FEGAPEI - Fédération nationale des associations gestionnaires au service des personnes handicapées

FEDES AND WORKABILITY : COMPLEMENTARITY FOR SUCCESS AND INFLUENCE !

1. The positioning of FEDES

European Federation of Social Employers’ mission is to represent and defend the employer’s interests in the field of disability and dependency at European level, in the framwork defined by articles 138 and 139 of the Union Treaty. The reason why FEDES was created was that we had :
- no or very few upstream information on Commission’s and Council’s policy
- no access to upstream discussions on texts concerning social dialogue (e.g. working time directive, qualification directive …)
- no possibility to be part of social dialogue negociations.

Therefore, FEDES’ objective was to become an active part of the institutionalised social dialogue between employers and trade unions. It is important to mention that the number of organizations recognized at European level is very limited, and that the Commission is very keen to keep that number low ! Are part on employers’ side of the intersectorial dialogue : BUSINESS EUROPE, CEEP (public and general interest employers) and representaiton of Small and Medium entreprises.

Even on sectorial dialogue, the recognized organizations are very severely selected!

Also to be mentioned : Members of an employer’s organisation at European level must be employers, negotiating tariffs and social agreements with the unions in European Union countries, which made it not possible for service providers’ organizations or civil dialogue organization to take part to the social dialogue.

As we could’nt get a recognition “per se”, we chose to become partner of an organization. CEEP was very keen to welcome us, because the questions around social services are more and more important, and they had no or few expertise in disability or insertion.

2. Results obtained

FEDES became member of CEEP in July 2008. From that date :
- We got all informations on social dialogue (texts, programs, consultations, seminars and conferences …), which are regularly transmetted to WORKABILITY Management Team
- We became members of the Commissions of CEEP, including the Social Affairs commission, where all social dialogue discussions are made.

FEDES has also been asked to become member of the delegation of CEEP at a negociation on “Inclusive labor markets”, which aims to prepare a framework agreement at European level on that subject. FEDES has taken an active part in that negociation :
- by giving good practice examples, including the ones from WORKABILITY members
- by providing one of the 5 testimonies made in a seminar on “grassroot solutions” on insertion in the labor market
- by being the voice of social economy entreprises able to be the specialists for the insertion of vulnerable workers, including disabled workers : we are asked to prepare a contribution for the final agreement on that aspect.

Through the very strong connexion with WORKABILITY, we are all together able to promote the cause of disabled workers and of our structures in the social dialogue.