NEWS:

CELSI together with EU-level social partners EPSU and HOPEEM undertook a survey in ten EU countries and co-organised two regional meetings within the project "Strengthening social dialogue in the hospital sector in the East, South and Central Europe". Country specific factsheets and meeting materials are available for the Eastern and Southern Europe. The common outcome for both regions is that the national social partners need urgently to communicate the issues of working conditions to the EU-level and be more involved in the European Semester procedures. The next step is to disseminate an only survey to social partners in Central Europe (CZ, SK, SI and HR) on their priorities and needs to be articulated to the EU-level through EPSU and HOPSEEM.

Within the project "Mapping trade unions and professional associations in six Eastern Partnership countries" CELSI research team visited Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia to hold interviews with the trade unions and professional associations´ representatives. The compiled country reports are in progress and discussed with the EU Delegations in the respective countries.

Upcoming events:

Within the project “I want to work, who can help me? Strengthening the cooperation between policy makers and the non-profit sector in return to work of persons with health conditions” CELSI in the partnership with the Slovak Governance Institute will hold three regional consultations meetings to discuss the research findings on the work integration of people after long health leave or with health conditions. The roundtables on 16 March in Košice, 17 March in Banská Bystrica and 24 March in Bratislava will bring together representatives of government, trade unions, employers and non-profit organisations to validate the recommendations how to improve the cooperation in the purpose to enhance the work integration of people with health conditions.

On 19 – 20 March 2020 in Bratislava, a round table on sharing good practises of the trade unions´ initiatives to decrease the gender pay gap in public services is going to be organised. The gathering of trade unions representatives from Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Austria and Czechia is undertaken within the project "Closing the gender pay gap in the public sector in the context of austerity" led by the University of Greenwich. The round table aims to deepen the expertise on trade unions´ actions such as strikes/protests, collective bargaining and campaigns that resulted in wage increase and /or addressed the gender pay gap in public education, health care and public administration.

The third and last meeting within the project "Strengthening social dialogue in the hospital sector in the East, South and Central Europe" will be organised on 15th May 2020 in Zagreb. The regional meeting invites the trade unions and employers´ associations active in the hospital and healthcare sector from Croatia, Slovenia, Czechia and Slovakia to share challenges and priorities directly to the representatives from EPSU/HOSPEEM and the European Commission.

Publications:

Regional report for Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania within the project Strengthening Social Dialogue in the hospital sector in the East, South and Central Europe (2019 – 2020)