Employment – ERGO Network

Annual Policy Conference 2024 – Employment

IMPLEMENTING THE EU ROMA STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK. ROMA ACCESS TO DECENT AND SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT

This past 25 November, ERGO Network organised its annual Policy Conference in Brussels. The conference was dedicated to exploring how to improve Roma access to quality, sustainable, and inclusive employment and taking stock of the implementation of the EU and National Roma Frameworks, with a particular focus on combatting antigypsyism.

The Opening session featured welcome words by Annabel Carballo Mesa of the ERGO Network Board, remarks by Erika Koller from the European Economic and Social Commitee (Workers’ Group and the Permanent Group on the Inclusion of Roma), as well as a video message from Hon. Mélissa Camara MEP (France, Greens/EFA).

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 training. Pushed at the margins of the labour market and underrepresented in trade unions, many Roma earn their livelihood from atypical, seasonal, or informal work. Job creation efforts are not enough, and the potential of social entrepreneurship is insufficiently supported. Increasing effective equal access to quality and sustainable employment is an objective of the EU Roma Strategic Framework, while it is also extensively covered by the European Pillar of Social Rights, and decent work is Goal 8 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event launched ERGO Network’s research report on “Roma access to decent and sustainable employment”, based on six national case studies carried out in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain. ERGO Network members in Ireland provided additional benchmarking evidence. The main findings and recommendations aim to kick-start a dialogue with key decision-makers and stakeholders to identify positive solutions to support better labour market inclusion for Roma and to inform the delivery of the EU Roma Strategic Framework and the Social Pillar, as well as of other relevant policy initiatives.

The Key Messages of the report are:

The majority of Roma are not in paid work, at least not in the formal economy, and they are not adequately supported to enter the labour market.
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.
Antigypsyism is pervasive in recruitment as well as in the workplace.
Pushed to the margins of the labour market, the Roma make ends meet through the informal economy, pursuing traditional crafts, or seeking work abroad.
Job creation efforts that would benefit Roma are scarce, and while the social economy holds great potential for Roma employment, it is currently underutilised.
Participation of Roma communities and their civil society organisations is paramount to co-create sustainable ways forward.

With the adoption of the EU Roma Strategic Framework up to 2030, governments were asked to develop National Roma Strategic Frameworks both in EU Member States and Western Balkan countries. In addition, civil society in EU Member States received funding from the European Commission to monitor the elaboration and adoption of these national strategic frameworks. To ensure an effective implementation, robust and continued monitoring of the entire policy process should be ensured.

The second part of the event assessed the state of play of the National Roma Frameworks in both the EU and Enlargement countries and their alignment with the EU Roma Strategic Framework on Equality, Inclusion, and Participation. It linked Council Recommendation in the context of a new European Parliament and European Commission. The session included a keen focus on the fight against antigypsyism, launching a new ERGO Network survey report on the topic. It also looked at digital inclusion and the role of cities in this respect.

Closing remarks were provided by Irena Moozová, Deputy Director General in the European Commission, DG Justice and Consumers, and the event was closed by Gabriela Hrabaňová, ERGO Network Director. The conference was very well attended with over 75 on-site and online participants, and it brought together ERGO Network national members from the grassroots level in many European countries, as well as other national practitioners, European civil society organisations, policy-makers from the EU and national levels, and other stakeholders.

If you attended this event or watched the recording, please let us know what you thought about it by filling out this brief Evaluation Form (project reference: 101140452; event title: ERGO Network Annual Policy Conference).

See more:

Agenda of the event
Report on Roma access to decent and sustainable employment
Survey report on Fighting antigypsyism through National Roma Strategic Frameworks
Full recording of the conference
Photo album
Conference Report (coming soon)

For more information about this event, please don’t hesitate to contact us: info@ergonetwork.org

This conference is kindly supported by the European Union Programme for Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV)  and by the German Federal Foreign Office.

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.