Contribution to the Social Dialogue 4

"BEYOND ONE'S LIMITS"

Susanna Ponti, Fabi Torino - Social Dialogue Expert

The purpose of this document is to briefl y outline the most important issues agreed on by the members of the working group after debating the subject of discrimination.
While these short conclusions are in no way defi nitive, the group submits them to the European Union's experts in the hope that they may be used to make more progress on diversity in the future.

INTRODUCTION TO THE DEBATE

The starting point for this debate on social dialogue was the previous day's group activities and the results of the various discussions.
Although discussing the subject of diversity means tackling a number of very vast subjects that affect our public lives, they have clear roots in our more profound essence as human beings.
We are here to debate a diffi cult subject, and this "debate" will be one of a kind. We are going to discuss gender discrimination, the different treatment of persons who are disabled or aged, or have other cultural backgrounds.
Our purpose is to chart out a road map for the future whose contours will be, if not exactly the same, at least similar in our various countries.
In the prologue to her book "Oltre i propri confi ni" (Beyond One's Limits), author Luce Irigaray writes:

"Today, it seems to me that we are called on to cross all borders, but without losing either our own identity or harming the other's.
This task cannot be left solely to international policies and experts. It is a task that all of us face. We can do it by entering into dialogue at every moment and in every place with the persons we meet.
This is how we learn to overcome our personal world view and gradually construct a new world which takes into account the differences between each and every man and woman."

"Truth cannot be imposed on those who do not want it. Various strategies must be adopted to gradually bring it out. Dialogue is certainly the most appropriate means, above all if it occurs in such a way that no man or woman believes he or she possesses the truth, because it lies in each of the two and between the two."
 
It is in full agreement with these words that I'm working to inaugurate
"DIALOGUE AMONG THE SOCIAL PARTNERS ON DIFFERENCE".

Leaving the task of describing in detail the individual contributions of those present to the report on the debate, which will be found as an attachment, I believe it is worth once again considering, very briefly, the concepts discussed with the help of the key words that proved useful to participants to focus their thoughts.

"Truth cannot be imposed on those who do not want it. Various stra• enlightened interlocutors - capable of overcoming their limits without losing their identity;
  • "strategic thought" - capable of pursuing a global objective;
  • "knowledge of the issue" - poor knowledge of the issues being dealt with is the enemy of good social dialogue; it is therefore necessary to acquire accurate and reliable data;
  • "worker participation" - greater involvement of workers in decisionmaking processes, in evaluating risks and improving company morale is fundamental in order to reduce and prevent discrimination;
  • "strong commitment" on the part of senior management is necessary for a truly constructive debate.

Participants in the discussion all concur in stating that the now relentless company policy of "seeking to achieve objectives at the lowest possible cost", mainly short term ones, can only lead to disappointment, also in terms of business success.
In conjunction with this issue, participants stressed the importance of flexibility as a means of reconciling work and family life rather than as a generic willingness on the part of workers to agree to different working hours, which is almost exclusively to the employers' advantage, enabling them to extend working hours while getting round the
problem of paying overtime.
This management style therefore produces a discriminatory effect that works against women who are typically less willing to work longer hours or travel, insofar as they are more involved in caring for the family.
 
FLEXI-SECURITY as a key word where:

  • "Security" expresses the union's desire to have working hours laid down in black and white;
  • while "Flexi" indicates companies' relentless pursuit of flexibility, which in reality masks a demand for longer working hours for the same pay, a form of flexibility which sometimes degenerates into job insecurity.
 
Life /work balance

On the issue of gender discrimination the debate essentially focused on the following:
 
As regards women's careers the dialogue between the partners must focus on the need to modulate the life/work balance by also taking into account the life cycle of men and women, so as to remove discrimination against women linked to maternity and family care.
This would also partly combat discrimination linked to age, insofar as the period of life in which women are freer of family care responsibilities, and can return to work, often coincides with the age in which men and women are marginalised by companies because they consider them to be "old/ and no longer attractive".

The debate highlighted how the issue of gender difference goes beyond negotiations between trade-unions and management, but also touches the entire social sphere.
In all this trade unions have the duty to promote consultation and research on the issue; without a real commitment to spreading a culture of sharing work, care and social responsibilities, there can be no progress in overcoming gender discrimination.
 
MULTICULTURALISM

Multiculturalism is particularly widespread in Anglo-Saxon countries, and this is creating a new form of discrimination, insofar as staff with different geographical and linguistic origins are used by employers in these countries as translators, but without recognition of these skills either in contractual or financial terms.

Since no knowledge exists of possible professional opportunities, there is a twofold problem: in addition to the issue of recognising work that is performed but "not declared", there is the problem of developing career paths for these workers.
 
MANAGING AND INCLUDING DISABILITY

In a lively debate the group highlighted how legislative and cultural developments regarding the protection of the disabled have produced similar situations in the participant European countries.
Employers' commitment to removing architectural barriers and providing the disabled with the right technological tools to enable them toperform their duties is almost universal.

However, in nearly all participating countries, little is being done to tackle the problem of actually including disabled workers in the labour market, and psychological support programmes to help disabled workers cope with daily difficulties are rare.
 
"Excluding protected workers from performing their duties seems to be the most common way in which employers solve the problem of actually employing people with disabilities".
Banca Popolare di Milano's experience offered the group the opportunity to analyse "good practices in managing disabled employees".
The debate revealed how, in the case presented, it is possible to find a method to deal with discrimination, whatever its nature.
The debate also led to a proposal of a method to tackle discrimination:

  • Identify the client: the person, the organisation unit or top manager in the company that believes in the anti-discrimination project;
  • Collect and analyse data to gain awareness and knowledge of discrimination in all its forms;
  • Identify the group dynamics: these may over-protect the diverse individual (maternal pattern) or conceal diversity by applying regulations too strictly (paternal pattern).
Assimilation is not the same as integration. Concealing diversity almost always leads, in the case considered, to the individual being marginalised whether the nature of the diversity is physical, mental, cultural or other.
The focus of attention must always be the individual.
Once the method and steps to be followed are identified, the activities must be as concrete as possible, always taking into account who is involved, be they activity participants or interlocutors that will help make the initiatives successful.

The discussion pointed out the importance of promoting and supporting the institution and training of diversity experts within the ranks of employers and trade unions, so as to acquire a specialist knowledge of the issue:
 
i.e. create DIVERSITY EXPERTS

As to the fundamental question of how to encourage employers to engage in these issues, the group deemed very useful the idea provided by the UK delegation of developing indices to rank companies on the basis of their sensitivity towards these problems.
A high index would generate positive effects on the banking institutions, in terms of marketing and attractiveness for employees.
 
DIGNITY AND RESPECT FOR ALL WORKERS

During the discussion on diversity, the group pointed out how often jobs performed by disabled, women or ethnic minority workers are considered less skilled jobs and, above all, less interesting in terms of career progression.

In addition, the debate revealed how, in the banking sector, the introduction of new technologies means that institutions want better skilled, forceful and multi-faceted employees, and tend to exclude from the production cycle workers who are less specialised, less willing to work long hours or simply less young, or disabled.

This is partly due to the ever increasing tendency to outsource less-skilled work to firms not belonging to the banking sector.
The following paradox must therefore be tackled: the squeeze on categories of workers who are more at risk, on the one hand, and the introduction of "diversity managers" on the other.
 
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSABILITY
 
The debate also produced the proposal of tackling these issues within the sphere of Corporate Social Responsibility.
In order to arrive at genuine, feasible solutions, this conflict of interest must also be dealt with in the wider context of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Corporate Social Responsibility cannot be "imposed from on high" but must be shared; trade unions must therefore take up the task of using all available channels, including legal ones, to achieve this result.

From a strict union representation perspective:
 
The group also pointed out that, even within their ranks, trade unions must train highly specialised professionals to tackle the problems connected with discrimination concretely.

All this can be achieved through the promotion of UNION EQUALITY REPS, who are specialised in the knowledge of the vast legislation and methods to deal with and manage these problems, thereby abandoning the concept of "jack-of-all-trades unionists", who possess no in-depth knowledge of the issues.
 
OUTLOOK
 
In the light of the debate we can therefore propose the guidelines
on tackling discrimination-related issues

  • It is the task of trade unions to work to create a true culture of difference also through discussion and debate, both within and outside union ranks;
  • It is also the task of unions to promote the idea that the WELFARE OF THE WORKERS = the WELFARE OF THE BUSINESS, in the awareness that the all-pervasive culture of cost-cutting will in the long run harm not only the worker but also the health of the company
  • we urge union organisations to work to identify, within their ranks, specialist fi gures to tackle diversity (UNION EQUALITY REPS);
  • Likewise we believe it important to consult with management, so as to set up a new managerial fi gure with duties and powers to deal with discrimination-related issues, and who will report to the top management; we believe this to be essential to achieve greater inclusion of disabled individuals, from the time of entry to when their career paths are decided (DIVERSITY EXPERT);
  • We propose further discussion between unions and management in relation to Corporate Social Responsibility to identify new practices and action programmes under CSR on subjects such as fl exibility and respect for difference (be it related to gender, culture, age etc.).