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Future of the workplace

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Introduction

Demographic and societal tendencies, changing work patterns and the need to reconcile work and private life are all issues that affect the workplace. The cooperation between trade unions and employers is essential to successfully address these issues at all levels. However, a massive pressure to reduce spending greatly damages social dialogue.

Local authorities employ a workforce of more than 64 million people around Europe and thus, are the first to tackle the issue of the future of the workplace. To ensure that local government's needs and demands are taken into consideration within EU debates, CEMR and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) jointly work on an EU project called “The future of the workplace: providing quality jobs, modern and sustainable workplaces in local and regional government”. This project was carried out during 2012..

Project on the future of the workplace

Through this project, CEMR further explores future workplace needs, while developing the social dialogue between trade unions and trade employers' organisations in the local and regional government sector at both national and EU levels. Our project focuses on 7 areas:

Funding of local and regional government;
Recruitment and retention;
Lifelong learning, training and skills development;
Equality, diversity and non-discrimination;
Migration and mobility within local and regional government;
Well-being and sustainable workplaces;
Framework of action for local and regional government.

Our objectives:

To explore future workplace needs and current challenges;
To address a series of 12 recommendations to form a European framework for action in key areas, such as lifelong learning or equality;
To influence the 2014-2016 work programme of the European social dialogue committee;
To contribute to EU debates on this issue.

CEMR coordinator: Christina Dziewanska-Stringer