An ETUI Lunch Debate organised in cooperation with ETUC, EUROMIL, EuroCOP and EPSU

Speakers:

NN, DG Employment, European Commission
Àngels Bosch Campreciós, President EuroCOP
Nadja Salson, Policy Officer for national and EU administrations, EPSU
Emmanuel Jacob, EUROMIL President
Wiebke Warneck, Senior Legal Advisor, ETUC

Moderator: Philippe Pochet, General Director ETUI

Briefing: In recent years, the EU has frequently made use of the provisions in Article 153 of the TFEU to set minimum standards as well as harmonise working and employment conditions of workers in the EU. Although the European Commission consistently tries to define “workers” as broad as possible to include all workers, the Council has often sought to exclude civil servants or public administrations, police and military personnel and recently also emergency services from the scope of the directives.
Security personnel in Europe faces a double challenge when it comes to defending their professional interests: not only are they often confronted with the argument that national security considerations make the application of EU laws impossible for their specific occupation. But in some European countries they are also denied the basic human right to form and join a professional association or trade union through which their socio-professional interests could be safeguarded in a social dialogue.
This event aims at revealing the different problems security personnel in Europe faces with regard to their working conditions and the legal boundaries for organising in unions. The panellists will discuss recent legislative proposals (such as the Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions) but also shed light on existing regulations with regard to working time, occupational safety and health, and information and consultation rights on restructuring. The organisers aim at enabling a discussion on the question how to reconcile the need to uphold vital state functions in emergency situations with the fundamental and human rights of the workers who provide those functions, namely the police, military as well as other public servants or employees.

A light lunch will be served as from 12h00 in the meeting room.