Social dialogue in the candidate countries

Social dialogue and EMU in the Candidate Countries Workshop

Vienna, 22-24 May 2002

Speech abstract - Raymond-Pierre Bodin

Director, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

Anticipating change in industrial relations in the candidate countries

The project 'Anticipating change in industrial relations in the candidate countries' is carried out jointly with the Swedish Work Life and EU Enlargement (WLE) project. The EMU anticipation change project was launched during the Aske Conference on Work Life and EU Enlargement in June 2001 in Stockholm. The project plan was perceived with strong interest in the candidate countries and it was noticed that the gradual adaptation to the EMU entrance criteria was one of the important issues which the candidate countries will have to deal with in the near future. There was a unanimous view that the project has to promote social dialogue in the candidate countries as a consensual decision-making process with regard to the economic development, employment, social protection as well as social cohesion.

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has followed and analysed EMU, social dialogue and changes in industrial relations since the introduction of the euro in 1999. These projects have shown very clearly that EMU, and especially transformation to the Single European Marke, has had deep impacts on the functioning of economies and on the role of social dialogue. The adaptation process is continuing. The introduction of the euro has increased transparency of prices and wages. Benchmarking is easier and will become more widely used. Enlargement of the European Union will add a new dimension to the adaptation process of the EU and it can be anticipated that EMU will also have considerable impact on the candidate countries' economies and politics.

This workshop brings together employers, trade unions, governments and researchers from Estonia, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovenia who will investigate and assess how social dialogue can be best utilised in the preparation process for EMU in order to generate economic growth in harmony with employment and social protection in the candidate countries.

The project 'Anticipating change in industrial relations in the candidate countries' is one of the Foundation's pilot projects involving the candidate countries. Last year the Foundation carried out the Working Conditions' survey that covered all of the candidate countries and the results of the survey will be published shortly. This year an European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) network will be set up in Poland, Slovak Republic, Hungary and Slovenia, and during next year Foundation plans to extend the EIRO coverage to all candidate countries.

We hope that with these kind of projects and exchange of expertise the Foundation can contribute in further harmonisation of economic and social development in a United Europe. The Foundation and the Swedish Work Life and EU Enlargement project will follow with great interest the advancement of the project in all its future phases.

Raymond-Pierre Bodin holds a PhD in Sociology. He started his career in 1969 at the Ministry of Labour (Provence-Côte d’Azur Regional Direction) as researcher, then as official representative, notably dedicated to restructuring of the shipbuilding and ship-repair matters.

From 1974 to 1989, he was professor of social psychology and sociology of labour at the Pierre Mendès-France University, in Grenoble. He set up and directed two postgraduate cycles of Management of Human Resources, and led a research team specialised in labour organisation. At the same time, he carried out numerous studies and researches for various European and French institutions, and was invited to lecture at various universities in the world, mainly in USA and India.

From 1989 to 1996 he was managing director of the plastics company Eurotec Manducher (Klöckner Group), and human resources director of Klöckner Automotive. He also was spokesman of the Employers' Delegation for the French Plastic branch for collective negotiations, and member of the Social Committee of European Plastics Converters.

From 1996 to 2000, he was senior vice-president of human resources of the company Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, which became Aventis Pharma in January 2000.

Chairman of the Agence Nationale pour l'Emploi since February 1996, he also is member of the Board of the Centre d'Études de l'Emploi and expert at the International Labour Office.