Tag: EU Social Dialogue

HOSPEEMNewsEU Social Dialogue
News Hospeem

HOSPEEM-EPSU Meeting with Commissioner Andriukaitis

Brussels, 3 May 2017

Joint Statement

“Health has social, environmental and behaviour determinants. We need to address public health with ambition: prevent deterioration of health and avoidable deaths, invest in health promotion and prevention. The EU together with Member States could save thousands of lives each year. Social partners can play a central role in this process. Be sure that I am one of you.” said European Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis. This passionate response came in a meeting with HOSPEEM and EPSU Secretary Generals, Mr. Tjitte Alkema and Mr. Jan Willem Goudriaan.

The representatives of the employers and trade unions met with the Commissioner responsible for health and food safety to discuss their joint work on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that culminated in the signing of the Joint Declaration by HOSPEEM and EPSU in November 2016. EPSU and HOSPEEM informed the Commissioner about their joint upcoming conference on CPD in June 2017 and invited him to their second conference scheduled to take place in April or May 2018 in Vilnius dealing with the two most widespread health and safety hazards in the health care sector, namely musculoskeletal disorders and psycho-social risks and stress at the workplace as well as on patient safety. The Commissioner expressed his support for the Joint Declaration and more generally also for the work of the EU-level sectoral social dialogue partners for the hospital/health care sector that recently adopted their work programme. He added that social partners should keep the Joint Declaration on CPD for All Health Workers in the EU on the agenda of EU Member States and of the Council of the European Union.

Other issues addressed were

  • the effectiveness of guidance on cross-border ethical recruitment and retention,
  • how best to tackle changing demands for the health workforce and the managers in hospitals linked to the digitalisation of health care and the need for up-to-date digital skills in the health care sector as a key priority of comprehensive vocational education and training policies,
  • activities of the hospital employers and hospital associations to reduce risks linked to antimicrobial resistance,
  • the challenges of the demographic changes – such as higher incidence of multi-morbidity, chronical diseases and dementia as well as
  • the importance of using European Reference Networks in the field of rare diseases as good practice approaches

EPSU and HOSPEEM also exchanged on the possibilities to coordinate or join up forces to follow-up to the recommendations of the Report of the UN Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth and on the need for more public investment in health care.

The meeting took place on 24 April 2017. The Commissioner was accompanied by Annika Nowak, Member of Cabinet and Concetta Cultrera, DG SANTE.

News Hospeem

HOSPEEM-EPSU Joint Work Programme 2017-2019 for the European Sectoral Social Dialogue in the Hospital Sector

At the first meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector (SSDC-HS) in 2017, HOSPEEM and EPSU reached a final agreement of the Joint Work-Programme 2017-2019. It is structured around four major thematic priorities, i.e. recruitment and retention of health workforce, Continuing Professional Development and Life-Long Learning, Occupational Health and Safety and well-being, and Health care policy. Each sub-theme is presented with specific objectives, deliverables and a timeline.

PDF - 304.4 koDownload the Joint Work Programme – EN

 

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.

News Hospeem

HOSPEEM 10th Anniversary, 2006-2016

The 10th anniversary of HOSPEEM was celebrated at the occasion of the General Assembly on December 1st 2016 at the European Economic and Social Committee.

 

Tjitte Alkema, Secretary General of HOSPEEM stated that:

“In 2016 HOSPEEM celebrates ten years of commitment to represent the interests of hospital and healthcare employers across Europe. HOSPEEM is now a structured platform of employers supplying services of general interest, with a unique expertise in the field of workforce and industrial relations’ issues for the hospital and healthcare sector and a distinct voice influencing EU policy-making.

This 10th anniversary is an opportunity to look back at our major achievements and to look at future challenges. Since 2006 HOSPEEM has been working closely with the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) to establish and sustain a fruitful Hospital Sector European Social Dialogue. In this context we have been able to build a climate of mutual respect and trust also leading to the signature of a number of significant agreements and guidelines. As a European independent, membership-based organisation HOSPEEM has effectively supported its members to implement outcomes of Social Dialogue through exchanges of good practices and innovative capacity building activities.

As a recognised social partner HOSPEEM has been a key player in the European Social Dialogue for the last ten years. HOSPEEM is successfully ensuring that the views of employers are being heard at the highest level in the European institutions. In the years to come, HOSPEEM is looking forward to further build the future of hospital care empowering on-the-ground hospital employers and managers.”

The first HOSPEEM brochure was published at the occasion of the 10th anniversary.

PDF - 304.4 koDownload the new brochure

 

 

 

 

 

Social partners also celebrated 10 years of fruitful social dialogue at the plenary meeting of the HOSPEEM-EPSU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector on December 2nd.

PDF - 304.4 koDownload the presentation “highlights of 10 years of social dialogue”
Watch the video “celebrating 10 years of Social Dialogue 2006-2016”


Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector: Main activities and outcomes in 2014-2015

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 2014-2015 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector dealt with a range of topics, carried out project-related activities and agreed on several documents.

 Download the document:

EN

FR

DE

ES

IT

News Hospeem

High participation at the High-level conference “A new start for social dialogue”

On 5 March 2015, the European Commission organised in Brussels the high-level conference “A New Start for Social Dialogue”, intended to give a new impetus to social dialogue at EU level, 30 years after Val Duchesse.

This first key event of the new European Commission gathered leaders of European and national social partners’ organisations (both cross-industry and sectoral) to discuss with the European Commission concrete ways to strengthen social dialogue and to ensure a more substantial involvement of social partners in EU policy-making. The European Commission was represented by President Jean-Claude Juncker, Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis and several Commissioners, among which Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs.

The HOSPEEM Secretary General Tjitte Alkema was invited to participate in a workshop on social dialogue and better regulation and to deliver a presentation to present his views on this topic.

At this occasion, the Public Services Employers’ Forum, an informal forum of European employers’ organisations cooperating on matters of joint interest, released a Joint Declaration.

 

Activities, News, Projects, Social Dialogue Hospeem

OSH Project on musculoskeletal disorders and psycho-social risks and stress at work

               Project summary

HOSPEEM and EPSU have been provided financial support from the European Commission for a joint project entitled “Assessing health and safety risks in the hospital sector and the role of the social partners in addressing them: the case of musculoskeletal disorders and psycho-social risks and stress at work”. This project aims to implement one main priority of the work programme 2014-2016 of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector, i.e. the promotion of occupational safety and health.

Through this project, the social partners aim to identify how preventive actions can contribute to improved workers’ health and safety, to more attractive retention conditions in the hospital sector and to improved efficiency in the management of healthcare institutions by reducing the negative effects linked to these occupational risks. They also looked at and discussed the instruments needed to achieve healthy and safe working conditions. HOSPEEM and EPSU achieved these objectives through the exchange of knowledge and the identification of existing good practice (…) Read detailed project description.

PDF - 304.4 ko Download project summary – EN – FR – DE – ES – RU – SV

                                                                    Timeline:

  • 2 October 2014, Brussels: Meeting of HOSPEEM and EPSU Secretariats
  • 12 November 2014, Brussels: kick-off meeting of the Steering Group
  • 25 March 2015, Paris: Social partners’ conference on approaches to the issue of musculoskeletal disorders
  • 4 June 2015, Brussels: Mid-term assessment and organisational meeting of the Steering Group
  • 10 November 2015, Helsinki: Conference on psychosocial risks and stress at work
  • 3 March 2016, Brussels: Final meeting of the Steering Group

Conference on approaches to the issue of musculoskeletal disorders, 25 March 2015

This first conference took place on 25th March 2015 in Paris (co-organised by FEHAP and supported by HOSPEEM) with around 90 participants from 16 EU Member States. The aim of the conference was to provide social partner organisations with a common understanding of the phenomenon of musculoskeletal disorders in the hospital sector and a clear picture of the concrete preventive measures they could take (…)

 

Conference on approaches to the issue of psychosocial risks and stress at work, 10 November 2015

The second conference of the joint HOSPEEM – EPSU project on occupational health and safety risks focused on psycho-social risks and stress at work and took place in Helsinki on 10 November 2015 (co-organised by JHL, Superlitto and Tehy and supported by EPSU).

 

Material and Guidance

This section presents documents (guidance, handbooks, training material etc…) on musculoskeletal disorders and on psychosocial risks and stress at work (…). Please note that this is work in progress.

 
This project has received funding from the European Commission
Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector: Main activities and outcomes in 2013

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 2013 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector dealt with a range of topics, carried out project-related activities and agreed on several documents.

Download the document

Activities, Social Dialogue Hospeem

Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector: Main activities and outcomes in 2012

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 2012 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector dealt with a range of topics, carried out project-related activities and agreed on several documents.

Download the document

Activities, Projects Hospeem

Promotion and support of the implementation of Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and health care sector

The project “Promotion and support of the implementation of Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and health care sector” builds on the Sectoral Social Partner’s Framework agreement on the prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and health care sector of 17 July 2009 incorporated in Directive 2010/32/EU.

The deadline for the transposition into national legislation was 11 May 2013.

The project allowed HOSPEEM and EPSU to obtain first hand information on the realities on the ground and on the role of social partners in the transposition of the directive. It also identified guidance to help with the implementation at the workplace level (e.g. as regards risk assessment, training or reporting), and gave inspiration

to those managing and working in the hospital and healthcare sector to have measures in place to reduce risks of workplace exposure to medical sharps injuries, in line with Directive 2010/32/EU.

In the framework of this project, HOSPEEM and EPSU have organized three regional seminars in Dublin (January 2013), in Rome (March 2013) and Vienna (April 2013), and a final conference in Barcelona (June 2013). These events aimed at providing space for mutual exchange on the experiences related to the implementation of the Directive, including the challenges and the problems that might have occurred. The results of a survey addressed to EPSU affiliates and HOSPEEM members were also discussed.The findings gathered during the events, together with the results on the implementation progress in the EU Members States, have been included in the final report from the project that were presented to the European Commission and disseminated.

EPSU member Royal Colleague of Nursing (RCN) on 23 January 2012 issued a press release reacting the PM David Cameron’s speech regarding the European Union where they point to Directive 2010/32/EU as one good example for the benefits and effectiveness of EU employment legislation to protect the health and safety of healthcare staff: “This directive provides much improved protection for nurses and other healthcare workers exposed to the risk of bloodborne viruses such as Hepatitis C from needlestick and other sharps injuries. It was also a directive that was supported by both trade unions and HOSPEEM – the European hospital and healthcare employers’ association”.

Report 1st Regional Seminar Dublin
31 January 2013

Brussels, 5 February 2013 Joint EPSU-HOSPEEM Project “Promotion and support of the implementation of Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and health care sector” Regional Seminar 1 – Dublin, 31 January 2013 Godfrey Perera, Chief Executive, HOSPEEM ; John Delamere, Head of Corporate Employee Relations, HSE ; Louise O’Donnell, Coordinator Healthcare Sector, IMPACT ; Tina Weber, ICF GHK (from left to right) during the opening plenary session The first (…)

Report 2nd Regional Seminar Rome
7 March 2013

Brussels, 10 March 2013 Joint EPSU-HOSPEEM Project “Promotion and support of the implementation of Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and health care sector” Regional Seminar 2 – Rome, 7 March 2013 The second regional seminar with about 80 participants from 8 European countries (Belgium, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom) invited to attend the event took place on 7 March 2013 in Rome. It was hosted (…)

Report 3rd Regional Seminar Vienna
16 April 2013

Brussels, 25 April 2013 Joint EPSU-HOSPEEM Project “Promotion and support of the implementation of Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and health care sector” Regional Seminar 3 – Vienna, 16 April 2013 The third regional seminar with nearly 110 participants from 8 EU Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia) as well as from Belarus, Croatia, Kosovo, Moldova and Russia took place on 16 April 2013 (…)

Report Final Conference Barcelona
20 June 2013

Brussels, 26 June 2013/18 September 2013 Joint EPSU-HOSPEEM Project “Promotion and support of the implementation of Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and health care sector” Final Conference – Barcelona, 20 June 2013 The final conference with about 95 participants from 24 out of 28 EU Member States (including Croatia to adhere to the EU as of 1 July 2013) took place on 20 June 2013 in Barcelona. It was hosted by EPSU affiliate Federación de Servicios (…)

Guidance
(Guidelines, Handbooks, Tool Kits, Films)

Film DG EMPL “From needlesticks to sharps. The added value”

In Europe, it is estimated that there are 1 million needlestick injuries annually. Film produced by the European Commission, DG EMPL, on the genesis and the year-long policy process towards the adoption of directive 2010/32/EU to prevent injuries with medical sharps. Watch the video in English: Watch the video in Spanish: Link to DG EMPL webpage for the video in other (…)

“From needle-sticks to sharps. The added value” Success Stories from the EU sectoral social dialogue

The added value of the framework agreement on the prevention from sharps injuries (Directive 2010/32/EU) (…)

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