here - Ciett

2011 ACTIVITY REPORTThe Voice of Labour Choicewww.ciett.org

KEY 2011 ACHIEVEMENTS GAINED IN EACH FACET OF CIETT’S WORKI. Institutional life & governanceFred van Haasteren taking over Ciett Presidency from Horacio De Martini while David Arklesselected Ciett Vice-PresidentAnnemarie Muntz re-elected as Eurociett President; Alain Dehaze elected as Vice-PresidentSandro Pettineo joined Ciett & Eurociett secretariat as Policy AdvisorII. Membership developmentIII. Public AffairsIndia, Russia, Singapore added as new national federation’s membersGi Group new global corporate memberAsia/Pacific region split into Northern Asia and Southern AsiaCapacity building workshops organised in two regions jointly with ILO International Training CenterRegional meetings held in Europe (Brussels), Northern Asia (Seoul) and South America (Brazil)Visits to members: 17 visits across 5 regionsCiett World Employment Conference held in Rotterdam (May)GlobalEuropeILO: content of Domestic Workers Convention amended thanks to CiettOECD and BIAC: strengthened relations with CiettG20 Summit in France: Ciett obtained reference to the private employment services industryWorld Bank : Ciett contributed to the Social Protection & Labour consultationAgency Work Directive: Eurociett pushed for a full implementationPosting of Workers Directive: active content-driven participation to the debateEU 2020 Strategy: contribution of agency work industry recognised in several papersIV. Sectoral Social DialogueGlobalEuropeCiett led employers’ delegation during the ILO Global Forum on private employment agenciesRelations with global unions: meeting with Joe de Bruyn (President - UNI Global) and SharanBurrow (Secretary General - ITUC)Launch of Eurociett/UNI Europa project on “Transitions through TAW”ETUC: meeting with Bernadette Ségol (Secretary General) and Judith Kirton-Darling (ConfederalSecretary)European Metalworkers’ Federation: Participation to regional meeting on precarious workV. Research & data-gatheringLaunch of strategic report “Adapting to Change”2 nd international Eurociett/FlexWorkResearch conference organised in Leuven (Belgium)4 th edition of Ciett Economic Report publishedCooperation with European Commission on labour market monitoringStrengthening relations with international academic communityVI. Public Relations & CommunicationsLaunch of the Global Journey on Adapting to ChangeCiett widened press coverage4 issues of Eurociett External Newsletter’s DispatchPartnerships extendedWide range of conferences and speaking opportunities2

2011 in snapshots!Fred van Haasteren and DavidArkless elected respectively newPdt and Vice-Pdt of CiettAnnemarie Muntz reelected asPresident and Alain Dehaze asVice PresidentSteve Shepherd elcted as newSouthern Asia represenattiveSandro Pettineo (left) joinedCiett Secretariat as PolicyAdvisorFull steam ahead!Horacio De Martini and Aart vanDer Gaag at the Ciett 2011Annual ConferenceTop executives of Manpower,USG People, Adecco andRandstad debateNew strategic research launched10th Latin America congressin BrazilEurociett acts as sponsorto MEP awardsILO Global DialogueForum on PrEAs2nd internationalFlexWorkResearch conferenceILO/Eurociett capacity buildingprogramme for EasternEuropean membersIndia, Russia and Singaporejoined as new nationalfederation membersGi Group joined as new globalcorporate member3

services in implementing the Europe 2020 Employment Guidelines has been published in October 2011, furtherEurociett Position Papers linked to the Europe 2020 Strategy focused on Youth Employment and the EU New Skillsand Jobs Flagship initiative.PARES – Partnerships of employment servicesThe European Commission launched in 2011 the PARES Initiatives, which aims at promoting and developingcooperation between public and private employment services in the EU Member States. PARES includes three keydimensions, namely a high-level strategic dialogue, a call for proposals and EU funding to support cooperation and acompendium of good practices. Through its close contacts with DG Employment (Employment Services Unit),Eurociett got closely associated with the project and contributed to its development. Several Eurociettrepresentatives acted as speaker at the first, high-level PARES conference, providing its strategic view oncooperation between employment services as well as national best-practices developed in Belgium, the Netherlandsand France with key European stakeholders.IV. Sectoral Social DialogueILO Global Forum Dialogue on private employment agenciesAt the ILO tripartite Global Dialogue Forum on private employment agencies, Ciett called for appropriate regulationto be adopted worldwide for the sector using ILO Convention No. 181 as guidelines, for a constructive socialdialogue to be further developed with trade unions and for cooperation in fighting against rogue providers thatdamage the image of the reputable part of the industry. The position was consistent with the points of consensus ofthe previous ILO meeting on private employment agencies adopted in 2009.The positive role played by the industry in better functioning labour markets was presented by Ciett, supported bystrong research, including the “Adapting to Change” report. Job creation, reduction of illegal work, facilitation oftransitions, decent work and adaptation to change: all these points were demonstrated during the debate, usingextensive data and case studies from many countries around the world. This positive role was recognised by most ofthe governments’ representatives attending the session and trade union counterparts noted the strength oforganisation of employers in a press release followed the event.It was however not possible to reach points of consensus as the trade unions were not able to clearly recognise thatagency work is a sector on its own and having the freedom to negotiate collective agreements related to theemployment and working conditions of the agency workers.Relations with Global UnionsCiett held several meetings with the Global Union Federations (GUFs) throughout the year. In May a meeting withJoe De Bruyn, the new president on UNI Global, was held to discuss the way forward on the Global Social Dialogueon temporary agency work. The meeting provided the opportunity to present the longstanding commitment of Ciettmembers to social dialogue and to discuss priorities, such as further ratification of ILO Convention No. 181, andpromotion of constructive social dialogue between Ciett and UNI Global.Another important meeting was with Sharan Burrow, Secretary General of the International Trade UnionConfederation (ITUC). The objective was to exchange views on the contribution of agency work can to betterfunctioning labour markets and how to pursue meaningful dialogue with the trade unions. One of the mainoutcomes of the meeting was that Ciett and ITUC agreed to put more pressure on the ILO and governments to gainfurther ratification of Convention No. 181.Ciett also met with the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF) and with the Council of Global Unions (CGU) toadvocate for a better understanding of the private employment services industry.EU Sectoral Social Dialogue CommitteeAt the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee (SSDC) on temporary agency work, Eurociett and its counterpart, UNIEuropa, approved the work programme for 2011-2012. In the context of the SSDC activities, Eurociett successfullypresented a proposal for a joint project with UNI Europa on the role of temporary agency work in facilitating7

transitions in the labour market. Eurociett managed to obtain funding from the European Commission amounting toaround 200,000€, which corresponds to 80% of the total cost of the action.As part of the project, an external study will be carried out to look at the diversity of profiles of agency workers andtheir career paths as well as at the situation of temporary agency workers before and after temping. The project willbe conducted throughout 2012 and will be concluded with a pan-European conference to disseminate the results ofthe study and put forward some joint recommendations from the EU social partners.Relations with other trade unions in EuropeEurociett held meetings with other trade unions at the EU level. Eurociett met with Bart Samyn, Deputy SecretaryGeneral of the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF), to exchange views on possible ways to organise aninformal dialogue on TAW. Eurociett was also invited to the EMF regional meeting to speak about the temporaryagency work sector (Macedonia, 2011).As for ETUC, meetings were organised with Bernadette Ségol, Secretary General of the ETUC, to present the keyfindings of the “Adapting to Change” report and to discuss the state of play of the implementation of the AgencyWork Directive in the EU Member States. Another meeting took place with Judith Kirton Darling, ConfederalSecretary, to discuss precarious work and to explain why agency work should not be involved in the whole debate.V. Research and Data GatheringLaunch of strategic Report “Adapting to Change”On 17 th October, the Adapting to Change strategic report was launched simultaneously in Geneva and Brussels. Thereport was conducted in cooperation with the Boston Consulting Group and represents a landmark in cooperationbetween Ciett members. The findings reveal the potential that private employment services have to enableadaptation to seasonal, cyclical and structural changes in the labour market. In the current challenging landscape,many organisations are turning to the staffing industry to adapt to both predictable and unpredictable changes, andwith good reason; findings reveal that three-quarters of organisations using private employment services acceleratefaster out of a downturn.The report demonstrates that labour markets can only truly operate efficiently if relevant and up-to-date regulationon private employment services is in place Countries with mature and appropriately regulated private employmentservices have better functioning labour markets, resulting in job creation, smoother transitions and higher labourmarket participation and diversity. The report also shows that the presence of appropriately regulated privateemployment services drive down the level of illegal work, which is the most precarious form of employment.Adapting to Change is being supported by a Global Journey throughout 2012 which involves national federations ineach region launching the findings of the report to local stakeholders.2 nd international Eurociett/FlexWorkResearch conference organised in Leuven (Belgium)The University of and Eurociett co-organised a research conference on “External Forms of Flexibility in the LabourMarket: Competition or Complementarity”. It is part of their cooperation in Flexworkresearch(www.flexworkresearch.org), the knowledge centre for researchers and policymakers on flexible work. Theconference took place in Leuven, Belgium on October 27-28 at the University’s Faculty Club. Some 25 renownedresearchers were invited to share their latest research findings with members of Eurociett and some policymakers.Denis Pennel used his keynote address to engage the academic community in the contents of the Adapting toChange Strategic research project4 th edition of Ciett Economic Report publishedCiett published the 4th edition of its annual economic report in January 2011 which confirmed that the recoverywitnessed in labour market in 2010 had been driven by an increase in agency work. While labour markets worldwidewere hit hard by the 2008 crisis, the report showed a strong uptick in the private employment agency industry in thefirst half of 2010. Over the course of the year 2,500 copies of the report we distributed to policy makers, academicsand members.8

European Agency Work Business Indicator confirms private employment services as a leading economic indicatorEurociett through its European Agency Work Business Indicator contributed throughout 2011 to the EuropeanCommission’s labour market monitor and subsequent labour market fact sheet. Eurociett’s contribution ensuresthat private employment agencies are adequately represented in European documentation and prompted positivecoverage in a number of European commission documents. The business indicator has also served as a useful tool tointerest journalists in covering the industry.Strengthening relations with academic communityThroughout 2011 Ciett and Eurociett continued to build on relationships with the academic world. As well asestablishing and developing a relationship with the Work Foundation in London, Ciett presented some of its researchfindings to Chatham House and the Centre for European Reform. Eurociett furthered its support of theFlexWorkResearch centre at the University of Amsterdam and continued its membership of leading European thinktanks, took part in several events organised in Brussels and contributed to current European debates. Based on themembership to the European Policy Centre (EPC), Eurociett is invited to large number of policy dialogues, focusingon employment and social policy, the priorities of forthcoming EU Presidencies and de-briefings from majorEuropean Council meetings. The Eurociett membership to the Centre for European Policy Studies focuses more onstrategic and long-term policy trends, such as the future of the labour market or new forms of employment and jobcreation.Complementary information only available to Ciett membersIn addition to the large amount of information made public by Ciett and its regional organisations to develop abetter understanding of the reality of the private employment services (PrES) industry, the Secretariat also producesseveral documents meant for Ciett members only. These documents and publications range from the PrESregulatory framework in place around the world, the way equal treatment is currently applied in Europe and in someother countries around the world, database on Ciett’s key stakeholders, toolboxes on key policy dossiers (ILOConvention 181, EU Agency Work Directive, Flexicurity…)to a series of briefing papers on sensitive issues, bestpractices compendium, a monthly Public Affairs Report and a quarterly internal newsletter.VI. Public Relations and communicationsLaunch of the Global JourneyFollowing the international launch of Adapting to Change in October, Ciett members embarked on a Global Journeyfor the strategic research. Ciett’s global journey has gained pace as regional and national launches begin to roll-outacross the globe with the support of the PR agency Salt.The journey is making great progress towards our goal of changing perception of the industry, and a specialAdapting to Change newsletter offers an overview of the highlights and key findings from our journey to date. Welook forward to seeing the outcomes from many more regional and national launches in the run up to the Ciettannual conference taking place in London in May.Press RelationsCiett and its member confederations have received substantial coverage from a number of high profile publicationsincluding the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Times of India, The Economist, Handelsblatt. Eurociett isstrongly represented in Brussels based media including Euractiv, EU Observer, European Voice, Parliament Magazineand Europolitics.The Adapting to Change report provided a number of opportunities to explain the positive role played by theindustry in labour markets around the world. A lot of coverage was obtained by both Ciett and many of its nationalfederations.9

October 2011: Reuters onAdapting to ChangeMay 2011: Wall StreetJournal on agency workas an economic indicatorSeptember 2011:Economist Future ofWork Special EditionOctober 2011: EuractivSpecial Report on Growthand JobsMarch 2011: SIA News oncalls for appropriateregulationDecember 2011:Financial Times onAdapting to ChangeEurociett External NewsletterEurociett successfully relaunched its External newsletter “Dispatch” in 2011. The newsletter targets all Eurociettstakeholders on the activities of the secretariat and members in promoting the positive contribution privateemployment services make to the labout market. Highlights include an interview given by Boston Consulting GroupSenior Partner, Elmar Wiederin on the contents of the Adapting to Change report and a special edition on the Ciettannual conference in Rotterdam.EuractivA strategic partnership has been continued with Euractiv, the leading online media platform for daily Europeanaffairs news. Eurociett is the main partner and sponsor of the section on social Europe & Jobs, which covers topicsrelated to the Europe 2020 strategy, job creation, social inclusion and work mobility. Based on the partnershipagreement, press releases issued by Eurociett are frequently also posted on the Euractiv website and Eurociett wasable to run several advertising campaigns on the Euractiv social Europe homepage, for example linked to theAdapting to Change Report.European Employment ForumFor the 5 th consecutive year, Eurociett has been a partner, speaker and exhibitor at the European EmploymentForum, a leading European Conference and exhibition on employment and social affairs. Eurociett has also been anactive member in the Advisory Committee to the European Employment Forum, offering strategic guidance andrecommendations on the format, key themes, speakers and the venue for the event. Since Eurociett started itscooperation with the European Employment Forum, a continued improvement of the quality and thematic focus ofthe event could be observed. Denis Pennel addressed the forum on the new reality of work and the employmentrelationship. During the conference Eurociett distributed copies of the Adapting to Change strategic research projectto a wide range of high level European stakeholders.Speaking opportunitiesCiett & Eurociett representatives have been invited to a large range of external conferences and events to presentthe role of private employment services. These events include:IOM conference on “Labour market needs and migration”EPC conference on “Circular migration”EU Tripartite Social SummitEurocities conference on “Youth Employment”10

Job Mobility DayEU stakeholder Flexicurity conferenceOECD/Youth Forum conference on “Youth Employment”European Employment ForumDG Employment conference on PARES (public-private cooperation on employment services)DG Employment conference on “Restructuring & flexible workers and SMEs”MEP Award ceremonyAs the trade organisations being the voice of the private employment services industry, Ciett & Eurociett are fullyrecognised as legitimate experts on labour market issues.11

VII. Gallery: Ciett annual conference (May -2011 Rotterdam, Netherlands)May 23 rd : Ciett internal meetings12

13May 24 th & 25 th : Ciett WorldEmployment Conference

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