European Construction Industry Federation European Federation of Building and Woodworkers

Paritarian Social Funds in the Construction Industry

Action

19 - 20 October 2010

Bucharest - ROMANIA

2nd European Conference - Promoting Paritarian Funds in the Construction Industry

More than 150 participants from 22 different countries attended a conference organised in Bucharest (RO) by the European sectoral Social Partners for the construction industry, FIEC (European Construction Industry Federation) and EFBWW (European Federation of Building and Woodworkers), in collaboration with AEIP (European Association of Social Paritarian Funds).

Over 2 days high level speakers from politics, enterprises, trade union and paritarian funds exchanged experience, encouraged the development of paritarian funds in the construction industry and encouraged strengthening Social Dialogue in the Central and Eastern European member States.

Paritarian funds are funds jointly set up and managed by the social partners with the aim of dealing with specific issues impacting the sector such as training, health and safety, specific sectoral pensions schemes, etc.

“Only strong social partners can develop a strong and efficient social dialogue, which is able to adequately take into account the specificities of our industry” declared Luisa Todini, President of FIEC. “The high level of participation and of involvement of our Romanian and Bulgarian colleagues, who have supported the organisation of this conference, clearly shows that they have the willingness and capacities of playing this role”.

“Through the paritarian funds existing in our industry in the Western European member States, we have been able to adequately take into account the specific needs of our enterprises and workers” added Domenico Pesenti, President of the EFBWW. “For the moment Romania is the only Central and Eastern European member State in which a paritarian fund has been set up by the social partners and we are convinced that our conference has provided a useful input for those other countries that will decide to follow this path” concluded Domenico Pesenti.

The European Social Partners of the construction industry (FIEC and EFBWW) strongly recommend to European and national authorities as well as Central and East European Social Partners of the construction industry to establish autonomous sectoral industrial relations and develop paritarian social funds in their sector.

Programme

Press release

Presentation of the speakers

Luisa Todini, FIEC

Oscar Vargas, EUROFOUND

Jarmila Fröhlichová, The Integrated Trade Union (Slovakia)

Jakub A. Kus, Budowlani (Poland)

Dan Cristescu, FGS Familia (Romania)

Eelco S. Hoogendijk, Bouwend Nederland (Netherlands)

Mary Burke, CWPS (Ireland)

Daniel Vanhaeverbeke, FSE-FBZ (Belgium)

Daniel Lehmann, SBV-SSE (Switzerland)