Arbeit und Leben Developing union training activities Arbeit

Arbeit und Leben Developing union training activities

Arbeit und Leben The German Team n DGB NRW (German Trade Union Confederation), n n IG BAU Westphalia (Industrial Union of Construction, Agriculture and Environment Workers), n n umbrella organisation of the German trade union movement. DGB North Rhine-Westphalia, represents 1. 5 mln members represents 40. 000 employees from the building industry, building materials industry, gardening and landscaping, agriculture and forestry and the janitors working in industrial facilities and buildings Arbeit und Leben NRW n an institution for further adult education supported by DGB and the German Association of Adult Education. Seminar programmes and projects with 25. 000 participants and 1000 tutors per year, mostly in cooperation with unions

Arbeit und Leben to exercise their legal rights n Works Council Constitution Act n § 80 General Tasks n n The Works Council has the following general tasks: 9. To foster measures of health and safety and environmental protection in companies. § 89 Protection of Work and Environment at Company Level n n n (1) The Works Council has to advocate, that regulations about health and safety, prevention of accidents and environmental protection in companies are put into practice. (2) The employer has to. . . consult the Works Council. (3) Environmental protection in terms of this law is defined as. . .

Arbeit und Leben Awareness Raising and Training For worker representatives and councillors it is important to be trained in environmental and energy questions „Traditional“ issues are n n n n n working conditions salaries and wages labour law and collective bargaining law social security health and safety equal opportunities, gender and family training and education company employment policy, temporary work participation and/or co-management unions, industrial policy, international development, economic crisis, company policy, company restructuring, . . . At the workplace ecology and energy have to be connected to these issues

Arbeit und Leben Activities in Germany n Information n n Campaigns n n Participation IG Metall in "Wir für EMAS" Exchange of experience n n IG Metall guideline: ressource efficiency and employment IG BCE guideline: energy efficiency and workers‘ participation DGB Bund: Oeko-works project DGB NRW: conferences „good work and ecological change“ Workshops, trainings n DGB Bildungswerk Bund: n n n Company agreements n n Kompetenzzentrum Umweltschutz, betriebliche Umweltpolitik und Nachhaltige Entwicklung Ko. Re. BB – Kooperationsprojekt Ressourceneffizienz für Beschäftigte und Betriebsräte E: G: Evonik . . .

Arbeit und Leben What we need Pre-condition: The union‘s point of view to combine „green economy“ and „good work“ and a fair transition n Exchange: to pool and learn from all the examples and best practice from different European countries and unions n Campaign: works councils are interested but have little demand - colleagues need a reason and a strong added value to become active n n e. g. by protecting workplaces, discussing resource efficiency, not about reductions in staff Training: Capacity building, a framework for selfdetermined work on this issue and facilitators to fill the gaps and find the links n between theory and practice n between economy and ecology n between reaction and action

Arbeit und Leben Where is the focus? n In line with the provisions of the IEE budget line the focus will be on employee behavioral change, awareness raising and attitudes n People are not stupid, they want to work reasonably.

Arbeit und Leben Andreas Blechner, Chairman of Works Council VW Salzgitter: It is not that we are moving away from the core business. It is rather the reverse risk that the core business is moving away from us. I expect that electric motors will prevail sooner than is expected by many. For us, as an automotive business that would cause serious consequences. Therefore we have to think intensively about alternative products that are economical and simultaneously support employment.