Social dialogue in the candidate countries

Social dialogue and EMU in Cyprus, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia - Workshop

Vienna, 26-28 May 2003

Speech abstract - Bengt Knave

Director, Work life and EU Enlargement Project, Swedish National Labour Market Board

The work life development programme

Background

The Work Life Development Programme (WLDP) is based on the Work Life and EU Enlargement (WLE) Project, a project launched during the Swedish presidency of the European Union in 2001 with the aim of facilitating the accession by the candidate countries to the Union.

The WLE Project is run by the Swedish National Labour Market Board on commission by the Swedish government and in cooperation with the Swedish Work Environment Authority and the Italian Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention.

Within the WLE project practical implementaton projects, dealing with labour market and work environment issues, are run in each candidate country. There are also comprehensive network programmes, open to all and focusing on issues of common concern. A concluding conference will be held in April 2004 and the results reported.

Now it is important to take a step further and deepen the knowledge and cooperation between new, old and future EU member states. The WLDP provides a framework for this.

Contents

The WLDP is developed in accordance with the recommendations made by the candidate country representatives at the WLE Project's mid-term conference in June 2002 and the conclusions of its international advisory committee. It is based on the discussions at the mid-term conference and the themes that have crystallised from the work in the WLE project. Along these themes WLDP will provide training and information, sharing of good practices and models of benchmarking, and particiation of special expert groups.

Furthermore, social dialogue is part of the way the European Union works. How to develop this dialogue in an enlarged Union is one of the main challenges today, not only for the WLDP but for the Union as a whole.

Specifically, four themes have become apparent:

- Active labour market policies

Achieving and sustaining high employment is a key issue for all countries. Developing good models for active labour market policies and the role of the public employment services is of common concern for current and future EU member states.

- Employment forms

The consequences of industrial restructuring are felt in many countries. How to deal with them and the changing labour markets – including new forms of employment and labour law - are vital issues to discuss.

- Risks at work

The European Union has set itself the goal of creating not just more jobs, but better ones as well. Assessing and managing risks at work, including stress, is not an option, but necessary – not least because of the serious consequences of rising sickness absence.

- Future workforce

Populations are ageing in the European Union and workforces encompassing fewer people than before face increasing demands. A very relevant question, for instance, is how long older persons could stay active at work. This development also raises the issue of the labour market situation of women, young people, migrants and the disabled, and their work environment.

Activities and time frame

The Work Life Development Programme starts in May 2004 and continues through to April 2006. The project encompasses the following fields of activity:

• bringing the labour market and work environment policies of the participating countries in line with the European Employment Strategy

• providing opportunities for benchmarking with old and new member states

• providing expertise for special projects

• developing methods for efficient policy implementation

Starting in 2004, parallel development programmes run until 2006. The programmes are based on the themes: the active labour market, employment forms, risks at work and sickness absence, the future workforce and social dialogue. Each programme has its own specific activities suited to the needs of the participating countries. In 2006 the programmes will summarise their work, and the results will be presented at an international congress organised by the Swedish National Labour Market Board.

The WLDP will be run by the Swedish National Labour Market Board, in cooperation with the Swedish Work Environment Authority and the Italian Institute for Occupational Safety and Prevention. There will be an advisory committee with representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, and the EU-level social partners ETUC, Unice and CEEP.

Bengt Knave
MD in 1962, and Ph.D in 1969 at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm. Clinical work at the Karolinska Hospital between 1962 and1970. Associate Professor in 1971 at the National Institute of Occupational Health, Stockholm; Professor and Head of its Department of Neuromedicine 1980-1996. Head of the International Secretariat of the National Institute for Working Life, Stockholm, 1996-2001, coordinating activities with WHO, ILO, EU and ICOH (International Commission on Occupational Health).

ICOH Vice President 1993-2000, ICOH President 2000-2003. Project leader of Swedish EU Presidency Conference 'Work Life 2000 – Quality in Work' in January 2001. Since Aug 2001 Managing Director of the 'Worklife 2000 and the EU Enlargement' project, employed by the Swedish Labour Market Board.