News

CEEMET together with ECEG (European Chemical Employers Group) and EURATEX (European Apparel and Textile Confederation) published a common statement on restructuring. It lists seven key points responding to the Commission’s Green Paper including the fact that “company restructuring is based on the strategic and economic decisions of an individual company and therefore there can’t be a single solution to address the restructuring of undertakings”.

CEEMET welcomes the employment package as it acknowledges the necessity to promote job creation. Much of the communication is forward looking and positive, however it lacks proposals which respond to the needs that are particularly troublesome for industry, such as initiatives that allow for adaptability and swift restructuring. Read the comment here highlighting other topics including flexicurity, youth unemployment, skills and lifelong learning, restructuring and wages.

In its response to the Commission Green Paper on Restructuring, CEEMET welcomes the positive overall approach of the Commission to the necessity of restructuring. CEEMET underlines that companies in the MET sector are subject to global competition which makes frameworks which allow for swift adaptability crucial for our sector.

As CEEMET’s representative, Jean-François Pillard, UIMM Director General, Chairman of the CEEMET Steering Committee stressed in his intervention the importance of promoting flexibility in labour markets, the need to have the right competences at the right moment and the proper financing of social security systems which does not negatively impact labour costs.

CEEMET today published its Flexible Forms of Employment Survey. The survey provides a summary of a country-by-country overview of Flexible Forms of Employment in the metal, engineering and technology-based (MET) industries. It will contribute to the ongoing debate at European and national level on the alleged precariousness of the most common forms of flexible employment such as part-time work, temporary agency work and fixed-term contracts, CEEMET carried out a survey among its members to get a better understanding of the real usage of flexible employment contracts.

“High quality vocational education and training is central to a successful manufacturing industry in Europe. In order to realise its full potential, public authorities and education and training systems must make significant progress towards increasing permeability”, CEEMET and EMF emphasize in their common statement on the importance of permeability between vocational education and training and higher education.

CEEMET is pleased that the European Commission intends to propose a further postponement of the deadline for transposition of Directive 2004/40/EC on protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to electromagnetic fields at work.

The European Commission together with the Polish Presidency organised a conference in Warsaw on 24-25 November to celebrate the 20th anniversary of European social dialogue. Many of the presentations made on the conferences 9 panels took a retrospective look at the achievements achieved by the European partners, highlighting also difficulties of the concept, stemming from the fact that social dialogue is non-existent in several countries, in particular from the EU-12.

“Flexible forms of employment are vital for the European metal, engineering and technology-based industries, MET, sector to successfully carry on its business and survive the changing market circumstances”, said CEEMET President Martin Kannegiesser speaking at a stakeholder conference on Flexicurity today in Brussels.

Confederation of Danish Industry, DI, has published a Global Benchmark Report 2011 containing information from the OECD member countries. This report is the seventh in a series of reports giving DI’s annual assessment of developments in the long term business environment and the performance of individual OECD member countries.

CEEMET was invited to talk at a hearing organised by the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on 5 October. Terry Woolmer (EEF) presented CEEMET’s position at the hearing.

CEEMET welcomes the Commission’s new higher education reform strategy and wants to stress that the capability of higher education to better address the changing skills, knowledge and competence requirements is fundamental in preparing students for the future working life. CEEMET calls for improved cooperation between higher education institutions and industry to allow continuous adaptation to changing requirements. Furthermore, vocational training should be part of higher education. In most Member States, it is still not easy to move from vocational education to higher education but the choice of one path should not exclude the other.

In its recent letter to the Polish Presidency, CEEMET highlighted the concern that the proposed directive may unintentionally prohibit processes that do not cause adverse physical effects. Many processes used by the manufacturing industry produce significant electromagnetic fields. A new proposal adopted by the Commission in June 2011 was introduced with the aim to eventually replace the unimplemented directive of 2004.

“Manufacturers’ already operate an innovative blend of flexible working solutions such as changes in hours worked, overtime or varying shifts, adjustments to the numbers and types of employees; varying workforce numbers or bringing in staff on a short-term basis and changes related to production practices, with the support of their workforces”, comments Tim Thomas, Head of Employment Policy at the Manufacturers’ organisation, EEF .

CEEMET President, Mr. Martin Kannegiesser together with Gesamtmetall Director General, Ms. Gabriele Sons, Terry Scuoler, Chief executive of EEF and CEEMET Secretary General Uwe Combüchen met with Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Commissioner László Andor in Brussels on June 22.

The Euro Plus Pact agreed at the European Council in March 2011 is a welcome initiative and a sign of a strong common will to improve competitiveness in Europe. The Euro area’s debt crisis has truly shaken the Euro-club and forced the club members to do some thorough self-examination.

In his recent speech at European Metalworkers’ Federation’s Congress in June 2011 CEEMET Secretary General Uwe Combüchen focused on the elements that are essential for creating a supportive environment for our sustainably competitive industries.

The first year of formal social dialogue between CEEMET (Council of European Employers of the Metal, Engineering and Technology-Based Industries) and EMF (European Metalworkers' Federation) has shown that both organizations are united in their demand and actions for a strong industrial base and manufacturing sector in Europe.

In February 2011 compared with January 2011, the euro area (EA17) industrial new orders index rose by 0.9%. In January the index grew by 1.2%. In the EU27, new orders increased by 1.2% in February 2011, after a rise of 0.5% in January. Excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment, for which changes tend to be more volatile, industrial new orders increased by 0.6% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU27.

On 14 March, CEEMET and the EMF had their first meeting of the year for the Social Dialogue working group on Education and Training. The discussions centred on the topics of ‘attractiveness of VET and the MET industry’ and the ‘high quality VET and higher education’.

The metal, engineering and technology-based (MET) industry is a key driver of Europe’s economy, and people are its greatest asset. Ensuring a plentiful supply of highly-qualified personnel, including young people, is crucial both to the industry’s future and to Europe’s prosperity.

European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Enterprise & Industry, Commissioner Lázsló Andor (Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and Commissioner Michel Barnier (Internal Market and Services) will call on business and other stakeholders to support a new political initiative for the promotion of corporate social responsibility (CSR).