From January 22nd to 25th, 2023, a seminar took place in Ponta Delgada / Portugal on the topic "Jobs without the option to work from home are more vulnerable to unemployment. The role of workers’ organisations in transforming the labour market after the COVID 19 pandemic" organised by FIDESTRA (Associação para a Formação, Investigação e Desenvolvimento Social dos Trabalhadores), with the support of EZA and financed by the European Union. 83 representatives of workers' organisations from Portugal, Italy, France, Spain, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Croatia, Serbia, Germany, Poland and Ukraine took part in the seminar.
The seminar achieved the following goals, among others:
-Assessment at regional, national, and European levels of the behaviour of the labour market in the changes caused by the past pandemic and the current global economic situation
-Assessing the impact of the changes in the labour market/social exclusion arising from the current global context and the Covid crisis
-Evaluation of the effectiveness of measures taken at regional, national and European levels to improve the employment and economic situation in countries heavily dependent on the tourism sector, such as Portugal
-Assessment of the social and economic impact of teleworking/professions without opportunities, particularly in agriculture and tourism
-Devise strategies to encourage workers' movement to be new, growing and job-creating sectors while avoiding social exclusion
-Identification of regional response to the crisis, particularly in sparsely populated areas
-Giving a voice to the young workers who are actively exposed to this rapidly changing world of work
-Involvement of the local population and the media to increase the multiplier effect achieved with the seminars carried out in the EZA network.
Attention must be paid to sustainable tourism development, especially in regions where this economic sector plays a vital role due to its importance. This situation requires a new way of working in tourism. Young people, more aware of environmental issues, represent an added value for this sector; therefore, a proactive policy is needed at local, regional, national and European levels.
As this area of activity can also have a significant impact on the environment, it is essential to reinforce all measures that help reduce adverse effects. In this sense, it is the authorities' task to create appropriate mechanisms. Businesses must consider that precarious work can never be synonymous with economic growth and social cohesion, and citizens must strive for and prioritise sustainable tourism offers. An example of this was FIDESTRA's decision, when organising this seminar, to select only those from the hotel to the restaurants that fall into this category and follow a policy of social and environmental responsibility. The appeal reinforced this concern and asked all participants to donate for the CO2 emissions when purchasing their flight tickets.
At the time of the Covid 19 pandemic, the importance of agriculture became particularly clear as it is essential for feeding the world population, but it also raises the issue of work, labour exploitation and the vulnerability to poverty of many workers, especially immigrants and refugees, makes clear.
With a turnover of around 400 million euros, 80% of which is for export, agriculture is the most critical sector in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. This sector follows European Union guidelines in terms of sustainability, which makes it difficult to compete with third countries that still need to meet these requirements.
We have learned from the visits and reports that if the focus is on people, it is possible to resume activities after the pandemic and thus preserve jobs. The examples visited show that the hospitality industry has recovered and reinvented itself but has mainly focused on securing jobs through agreements between employers and employees. Social dialogue was the key to success so that these workers did not have to move to the city (Ponta Delgada) or outside the island.
The accelerated transformation of the labour market is reflected in new forms such as teleworking and digital nomads, and labour mobility is becoming more common.
The period after the Covid19 pandemic has shown that teleworking is a prerequisite and then continued. However, this makes professional groups without teleworking more vulnerable and more prone to unemployment.
It is, therefore, a significant challenge to coordinate and reconcile the different perspectives of each employee within a company and the company's performance with a view to appropriate integration and further development of each employee.
The company must adapt its organic structure, paying attention to the appreciation, training and investment in the skills of each employee.
Significant findings of the seminar were:
-No achievement without education! Psychological support to overcome mental illness, protection against discrimination and violence at work, and help with integration into the labour market should be available to everyone to ensure equal rights for workers.
-Advancing digitisation must consider all sections of the population: if, for example, social welfare is wholly switched to computers, only part of the population will have access to it.
-Layoffs are a significant concern for young people. Primarily since employers often use layoffs to hire employees later on part-time.
-Today's young people no longer expect to have the same job for life but invest in mobility; they want to know other countries and opportunities.
-Disparities still exist on the issue of equal opportunities between men and women, which is why there is a need to invest in strengthening the role of women in the labour market, especially in more remote areas and in more conservative societies.
-Today's young people are tomorrow's leaders. A new generation of positive action leaders will work for more peaceful communities and fairer decisions! Raising awareness among young workers of the importance of workers' organisations in building a more socially acceptable Europe is vital to achieving this goal.
-Crises must be seen as a moment for new opportunities.
-Social dialogue is the only way to put people at the centre of political action. We can build a more inclusive society and a more cohesive Europe through social dialogue. Social dialogue is a tool that can put people at the centre of political action. It is a necessary tool to act competently and quickly in the situation-related new labour market organisation.
-Investments must be made in support measures and special educational offers for the most vulnerable groups of the population, as well as in the training and integration of people.
-Unskilled workers need to prepare to meet challenges.
-The employment situation in areas with low population density is precarious. Investing in technical, economic and environmental capacity and training is needed to boost growth, quality of life and employment, encouraging young people to stay in rural areas.
-In connection with the geographic realities, developing legal instruments that do not encourage and exacerbate social exclusion is necessary.
In summary:
We must put people first to build a Europe that remembers its principles and values and can reconcile economic growth, sustainability, and social justice. Europe must make great efforts to show cohesion and solidarity because only in this way will it be able to face the severe economic and social crisis that goes hand in hand with the severe health crisis that has hit the world (Covid 19) is being exacerbated by the current war and the effects of which are already being felt on the labour market and especially among the most vulnerable workers. A Europe committed to decent work, where the economy does not take precedence over people. When we talk about people-centred employment strategies, the economic model we want to achieve must foot on something other than low wages, unequal opportunities and treatment, or undermining workers' rights. We must therefore invest in sustainable growth and development, balancing and harmonizing the different interests and actors - workers and employers, public and private sectors.
Building a Europe with more prosperous and more developed regions is based on full respect for human rights and the dignity of every citizen, with particular attention to the most vulnerable groups of the population, whether through economic aspects, social inclusion, and the fight against poverty or in the struggle for equal opportunities for all.
We must empower people to become more capable, motivated, and flexible workers as the rapidly changing labour market requires.
Aware that these new facts will change people and the way they act in society, in the future, it must focus on overcoming these obstacles, with an emphasis on education, the labour market and the development of values relevant to European integration are essential. It is, therefore, important to work in a network and reinforce the added value that union structures should bring at this crucial time.
And because all these changes can only survive in peace and stable democracies, we have to fight for the credibility of social and labour policies.