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Category: Social Dialogue

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News, Projects, Social Dialogue Hospeem

Kick-off meeting of the HOSPEEM-EPSU Project 2019-2020 on strenghening social dialogue in the hospital sector

On 28 March 2019, HOSPEEM, EPSU and the project partners, Sanitas (EPSU affiliate, Romania), ARAN (HOSPEEM member, Italy) and HSSMS-MT (EPSU affiliate, Croatia) hosted the kick-off meeting of their new joint project in the field of sectoral social dialogue capacity building: “Strengthening social dialogue in the hospital sector in the East, South and Central Europe”.

The meeting was the occasion to discuss the capacity building needs of sectoral social partners in the hospital sector in the three targeted regions as well their involvement in the European agenda, including the European Semester.

The need to strengthen representativeness of the sectorial social partners activities also by sharing best practices, ensuring a bottom up approach and the need to foster the capacities of social partner organisations for social dialogue to be successful were among the topics discussed.

The importance of guaranteeing the link between the sectoral social partners’ national priorities and the European Semester process was raised by the participants.  It was highlighted how social partners should be supported in creating and ensuring a social dialogue infrastructure, an enabling political and social environment where they can identify their priorities and bring them to the EU level.

The event gathered around 20 participants, governments’ representatives from the Permanent Missions to the EU, and DG EMPL representatives from the Social Dialogue Unit and from the Unit on Employment and social aspects of the European Semester.

The agenda of the meeting, the presentation of the project and the overview of the main HOSPEEM and EPSU joint activities in the European Sectoral Social Dialogue are now available.

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This project has received funding from the European Commission

Social Dialogue Hospeem

Final report – follow-up on the Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention from sharps injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector

On 13 February 2019, the first meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector, HOSPEEM and EPSU adopted the final report for the “Follow-up on the Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention from sharps injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector” as part of the ongoing HOSPEEM-EPSU Work Programme 2017 – 2019.

The report provides information on the role and influence of social partners in relevant processes and at different levels with EPSU and HOSPEEM members on the effective transposition and implementation of the Directive transposition.

The report builds on 30 replies from HOSPEEM members and EPSU affiliates (in 3 cases joint replies) from 20 countries, including from outside the EU also from Norway and Serbia. It also contains recommendations to the national and EU-level social partners, to European institutions (in particular to the European Commission and EU-OSHA) and to EU MS.

Previously, in 2012-2013 a joint project took place in relation to the Directive 2010/32/EU on medical sharps on the basis of which a Final Report (available in EN, FR, DE, ES and PL) was also elaborated.

The present report was the second follow-up activity by HOSPEEM and EPSU in relation to the Directive 2010/32/EU after the joint project in 2012 and 2013.

Final report

Activities, Projects, Social Dialogue Hospeem

HOSPEEM-EPSU Project 2019-2020 on Strengthening social dialogue in the hospital sector

               

HOSPEEM and EPSU have been provided with financial support from the European Commission for a joint project in the field of sectoral social dialogue capacity building: “Strengthening social dialogue in the hospital sector in the East, South and Central Europe” in the years 2019 and 2020.

Objectives 

The project will provide an appropriate framework to continue addressing capacity building needs of social partners. The work will serve to help build the capacity of the hospital sector social partners in 14 targeted countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia) by exchanging on and collecting the relevant topics and priorities in view of the EU-level sectoral social dialogue.

It will also be instrumental to discuss and evaluate the core priorities and outcomes of the sectoral dialogue between EPSU and HOSPEEM for the targeted regions, and to assist in feeding into the sectoral social dialogue committee for the hospital/healthcare sector (SSDC HS) the social dialogue interests and important topics in a “bottom-up” process to support the aim of building capacity.

PDF - 304.4 ko Download project description

Implementation of the action

The project will run over 24 months. This will allow the delivery of a full project cycle including preparatory activities, the implementation of the work plan and the dissemination of results already fully under the project (not excluding further dissemination efforts after the end of the project).

The project foresees the organisation of three Regional Workshops, the first in June 2019 in Bucharest (Romania), the second in November 2019 in Rome (Italy) and the third one in Zagreb (Croatia). The preparation and organisation of the first event will be supported by Sanitas (EPSU affiliate, Romania), the second by ARAN (HOSPEEM member, Italy) and the third one by HSSMS-MT (EPSU affiliate, Croatia). Furthermore, a dissemination workshop will take place by the end of 2020 targeted to a wider audience in Brussels (Belgium).

Orientation and guidance will be provided by an  Advisory Committee composed by representatives from the affiliated associations Sanitas, ARAN and HSSMS-MT. The Advisory Committee will have the task – together with a team of expert to be contracted – to help the Secretariats to prepare, support, monitor and evaluate project-related activities.

Timeline

  • 28 March 2019, Brussels: Kick-off meeting of the Advisory Committee
  • 14 June 2019, Bucharest: Regional Workshop 1 with targeted countries Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania
  • November 2019, Rome: Regional Workshop 2 with targeted countries Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain
  • June 2020, Zagreb: Regional Workshop 3 with targeted countries Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia
  • November / December 2020, Brussels: Advisory Committee synthesis meeting
  • November / December 2020, Brussels: Dissemination Workshop

Expected results

As main deliverables, the project will produce a report from each Regional Workshop to be drafted by the expert and to be agreed upon by the Advisory Committee and the HOSPEEM and EPSU Secretariats.

Another deliverable is a final report summarising the main insights, conclusions and recommendations from the three Regional Workshops and the final dissemination workshop.

14 fact sheets of the targeted countries collecting national social partners’ priorities and challenges trough survey and desk research

Video-recorded interviews of the Advisory Committee members, participating in the three Regional Workshops as well as other stakeholders attending the workshops.

The information gathered the outcomes of the workshops’ debates, the contents of the reports on the Regional Workshops will be fed back into the regular meetings of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector (SSDC HS) to be further discussed and assessed, in particular in view of their use to influence EU-level policymaking.

Implementation

Kick-off meeting of the Advisory Committee, Brussels, 28 March 2019

Regional Workshop 1, Bucharest, 14 June 2019

 

Documentation

Project partner description

Poster

Call for tender

Press release

 

EPSU also has set up a page with the project-related information.

 

This project has received funding from the European Commission

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

10-year anniversary of the EPSU-HOSPEEM Code of Conduct on Ethical Cross-Border Recruitment and Retention

MEDIA RELEASE

In their first Working Group meeting of the European Social Dialogue in the Hospital Sector, on 04 April 2018 HOSPEEM and EPSU looked back to the signing of the EPSU-HOSPEEM Code of Conduct on Ethical Cross-Border Recruitment and Retention on 8 April 2008 and renewed their commitment to promote, guarantee and defend decent recruitment and working conditions for migrant workers, from the EU and from outside the EU, in hospitals and healthcare facilities across Europe. 

HOSPEEM and EPSU issued a Joint Media Release on the 10 years anniversary of the Code of Conduct. It represents an important instrument to support the free movement of workers across the European Union while preventing unethical competition between the Member States and employers in terms of cross-country recruitment process, fair and transparent contracting and the induction of migrant workers at the new workplace. This also holds for their equal and non-discriminatory treatment regarding labour law, social protection provisions and the access to training and career progression and the freedom of association.  

The EPSU-HOSPEEM Code of Conduct on Ethical Cross-Border Recruitment and Retention was inspired by social partner-based or/and public policy tools already in use in different European Union Member States. At international level, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 21 May 2010 adopted and set into practice the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. The Global Code, non-binding in nature, addresses a number of similar issues already covered with in the EPSU-HOSPEEM Code of Conduct. 

In the meeting on 4 April 2018, HOSPEEM and EPSU members reiterated their commitment to the 12 key principles of their 2008 Code of Conduct and to the promotion of ethical recruitment and retention practices at European, national, regional and local level in the upcoming years, both in their own work and in the broader context of the European Pillar of Social Rights. 

Tjitte Alkema, Secretary General of HOSPEEM reflected on the impact of the Code of Conduct: “10 years ago, our Code of Conduct was an inspiration for the work of the World Health Organisation. Nowadays, given the migration flows to and within the European Member States, it is still very relevant.” 

EPSU General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan welcomed the constructive dialogue there has been with the European employers since the Code of Conduct. “We sought to ensure decent working conditions for all, to prevent the exploitation of migrant workers and to make sure public health systems are not undermined by unfair recruitment practices. Our Code was and is a significant contribution to achieve sustainable quality care for all.”  

At the meeting on 4 April 2018, several HOSPEEM members and EPSU affiliates commented on the use and positive effects of the EPSU-HOSPEEM Code of Conduct on Ethical Cross-Border Recruitment and Retention. They also referred to different models of how the 12 principles of the Code of Conduct have been incorporated in their national contexts, either into legislation, by means of collective agreements and/or by using enterprise-based agreements. 

Kate Ling, NHS Confederation, United Kingdom, gave an overview on the use by the employers in the NHS and about the effects of the Code of Conduct in the United Kingdom, showcasing some good practice examples: “NHS organisations should only use recruitment agencies that comply with the Code, which includes guarantees to give overseas recruits good induction, training and employment protection. A key tenet of the UK Code is that recruitment of staff from abroad should not damage healthcare systems in developing countries.  Active recruitment from developing countries shouldn’t take place unless there is a government-to-government agreement. For example, the UK and India have a scheme called Earn Learn and Return where staff from India can come to the UK to fill shortages in specialist areas, and in return they get the opportunity to gain specialist expertise and develop skills that they can then take back with them after they leave the UK to improve healthcare in India. So, both countries benefit.” 

Tjitte Alkema wrapped up the Working Group meeting, reflecting on the freedom of movement of persons in the European Union and the respective aim of the Code of Conduct: “We are in the European Union: one of the fundamental rights is the freedom of movement of people within the European Union. Our Code of Conduct is trying to establish a fair system of mobility in which people are not exploited and countries are not suffering from the mobility of workers. The Code of Conduct is however only as strong as the partners that support it. It only works if we also identify incorrect application, put them on the table and make them transparent. The WHO Code and the Code of Conduct of the Social Partners are complementary in the European setting.”

PDF - 304.4 koMedia release

EPSU has also published an article on the event and the 10-year anniversary celebration.

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector: Main activities and outcomes in 2017

In this document you can find the highlights of the work of the HOSPEEM-EPSU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector. In 2017 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector  dealt with a wide range of topics in the framework of the EPSU-HOSPEEM Joint Work Programme and carried out project-related activities.

PDF - 304.4 koDownload the document

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

VADEMECUM – A Practical Guide for EU Social Partner Organisations and their National Affiliates to Commission support to EU Social Dialogue.

The “VADEMECUM – A Practical Guide for EU Social Partner Organisations and their National Affiliates to Commission support to EU Social Dialogue -2017” provides basic information on the instruments related to EU support to social dialogue and includes the existing rules to be respected when using these tools.  Download the guide.

 

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

10th anniversary of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector

HOSPEEM and EPSU celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector on the occasion of their plenary meeting organised in Brussels on 2 December 2016.

The Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector was set up in September 2006 at the joint request of the hospital sector social partners. The inaugural meeting of the Committee was held on 20 September 2006.

HOSPEEM and EPSU were honoured and delighted to host Mr. Xavier Prats Monné, Director General of DG SANTE, and Mr. Michel Servoz, Director General of DG EMPL, on the occasion of this celebration that was attended by more than 70 participants.

HOSPEEM and EPSU have established fruitful cooperation and close working relations with DG EMPL and DG SANTE over the years and appreciate their presence as an expression of interest and support for their work and activities.

This celebration provided the opportunity to stress the crucial role played by the hospital sector social partners and the importance of the hospital sector social dialogue.

This event also offered an excellent opportunity to highlight the major achievements of HOSPEEM and EPSU over the last decade as well as to exchange on future challenges and priorities.

Xavier Prats Monné underlined in his speech the positive changes taking place in the health sector, made possible thanks to the quality, skills and dedication of health professionals. Looking at the challenges for the next decade, he stated that none of them would be addressed without looking at the workforce and without a strengthened effort on recruitment and retention.

Michel Servoz stressed the good functioning and efficiency of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector. He also emphasized the crucial dimension of this sector for the quality of life and focused on three major challenges faced by this sector, i.e. skills, job creation and innovation, on which social partners have a major role to play.

The Secretary Generals of EPSU and HOSPEEM also respectively delivered a speech to celebrate 10 years of successful European social dialogue in the hospital sector.

Jan-Willem Goudriaan, EPSU General Secretary, underlined the importance of the principle of autonomy of social partners and put the emphasis on the need to further build up and strengthen the capacities of national employers’ and trade union organisations.

In his speech, Tjitte Alkema, HOSPEEM Secretary General, paid tribute to the commitment and active involvement of HOSPEEM and EPSU members in the hospital social dialogue, saying that it had been, and would always be, fundamental in achieving great results.

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

HOSPEEM-EPSU joint declaration on CPD and LLL for all Health Workers in the EU

The EU hospital social partners HOSPEEM and EPSU adopted a HOSPEEM-EPSU joint declaration on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Life-Long-Learning (LLL) for all health workers in the EU in November 2016, after several months of work and negotiations.

It is addressed to all workers in the hospital and healthcare sector in an equal manner, irrespective of age, profession and employment contract.

The agreement emphasizes the major role social partners have to play in the field of CPD and LLL, in partnership with competent authorities and other relevant stakeholders, and on the respective responsibilities of employers and workers. In the joint declaration, HOSPEEM and EPSU stress that CPD and LLL initiatives should be considered as a long-term investment in current and future qualifications and competences of the health workforce and not as a cost factor.

The joint declaration aims at providing inspiration, guidance and support to social partners in their actions in the field of CPD and LLL in the different Member States and at encouraging investments in this field. It is structured along a statement of key principles that should guide activities undertaken in the field of CPD and LLL. The principles are general and can be used at all levels by all stakeholders.

The HOSPEEM-EPSU joint declaration will be enriched in 2017 with a separate document gathering existing good practice examples. This document will be elaborated in the context of the joint HOSPEEM-EPSU EU-funded project (VS/2017/0017) “Promoting effective recruitment and retention policies for health workers in the EU by ensuring access to CPD and healthy and safe workplaces supportive of patient safety and quality care”.

HOSPEEM and EPSU were invited to present their joint declaration on the occasion of the DG SANTE Expert Group “European Health Workforce” on 22 November 2016.

The joint declaration is now available in English, French, German, Spanish and Swedish.

PDF - 304.4 ko HOSPEEM-EPSU joint declaration on CPD and LLL in EN – FR – DE – SV – ES

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

HOSPEEM-EPSU report on the use and implementation of the Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention

During the Plenary meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector (SSDC HS) held on 10 December 2015 HOSPEEM and EPSU adopted a joint follow-up report on the use and implementation of their Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention (FoA R&R)signed on 17 December 2010.

This report gathers good practice examples for each of the 5 key thematic areas covered by the Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention, presents the main challenges faced by HOSPEEM members and EPSU affiliates with regard to recruitment and retention of health workers in their respective countries and focuses on social partner-based measures and activities. It also contains some conclusions and recommendations.

It has been elaborated in parallel to and in exchange with the researchers working on the DG SANTE Study “Recruitment and retention of the health workforce in Europe” published in July 2015.

Read here the HOSPEEM-EPSU Report on the use and implementation of the Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention : Dissemination of insights and good practices : Final version (EN)

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