Research report on Roma access to decent and sustainable employment

ERGO Network launches its research report on Roma access to decent and sustainable employment

The European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network held its annual Policy Conference on 25 November, entitled “Implementing the EU Roma Strategic Framework. Roma access to decent and sustainable employment.” 

The Roma are more likely to experience discrimination in recruitment and in the workplace, to be paid less, to be offered precarious contracts, to be overlooked for promotions or learning opportunities, or to be given dangerous or unsuitable tasks. While overrepresented in unsustainable and exploitative forms of employment, the Roma are also underrepresented in trade union structures. Additionally, many Roma earn their livelihood from atypical or seasonal forms of work, which are not covered by adequate labour protection legislation and do not provide for employment rights and social security. Job creation efforts are not enough to provide the Roma with quality and secure jobs, and the great potential of social entrepreneurship is insufficiently supported.

The EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality, Inclusion, and Participation 2020 – 2030 includes, as one of its four sectoral objectives, “Increase effective equal access to quality and sustainable employment” by 2030, while the Council Recommendation on Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation features a comprehensive section calling on Member States to “promote effective equal access for Roma, in particular young Roma, to quality and sustainable employment”. Access to quality and sustainable employment is extensively covered by the European Pillar of Social Rights (Social Pillar), chiefly in its Principles 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, while decent work is Goal 8 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

During 2024, ERGO Network conducted in-depth national case studies in six countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain), looking at the realities of Roma employment and access to the labour market and the key barriers the Roma face when trying to access quality and sustainable jobs in these countries. Our members in Ireland provided additional benchmarking evidence. The main findings and recommendations were brought together in an EU synthesis report launched in the framework of the above-mentioned event.

Key messages of the synthesis report:

  1. A majority of Roma are not in paid work, at least not in the formal economy, nor are they adequately supported to enter the labour market. Urgent and significant investment is needed into integrated, personalised Active Inclusion approaches, combining income support with enabling services and Public Employment Services to have the necessary resources, staff, and training.
  2. The Roma who work are in poor-quality jobs with low pay, insecure contracts, unsafe working conditions, no access to training, and almost no trade union coverage. Countries need to develop and implement a comprehensive definition of job quality, covering all the aspects mentioned above, and ensure that it applies to all jobs, all sectors, and all workers. They also need to support and strengthen trade unions and collective bargaining.
  3. Antigypsyism is pervasive in recruitment as well as in the workplace. Much stronger anti-discrimination legislation is needed, coupled with effective implementation mechanisms and monitoring, anti-bias training for employers and recruiters, and broad campaigns to combat antigypsyism in society at large.
  4. Pushed to the margins of the labour market, the Roma make ends meet through the informal economy, pursuing traditional crafts, or seeking work abroad.Combating undeclared work needs to be done by regularising sectors and penalising rogue employers instead of poor workers; broader support schemes for self-employment and more protection for mobile workers are needed to prevent exploitation.
  5. Job creation efforts that would benefit the Roma are scarce – and while the social economy holds great potential for Roma employment, it is currently underutilised. More public investment is needed in locally accessible, community-rooted quality jobs, as well as supportive legislation and improved access to funding for social enterprises as a key tool for Roma employment, including the promotion of Roma social entrepreneurship.
  6. Participation of Roma communities and their civil society organisations is paramount in co-creating sustainable ways forward. Policymakers and labour market actors must cooperate closely with Roma stakeholders and their civil society representatives to ensure evidence-based solutions, support disaggregated data collection, foster common understanding, and bridge cultural gaps.

With this research, we aim to kick-start a debate with policy makers on improving the availability, accessibility, quality, sustainability, and inclusiveness of employment for Europe’s Roma.

For more information about ERGO Network’s work on Roma access to decent and sustainable employment, please contact Senior Policy Adviser Amana Ferro.

EC on strengthening social dialogue – What’s in it for Europe’s Roma?

European Commission releases initiative on strengthening social dialogue – What’s in it for Europe’s Roma?

On 25 January 2023, the European Commission put forward an initiative on strengthening social dialogue, aimed at empowering social partners to deliver on their role to ensure social fairness and democracy at work, and to boost Europe’s prosperity and resilience. The initiative includes a Council Recommendation, which sets out how EU countries can further strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining at national level, as well as a Communication on reinforcing and promoting social dialogue at EU level.

ERGO Network has engaged with the preparation of this initiative during 2022, with a view to raise awareness on the specific concerns of Roma workers. We contributed to the call for evidence issued by the European Commission in October last year, based on our Snapshot on social dialogue and involvement of workers. We have reviewed the proposed initiative in light of this input.

  • Read our full response to the initiative here!

We warmly welcome this initiative of the European Commission to ensure that social dialogue continues to fulfil its key role for just, resilient, inclusive, and democratic societies, particularly at a time when several Members States are attempting to shrink trade union powers. However, the approach does not seem to be inspired by a view to contribute to inclusive labour markets, through supporting diversity and giving a voice to the most disenfranchised, including vulnerable groups.

We are very disappointed to note that there is no reference to Europe’s Roma in either the proposed Council Recommendation or the Commission communication. Moreover, there is no mention of ethnic minorities or ethnic background, or migrant or refugee workers, or other key groups of workers facing discrimination in employment. In fact, there is no mention of racism or discrimination in the two documents.

We further appreciate that the initiative clearly points out the decline in trade union coverage over the past three decades, however these findings are disaggregated by gender, but not by any other indicator relating for example to race and ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity etc. Equally disappointingly, the European Commission puts forward no proposals on how to improve trade union membership. This should have been a key objective of the initiative, as a means to strengthen legitimacy and credibility of social partners.

We salute that the initiative makes a strong plea for trade unions to take into account the emergence of new forms of employment including the self-employed, and to make efforts to include these workers in their structures. This can be very positive for Roma workers, often excluded from the traditional labour market due to widespread antigypsyism, and hence forced to engage in atypical forms of work to survive.

In the context of the evolving nature of labour markets, it is regrettable and inaccurate that both documents use “company” in an interchangeable way with “employer”, thus completely overlooking labour relations in the public and the third sector, where adequate social dialogue to protect workers’ rights is just as needed.

It is high time that the European Commission put forward a similar initiative, codifying, supporting and strengthening civil dialogue. Social fairness and democracy must be guaranteed for the whole of society, not just in the workplace.

Finally, we are pleased to see the European Commission’s commitment to promote social dialogue and collective bargaining in the context of the enlargement process, supporting candidate countries to strengthen their social dialogue processes.

For more information about our work on the Roma employment, please contact Amana Ferro (a.ferro@ergonetwork.org), Senior Policy Adviser in the ERGO Network staff.

ERGO Network Snapshot of Social Protection and Unemployment Benefits

ERGO Network Snapshot of Social Protection and Unemployment Benefits

Check out this week’s thematic Snapshot in our series on #Roma inclusion and the European Pillar of #SocialRights! Access to adequate income is an indispensable prerequisite to combat Roma poverty and social exclusion, which stood at 80% before the #Covid19 pandemic.

Read the full Snapshot here: https://bit.ly/32XiKdL

#SocialPillar4Roma

ERGO Network Snapshot Of Social Dialogue And Involvement Of Workers

ERGO Network Snapshot Of Social dialogue and involvement of workers

Check out this week’s thematic Snapshot in our series on #Roma inclusion and the European Pillar of #SocialRights! The Roma are over-represented in precarious forms of employment and under-represented in trade union structures, which means that their specific concerns are often not taken up in collective bargaining.

Read the full Snapshot here: https://bit.ly/3IfqHuR

#SocialPillar4Roma

ERGO Network Snapshot Of Secure and Adaptable Employment, Wages and Work Environment

ERGO Network Snapshot Of Secure and Adaptable Employment, Wages and Work Environment

Check out this week’s thematic Snapshot in our series on #Roma inclusion and the European Pillar of #SocialRights! We don’t want poor jobs for poor people – the Roma deserve quality employment with adequate pay, decent working conditions, and access to employment rights.

Read the full Snapshot here: https://bit.ly/3dfdqUL

#SocialPillar4Roma

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Employment publications – ERGO Network

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