SUSODCO – SUpport of SOcial Dialogue for an effective future Construction (2020-2022)

Project:

SUSODCO – SUpport of SOcial Dialogue for an effective future Construction

Support for social dialogue, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Identification of the project: VS/2020/0046

Duration: 1 March 2020 – 28 February 2022 (24 months)

Budget: 616.000,07 €.

Project Coordinator: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia – CCIS

Project Website: https://susodco.com

Project Partners & Countries involved:

6 EU Countries through the involvement of 10 National Sectoral Social partners and 1 EU umbrella organization. In particular:

• Bulgaria: BCC- Bulgarian Construction Chamber, Employer’s Organization, FCIW PODKREPA– Federation Construction, Industry and Water Supply, Trade Union, ITPIO– Institute for training of personnel in international Organizations, NGO
• Croatia: SGH – Croatian Construction Union, Trade Union
• Cyprus: OSEOK– Federation of the Building Contractors Associations of Cyprus, Employer’s Organization
• Greece: PEDMEDE – Panhellenic Association of Engineers Contractors of Public Works, Employer’s Organization
• Hungary: EVOSZ– National Trade Union of Construction Contractors, Employer’s Organization EFEDOSZSZ– Trade Union of Construction, Wood and Building Materials Workers, Trade Union
• Slovenia: CCIS– Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, SDGD – Union of Construction Workers of Slovenia, Trade Union
• EU Belgium: EFBWW– European Federation of Building and Woodworkers, Trade Union

Supporting partners:

• EU Belgium: FIEC– European Construction Industry Federation, Employer’s Organization
• EU Belgium: AEIP- European Association of Paritarian Institutions, NGO

Associate partners:

• Greece: OMTSIM- Greek Federation of Workers and Employees in Cement Industry, Trade Union
• Cyprus: SEK- Cyprus Construction Workers and Miners Federation, Trade Union
• Croatia: CEA- Croatian Employers’ Association, Employer’s Organization
• Slovenia: OZS– Chamber of Craft and Small Business, Employer’s Organization

Scope and Objectives:

The SuSodCo project answers to the strong need for useful, practical and well-presented outcomes related to past and current EU and national level Social Dialogue (SD) measures and activities among the national social partners.

The project anticipates fostering the coordination, functioning and effectiveness of EU SD by joint approach such as training of social dialogue sectoral organizations (on EU level and national level) by joint training events on media, marketing and communication strategies and initiatives.

With a number of coherent activities and based on a digitization process, the SuSodCo project is placing emphasis in building and reinforcing the capacity of national sectoral social partners to better engage in national social dialogue and respectively to effectively participate in and contribute to European social dialogue.

Therefore, the SuSodCo project aims at contributing to the achievement of the following specific objectives:

• To equip national sectoral SD partners with capacity that will enable them to engage in social dialogue
• To reactivate national sectoral social partners,
• To build and improve their capacity for their successful and active SD cooperation referring to next multi-annual work program for the European social dialogue for the construction industry (2020-2023) and national SD priorities of the construction industry.
• To foster the implementation of European social dialogue outcomes, reinforce their impact and visibility, reports on national SD in participating European regions.

In cooperation with the European Sectoral Social Partner Organization FIEC (European Construction Industry Federation) and EFBWW (European federation for Building and Woodworkers) the project encourages the development of industrial relations in participating European regions. The European Association of Paritarian Institutions (AEIP) will promote and develop programs and orientations aiming at the sustainability of paritarian social protection systems at local level taking into account the national specificities aiming at ensuring social cohesion in Europe. AEIP will think ahead and anticipate modern paritarian social protection systems that take into account changing economic and societal pattern. It will furthermore seek to find a new balance between and across generations.

Project Phases

• WP1: MANAGEMENT PHASE: Project Management Activities
• WP2: PREPARATION PHASE: Tailor made Social Dialogue research methodology, including desk and field research and capacity training events that can be transferred to other sectors.
• WP3: IMPLEMETATAION PHASE: 4 specific targeted SD events, regional/local specific targeted social dialogue event for TU and EO, with common concept: seminar with workshop for capacity building (organized with the help of external experts and associate partners) and transfer knowledge and know-how from external experts and European SD organizations staff to national SD organizations (specific method used such as Mirror method for representative of SD organizations: role playing game and reflection upon role play etc.).
• WP4: EXPLOITATION:
• Creation and actual launch of 6 national sectoral joint SD initiatives, one in each (6) EU countries (based on created national sectoral SD focused national SD action plan and related media/PR strategy).
• Creation and start of a new special tailor-made free base, coherent and transparent sectoral SD platform containing and presenting data on interesting European and national industrial relations activities, project, initiatives and their outcomes, and indirectly also their further exploitation, sustainability and impact. It will foster successful future and further SD joint national or EU level actions.
• WP5: DISSEMINATION:
• Creation of communication tools and measures enabling effective and focused SD.
• Use of existent FIEC-EFBWW channels and media and channels of General cross-industry, Organizations and Cross-industry organizations representing certain categories of workers or undertakings.
• Utilizations video prepared on using the new SD web platform for SECTORAL SD future and further SD join national or EU level actions.

Expected outcomes

• 4 NATIONAL JOINT FOCUSED SD RESEARCHES METHODOLOGIES APPLIED (desk and field) and 4 FOCUSED REPORTS PREPARED
• JOINT CAPACITY BUILDING EVENTS: organization of 4 regional/local specific targeted 2 days events for capacity building on which will equip TU in EU from 6 participating countries with relevant important capacities for effective and efficient industrial relations in Eastern, Central and South-eastern Europe. The selected 4 regional/local specific targeted 2 days events for capacity building have been planned carefully, ensuring their compliance with the priorities for the European social partners of the construction and in line with New Skills Agenda for Europe.
• NEW SECTORAL PLATFORM ON SD to present key past SD initiatives and EU projects for further dissemination and exploitation of concepts and methodologies used and outcomes and impact being achieved in EU.
• NEW SD CAMPAIGN (joint sectoral national SD initiative) concepted and started in all 6 participating countries for awareness raising , visibility and recognition of sectoral SD organizations with the help of external PR/marketing expert, media posts-advertisement, new video produced and gadgets distributions
• EU level conference in Brussels on project outcomes and activities performed and impact made and expected
• 6 national briefing events (media conferences) in participating countries
• 4 newsletters in 7 languages
• EN Final report (project brochure) on project outcomes and activities performed

Impact

• Better anticipation, preparation and management of change and restructuring in the construction sector
• to achieve autonomous national sectoral SD
• Adaptation of social dialogue in construction to changes in employment and work in 6 participating countries
• Strengthened the recognition, trust and role (visibility with brand awareness) of social partners work in 6 participating countries
• Improved capacity and reinforced role of social partners in the construction industry
• Quality input to European debate and social dialogue issues in construction sector on EU level
• Better regional and national management of social dialogue in the construction industry
• The adaptation of social dialogue to changes in employment and work related challenges:
• modernization of the labor market, job creation and job matching (via peer review and creation of
• national SD new initiatives based on practices from more developed Western countries of EU);
• raising awareness of digitalization of the economy and society,
• developing digital skills and used of advanced digital tools (platform, communication cloud environment)

Target groups

1^st target group:  Sectoral social partners of the construction industry of the 6 countries involved, i.e. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Slovenia

2^nd target group: Country representatives of social dialogue committee for the construction industry

3^rd target group: Social partners’ organisations representing services, umbrella organizations such as BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP, ETUC, UEAPME. Support from AEIP, European Association of Paritarian Institutions, implies outcomes will be studied by AEIP and if needed, further SD actions will be run via different EU programmes.

This publication has been prepared in the framework of the project »SUSODCO – SUPPORT OF SOCIAL DIALOGUE FOR AN EFFECTIVE FUTURE CONSTRUCTION, no. VS/2020/0046«, co-funded by the European Union. The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.