, some of the participants expressed reservation with regard to such models for quality improvement, as these are often used as a way to push through reforms. Moreover, under the pretence of quality assessment, these models often attach excessive importance to performances.
Report "Mobility - CAF/EQM - Pensions" 5 4. Mobility The notion of mobility is of special significance in the public service, considering that statutory regulations for workers in this sector differ from service to service and from country to country. In spite of the fact that only a very small number of citizens choose a career in another EU country, the health care sector for example is more familiar with this phenomenon. Mr Herwig Stalpaert, Belgian representative in the working group that the directors general of the Civil Service of the European Member States set up on the theme of mobility in 1995, gave information on the activities of this working group with regard to the recognition of acquired experience and seniority. Mr Stalpaert underlined that the agreements in this respect still leave much room for interpretation and that there is great resistance to promoting, by concrete measures, mobility in the public service. In the lively discussion that followed, the participants underlined that mobility requires a real change of culture, both on the part of the workers and on the part of the employers. Moreover, more attention needs to be paid to lower skilled workers and mobility cannot be imposed by the authorities. Mr Bartho Pronk, MEP (Netherlands), reacted with enthusiasm to the proposal that trade unions could play a role in the exchange of younger workers.
Report "Mobility - CAF/EQM - Pensions" 6 5. Conclusions 1. The reform of pension systems must not be a budgetary technical exercise, but must be orientated towards sustainability and social cohesion in the future, whereby solidarity has to be always the starting point. 2. According to Eurofedop, pension systems in the public service have to preserve their specific status, considering that these pensions have to be considered a postponed salary (see Barber decision). Good communication should prevent the creation of an image problem. 3. Eurofedop recognises that a high employment rate is a guarantee for the financing of pensions, but indicates that there are more ways to increase this employment rate : a. the guarantee of full employment for everyone; b. the continuation of professional activities by older workers; this can be a way, provided that adapted solutions are offered for the specific needs of this category of workers and, - this happens on a voluntary basis, with as only incentive the assurance that account will be taken, in the calculation of pensions, of the services that have been performed and, - it will be an obligation to keep workers in active duty until their retirement age and measures by which public employers have the possibility of obliging workers to retire from active professional life, will be revoked. 4. In some professional sectors, special pension systems exist or workers enjoy separate advantages with the calculation of pensions. The reason for the existence of these special pensions regulations is to compensate for the very demanding or difficult working conditions or circumstances that are characteristic of these sectors (health care, police, defence). Eurofedop is of the opinion that these separate regulations must be maintained.
Report "Mobility - CAF/EQM - Pensions" 7 5. Eurofedop supports each model of quality improvement if the implementation of this model happens in consultation with the workers and this implementation is accompanied by the training and information of the workers. 6. The outcome of such models cannot lead to higher work pressure or outsourcing. Quite on the other hand, these models should aim at improving the working conditions and, by this way, increasing the efficiency of public services. 7. Models for quality improvement must be a way to perform concrete measurement and bring about concrete improvement. 8. Eurofedop supports European measures for the promotion of the mobility, but notes that mobility should always be a matter of free choice and can never be imposed by the authorities. 9. With the taking of these measures, more account has to be taken of lower skilled workers. 10. Considering their special relations with the workers, trade unions could play a role in the exchange of, for instance, younger workers.