THE Government is to organise the first summit for Europe's social partners during its presidency of the European Union.
The summit will bring together trade union and employer bodies at EU level, senior members of the European Commission and Irish Ministers responsible for progressing negotiations on key social and economic issues during the presidency.
News of the meeting was broken by the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Mr Emilio Gabaglio, after meeting the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, at Government Buildings yesterday. The ETUC has 50 million affiliated members.
One of its main objectives will be to seek agreement on a strategy to implement the so called Santer Pact for Employment, which gets its name from the President of the European Commission.
If successful, the summit could also lead to a bigger role for trade unions and employer bodies in resolving major social and economic issues within the EU.
The social partners play a key role at national level in influencing the attitude of EU member states. By bringing them into the process, it is hoped that progress might be made in breaking the deadlock that exists over issues such as the European Company Statute.
Mr Gabaglio said the idea had been inspired by the success of the Irish experiment in social partnership over the past decade.
He was accompanied at the meeting by the ETUC assistant general secretary, Mr Erik Carlsund, the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Union, Mr Peter Cassells, and ICTU assistant general secretary, Ms Patricia O'Donovan.
Mr Gabaglio said there was a need to relaunch the Santer Pact and make employment friendly policies central to the work of the EU. The Maastricht Treaty had to be rebalanced. Monetary Union and a Single Market were not enough to secure prosperity for EU citizens. "A Social Europe must be built alongside them," he added.
One major debate at present is over the level of information, consultation and participation workers should have in the companies that employ them. Mr Gabaglio said that thinking companies realise they have to involve their employees fully to be successful in business.
Mr Cassells said the social summit could lead to the negotiation of a framework agreement to set minimum standards in a number of areas across the EU.
The ETUC is also pressing the Irish presidency to ensure that the EU supports the trade union call for minimum human rights and working conditions to be incorporated in the World Trade Agreement later this year. This would commit signatories to recognising trade unions, abolishing child and forced labour and outlawing discrimination.
The EU social summit will be held in Cork early in November.