iPhone Image 8F4269
EWCs Stories

GIUSEPPE IULIANO – HEAD OF CISL INTERNATIONAL POLICY DEPARTMENT

0

While talking about his work, Giuseppe Iuliano often uses the word “talk”. “We want to talk about the employee relations system… Let’s talk about the European union movement….” And he’s a good narrator whose description of the character offers a rare glimpse into the entire context. We are now talking EWCs with Giuseppe.

Where is the scene for your story set?

In a world that saw the collapse of the Berlin Wall, abolition of trade barriers and the rise of market globalisation. International companies are beginning to relocate production to places where labour costs are much lower. It’s a breakthrough transformation. This is the context for first attempts made at internationalisation of the union movement.

What are your experiences at CISL?

When I think about all those years, Belo Horizonte in Brazil instantly comes to my mind. This is where Fiat built its manufacturing site. It later opened up another facility in Argentina and Poland. We knew that employees from these countries would have a much lower protection of their rights, what gave impetus for establishment of the international coordinating committee and establishment of a training centre in Belo Horizonte. Opposite Fiat’s head office. Development of the local union movement came as our response to Fiat’s expansion. The centre is called “7 de Outubro” and continues to operate until this day. Two decades ago, these experiences gave us a foretaste of problems we are encountering today.

Are we able to make another quantum leap in terms of quality?

I think it’s essential. We must request the right to conduct collective bargaining on the international level. Our goal is to establish a truly international trade union. From this perspective, EWCs are an interesting structure which is able to enhance our negotiation capabilities. I strongly believe that we should be reinforcing employee representation within committees. But the rights that are obtained cannot be vested exclusively in EWCs. They should also include sectoral European organisations; while general frameworks of their operations must also provide an adequate role of Economic and Social Committees as otherwise there is a risk that their measures will be ineffective. Is it essential to improve relations between stakeholders. It’s a question of balance.

What are the relations between CISL and EWCs?

When we finally manage to establish relations between EWCs, CISL and Federations in a given sector, we always end up with positive deliverables and well-functioning councils. Everywhere where there is no synergy, the weaknesses of EWCs become painfully evident. There are aspects that need improvement. I think that amendments to the councils directive mark the beginning of intense efforts that should be finalised when the European institutions finally recognise the right to conduct transnational collective bargaining.

I find this scenario difficult to imagine.

But it did happen before. During the term of Jacques Delors, in the mid 1980s. The then President of the European Commission launched a stage of social dialogue that contributed to achievement of a number of important objectives. It was an extremely fruitful period when the European Trade Union Confederation and the European Enterprise Union signed agreements that laid down foundations for pioneer ‘European’ labour regulations. Regulations relevant to fixed-term contract works, part-time work and parental leaves… EU Member States had to embrace these new regulations within their national regulatory frameworks. Today, we need to restore this climate and revive the concept advocating that economic growth must come hand in hand with protection.

About the author / 

Dedalus

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

#GiocaLeTueCarte

giocaletuecarte

Downloads

Sito web a cura del Dipartimento Internazionale di CGIL Lombardia: internazionale@cgil.lombardia.it (Responsabile Fabio Ghelfi).