THE ROLE OF SOCIAL PARTNERS ON EUROPEAN AND NATIONAL LEVEL FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE EMPLOYERS

Dr. Ákos Zoltay
General Secretary of the Hungarian Mining Association,
Co-president of the employers’ side of the Hungarian Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee of the Mining Industry,
Acting President of the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee of the Extractive Industry

The roots of the sectoral social dialogue of the mining industry trace back to a several decades’ history in the European Union as the cooperation of employees and employers became gradually more and more important during the – originally spontaneous - conflict management which emerged at the restructuring (depression) of coal mining.
A special situation evolved as the global economic trends had a disadvantageous impact both on the employers and the employees. Employers were losing their mining enterprises while employees were deprived from their jobs, the source of their income. They had a common interest:   to manage the process in the member states of the European Union of the time with the least possible pain by mitigating the drastic increase of unemployment, retraining workers, upgrading the skills of employees and creating new jobs with the involvement of huge EU funds.  

There are two decisive documents on the establishment of the general institutions of the sectoral social dialogue committee of the EU:

Social partners, both the employers and workers have a decisive role in achieving the objectives set forth in the above mentioned documents.

The following important international employers’ organisations representing the different mining branches participate in the employers’ side of the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee of the Extractive Industry: EUROMINES, EURACOAL, IMA, and APEP.

From the point of view of these European industrial employers’ organisations, it is of utmost importance to implement the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy in the light of sustainable development. The improvement of competitiveness is organically interrelated with the training of labour, favourable working conditions, labour safety and health, areas where the decisive partner in the employees’ side is EMCEF. 

It is obvious that no well-functioning and competitive economy can exist without mining and extractive enterprises which ensure safe energy and raw material supply. Without them the jobs can not be preserved and the employment rate cannot be increased.  

Within the framework of social dialogue the workers’ organisations have proved to be the trustworthy partner of the employers’ organisations committed to the above mentioned endeavours.
Several topics related to the question of innovation and competitiveness have been discussed within the framework of the commission.

It is the basic interest of employers to operate and improve the competitiveness of extractive enterprises. Thus, the employers’ organisations mainly focus on topics related to the economy.

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The following challenges related to the global economic situation should be addressed:

• The problems related to the energy supply of the European Union after the oil price explosion, the innovation initiative which aims at decreasing the import dependency by using the development schemes of the “Clean Coal Strategy” technology based on European bases;

• Problems resulting from the increasing number of regulations of the EU directives on environmental protection which unfavourably affect the economic competitiveness of the European Union and the particular member states (such negative effects are the CO2 quota, the National Allocation Plans, the NATURA 2000, the limits of REACH). The present tendency is not in compliance with the EU objective according to which economic growth, social cohesion and environmental protection should be realized simultaneously, at one time and not at the expense of one another.

However, the question of health care and safety is also important besides the above mentioned issues. Within the framework of the social dialogue of the extractive industry an agreement was concluded with the aim to combat the adverse health effects from crystalline silica. The document concluded by EMCEF and the European Employers’ organisations is a unique example also from the point of view that its effect was extended to all member states of the European Union.

There has been a broad industrial and political debate in the European Union with the aim to promote corporate social responsibility and to enhance workers’ rights since July 2001 when the Green Book on Corporate Social Responsibility was published (COM /2001/ 366 final: Green paper on Promoting a European framework for Corporate Social Responsibility).
In 2002, a further communication with the title “Corporate Social Responsibility A business contribution to sustainable development” was issued in this area (COM /2002/ 347 final: Corporate Social Responsibility. A business contribution to sustainable development).

The operation of the Hungarian Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee of the Mining Sector – from the point of view of the employers

The establishment of the institutional framework of sectoral social dialogue was a precondition of our country’s accession to the European Union.  

Social dialogue was not unprecedented in the mining industry as the restructuring of the industry resulted in the close cooperation of the employers’ and workers’ organisations in Hungary, as well.

The Hungarian Mining Association, which was founded in 1992 as an industrial organisation representing the interests of employers and which today already represents the whole spectrum of the mining industry, has had good relations with the Federation of Mining and Energy Workers Trade Union ever since the beginning of its operation.

The Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee of the Mining Industry was set up in May 2003 and since then it has successfully operated and has achieved significant results.  

From the point of view of the employers the successful initiative to raise the CO2 quota has been of outstanding importance.  It turned out that Hungary calculated with an unrealistically low rate which could not have provided the quota sufficient not only for the developments but even for the operation of existing capacities. The government acknowledged the joint action and forwarded our justified demands to increase the quota to the European Commission which agreed to them.  

From the point of view of the employers, the issues related to economic development and economic competitiveness are the most relevant within the framework of sectoral social dialogue. Thus, in cooperation with the Federation of Mining and Energy Workers Trade Union, the Hungarian Mining Association deals with the issue of safe energy supply, the updating of Hungarian energy policy in relation with the oil price explosion and the elaboration of the national mineral wealth strategy. We promote a strategy which – with the aim to represent national interests - would give priority to mining by reviewing and amending excessive environmental requirements and regulations.

The workers’ organisations participating in the sectoral social dialogue unanimously support the study on the intensive use of natural resources which was elaborated in broad technical cooperation with the employers’ organisations and in the framework of the development of the National Action Plan (the study also deals with the adoption of the “Clean Coal Strategy” in Hungary).

The Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee of the Mining Industry will soon start the negotiations on the Sectoral Collective Framework Agreement, an issue extremely relevant for the workers.

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