/ 1 RE BA LAN CE Trade unions’ strategies and good practices to promote work-life balance 2 / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Studies like this one – by their very nature – have many authors and many more contributors. The final text is but a shadow reflection of the commitment and work that each person has put into it. The list of the women and men who have made this report a success is long and our heartfelt thanks goes to all of them: Montserrat Mir and Cinzia Sechi, who conceived of the REBALANCE project and made it happen, the project Steering Committee Members; those who co-ordinated the country-level research, namely: Lotta Savinko (Finland), Raphaelle Maniere (France), Christina Stockfisch (Germany), Rosanna Ruscito (Italy), Inga Puisa (Lithuania), Jessica van Ruitenburg (The Netherlands), Lina Lopes (Portugal), Andreja Poje (Slovenia), Beatriz Quintanilla (Spain), Joa Bergold and Åsa Forsell (Sweden). A very, very particular thanks also goes to those trade union negotiators and experts who generously gave their time to share their insights with us and explain and explain again the details of the negotiation process to improve the work-life balance provisions for the workers in their companies and sectors. A special thank you goes to Mercedes Miletti and Inès Derousselle, whose work behind the scenes was instrumental to organise it all. Dr Barbara Helfferich Dr Paula Franklin With the financial support of the European Commission / 3 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 1. INTRODUCTION 8 2. METHODOLOGY 12 2.1 Literature review and analysis of existing data 12 3. WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 13 3.1 Sectors promoting work-life balance 15 3.2 European cross-industry social dialogue 17 3.3 Other European civil society actors 17 3.4 European legislative framework and instruments to promote work-life balance 18 4. KEY POLICY ISSUES ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE 21 4.1 Life-cycle approach to work-life balance 21 4.2 Paternity leave 23 4.3 Parental leave 23 4.4 Flexible work arrangements 24 4.5 Childcare 24 4.6 Long-term care 25 4.7 Economic dis-incentives for parents and carers to work 25 5. COUNTRY CASE STUDIES AND GOOD PRACTICES 26 5.1 Finland 27 5.2 France 31 5.3 Germany 36 5.4 Italy 40 5.5 Lithuania 47 5.6 The Netherlands 51 5.7 Portugal 54 5.8 Slovenia 58 5.9 Spain 64 5.10 Sweden 68 6. CONCLUSIONS 71 7. RECOMMENDATIONS 76 Bibliography 79 4 / EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The study set out to map best practices on work-life balance (WLB) agreements negotiated by social partners in 10 Member States: Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The focus of the research was specifically on measures of work-life balance that enable parents and other people with caring responsibilities to reconcile work, family and private life, through the introduction of family and parental leave schemes, care arrangements, and the development of a working environment which facilitates the combination of work, family and private life for women and men. The work-life balance measures that were introduced through collective agreements included: parental leave; paternity leave; flexible working arrangements (the length of working time, and autonomy to arrange the hours and place of work); childcare (employer provided child care facilities); long-term care (leave to care for a sick relative); and economic incentives for parents and carers to work (allowances). The study highlights the specific initiatives on WLB at sectoral and company levels that address these issues in order to compensate for the lack of or insufficient legal provisions. The study was conducted at a time when work-life balance issues had gained renewed momentum if only for the fact the European Union has set its objectives to increase the number of women in the labour market. In this context, the European Commission had come forward with a work-life balance package including legislative and non-legislative measures. While a European legislative framework and national legislation provide basic rights for parents to reconcile professional and private life, collective agreements have and will be important in providing much-needed additional rights tailored to specific constituencies. Moreover, collective agreements are important in ensuring the proper implementation of existing rights. By highlighting good practices in 10 Member States, this study allows for an exchange of best practices across countries, sectors and companies. Executive Summary / 5 METHODOLOGY The aim of the study is to set the overarching context of work-life balance measures within the different economic sectors that are covered by the study, as well as the EU and the Member States policy frameworks on work-life balance and gender equality. The countries included in the study were chosen according to geographical criteria (north, east, south, west), and diversity of size. In addition, the findings of an initial assessment suggested that a good number of trade unions had been active in developing strategies and actions, including guidelines and collective agreements, to address work-life balance issues. The ten participating Member States represent a mix of differing strength of legislation, collective bargaining structures and practice, and structure of the industrial sector/ labour market reform. In order to address the diversity of good practices, the initial mapping included the following 13 sectors, including some important sub-sectors: 1) Food, agriculture and tourism; 2) Health and Social Services; 3) Local and Regional Government; 4) National Administration; 5) Utilities; 6) Transports (Civil aviation, Logistics, Maritime Transport, Railways, Road transport; Urban Public Transport); 7) Commerce ICTS; 8) Finance; 9) Cleaning & Security; 10) Metal, textile and chemical; 11) Education; 12) Journalism and media; 13) Sports. Interviews were held with trade unions and trade negotiators with the aim of collecting as much detail as possible about the circumstances that led to the initial negotiations, the negotiations themselves and the follow-up once a collective agreement was concluded. These details can be found in part 5 of this study. WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Part 3 of the study highlights existing initiatives and legislation regarding work-life balance. It touches on the most recent agreement over a directive on work-life balance, which the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has been calling for since employers had not been willing to negotiate another framework agreement with a view of improving the situation of workers who care for children or family members. The EU has recognized the importance of reconciliation between work and family life and has enacted legislation and developed policy in this area. One of the EU’s main policy goals is to stimulate employment (especially among women and older workers) and growth. The costs associated with the employment gap between women and men are enormous estimated to be around €370 billion across the EU, or 2.8% of GDP, including loss of tax revenues and payment of benefits1. The study recounts the efforts of the European Parliament (EP), in particular in terms of making visible the lack of accessible, available and affordable quality care services, as well as the lack of paid leave arrangements for fathers, or the insufficient incentives for fathers to use them as compared to mothers as some of the main challenges. While this section refers to the new directive on work-life balance, it focuses primarily on what social partners can do to improve the work-life balance of parents and carers in general. In this context, it is important to note that since 1985, the European social dialogue has been an important part of the European agenda with its insertion into the EC Treaty by the Single European Act of 1986 and the new article 118B EC. In 2009, the European social partners agreed on a revision of the 1996 parental leave agreement. Furthermore, the 2015-2017 work programme agreed between the European Social Partners included actions on parental leave, and the launch in 2014 of a web-based gender equality toolkit and a joint letter on childcare2. The ETUC has welcomed the new legislative framework. Together with the support of a strong social dialogue at European, national, sectoral and company level, it may hold the key to real improvements of the work life balance of many Europeans. 1 Eurofound, 2016. The gender employment gap: Challenges and solutions, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. https:// www.eurofound.europa.eu/the-gender-employment-gap-challenges-and-solutions 2 European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), The 2015-2017 Work Programme of the European Social Partners. https://www.etuc.org/en/publication/2015-2017-work-programme-european-social-partners 6 / KEY POLICY ISSUES ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE Part 4 of the study outlines the key policy determinants of work-life balance in the EU and spells out the benefits of comprehensive work-life balance measures. Reconciliation of work and care is an issue that concerns workers in every sector, and extends over the whole course of working life, involving the care of children and of people with health problems or disability. Achieving work-life balance requires the synchronising of work-life with the individual lifecycle and balancing the demands of private and working lives - and this cannot be an individual’s task to accomplish. Across Europe, women still take on the main caring responsibilities over the life course and more frequently work part time than men. Investing in the work-life balance of working families contributes to increasing the inclusiveness of the labour market and to raising individuals’ quality of life. Work-life balance is a combination of measures that addresses women’s situation in the labour market, while simultaneously encouraging the strengthening of men’s roles as carers in the family, thereby promoting non-discrimination and fostering gender equality.