Gemeinsame Erklärung

The Union of the Electricity Industry - EURELECTRIC, the European Mining, Chemical and Energy Federation EMCEF and the European Federation of Public Service Unions EPSU are aware of the social implications of the ongoing opening-up and integration of the European electricity markets, in particular the consequences for employment.
In its Communication responding to the Lisbon recommendations of the European Council, the European Commission declared that it would take into account these social aspects when presenting concrete proposals for the acceleration of liberalisation in the European energy market. Within this framework, the European social partners in electricity have jointly considered the report "The effects of the liberalisation of the electricity and gas sectors on employment", written by ECOTEC Consultants and presented by the European Commission.

EURELECTRIC, EMCEF and EPSU welcome the ECOTEC study. They share the report's analysis of the employment trends in the sector, of the factors impacting on employment in electricity, of the changes in job profiles, of the key features of employment in the industry and of the manner in which restructuring measures have been implemented. The social partners share the view that further reductions in the number of jobs within the electricity sector will occur (due to increased competition). Further changes in the skills needed by companies, resulting from changes in their core functions and structures, are expected. They also recognise that the Central and Eastern European Countries are and will be facing particular challenges in this respect.
As a result, the social partners will continue to monitor the employment consequences of liberalisation and will seek involvement in the future development of European energy policy.

EURELECTRIC, EMCEF and EPSU are committed to explore jointly ways of addressing these changes to the mutual benefit of companies and employees and of minimising the social consequences of restructuring. Therefore, they agree to

• Explore good practices in lifelong learning and the redeployment of staff and to examine the conditions under which lifelong learning can contribute to secure and skilled employment, by setting up a specific Working Group within the Sectoral Dialogue Committee
• Engage in a common study, with the help of the European Commission, with the aim of identifying in a more focused manner the future skill needs in the sector and potential measures to provide for them.
• Continue work on equal opportunities based on the recommendations of the ECOTEC report "Impact of restructuring on women in the electricity industry"
• Propose to the European Commission a joint workshop looking at the social implications of electricity restructuring in the Central and Eastern European Countries and identifying good practices.

The social partners agree that restructuring in the European Union electricity industry should continue to take place with respect for social standards as laid down in legislation and collective agreements and be realised in a socially responsible manner.
In this context it is important that all relevant actors contribute and that existing means, financial and technical, are put to the social partners' disposal, at all levels.

The social partners therefore agree that

• The Commission is to support measures for training, re-training and re-employment of workers.
• Where companies receive funds from the Structural Funds, full information on the funds received should be given to the social partners in the relevant company.
• The social partners should be consulted by the European Commission when developing its proposals for acceleration of the Internal Market for Electricity, including with regard to the benchmarking the Commission intends to undertake for public services.
• The social dimension needs to be integrated in the assistance given to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe when they prepare to enter the Internal Market. Special consideration should be given to the unfavourable situation of the electricity companies in the accession countries in the process of accelerating the liberalisation of the electricity sector.
• The social consequences arising from mergers and acquisitions in the sector should be addressed at the relevant level including where appropriate in the European Works Councils.
• They will approach the Commission to examine the impact of imports and exports to or from countries beyond the EU, EEA and applicant countries of electricity on employment.

The social partners are committed to continue their social dialogue by monitoring the development of the internal market for electricity. They call for timely consultation concerning social policy and the social effects of energy policy they deem of relevance for the sector.

The Bureau is to follow up and define a programme of work based on this statement, including the terms of membership of the Working Group on lifelong learning.

Done at Brussels, 7 November 2000

(1) This declaration is based on the joint conference on the consequences of the internal market of electricity for companies and workers of Eurelectric/EPSU-EMCEF of 18 January 1999, the ECOTEC study for the European Commission on the effects of liberalisation of the electricity and gas sectors on employment (October 2000) and the experiences in the different countries with liberalisation.