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SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIAL PARTICIPANTS
social protection systems, pensions policies, negotiated legislation, in spite of the absence debate could be whether it is a matter of
the dilemma about maintaining public of the UGT (General Workers Union). providing incentives for length of service and
systems or replacing these with private seniority in the company and providing
systems based on different formula have been The contribution of social participants to financial rewards for this.
welcomed and form a fundamental part of the the debate on population ageing and social
claims, approaches and actions of social protection systems has doubtless made most COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
participants in our country. progress in the area of collective bargaining.
The social and economic participants in the More recently, the signing of the 2002
As regards institutional participation, the sectorial and business levels are the people Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
main trades union and business organisations responsible for welcoming the most recent between the CEOE-CEPYME, UGT and the
in our country, represented on the Social and legislative amendments (promoting CCOO at the SEC headquarters on the 20th of
Economic Council (SEC), have made employment, new contracts of insertion and December 2001, implies a certain amount of
declarations about these issues on numerous relief work pursuant to the 12/2001 Act of the progress and shows a greater degree of
occasions. Acting on a proposal from the 9th of July), and the people involved in consensus and responsibility from the social
Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, the establishing the negotiation criterion or participants. The Agreement shows the
SEC drew up the 2/2000 Report concerning models as regards the complementary social commitment of the social agents to the fight
working and early retirement life in response and pensions provision. against discrimination and recalls the need to
to both the growing debate in Spanish society translate concrete criterion about employment
about the so-called early retirement practices Now, with regard to the latter, there have and hiring, salaries, health and safety at work
(current frequency and those which are traditionally been slight disagreements and the negotiation process into the collective
foreseeable in the future), and their effects on between the social parties involved. Indeed, agreements. These issues are directly or
the public pensions system and the Spanish as is set out in the documents drafted by the indirectly affected by or related to the
society and economy. main organisations, the trades unions employment of the elderly. The CBA-2002
considered that it was necessary to call upon expressly includes the commitment by the
The SEC has clearly positioned itself in the businesses to initiate the process of social participants to study the effect of the
favour of the current public protection system, externalising pension plans, once the deadline reforms with regard to the complementary
while stating that necessary reforms should has been extended to November 2002. The social provision
be introduced into it and that the development businesses for their part, recommended that
of complementary private systems should be the negotiators exercise caution with regard to Once again there is a call to the social
made possible . pension plans because, in their opinion, there agents and for social dialogue, whether it be
were still multiple questions to be answered bipartite or tripartite, institutionalised or
As one result of this social dialogue, it is and a lack of co-ordination and suitability within its different modes. This principally
relevant to highlight the tripartite Agreement between the pension plan norms and concerns the collective bargaining process —
signed by the government and the bodies collective bargaining norms in aspects of as a regulatory source of employment law and
known as the CCOO (the Workers Collective), unquestionable importance such as business industrial relations— with respect to the need
CEOE (Spanish Business Confederation) and liability, collective legitimisation or the setting to reinforce the search for solutions to specific
the CEPYME (Spanish Small and Medium- out of reduction clauses for business problems and improve the present and future
sized Business Confederation) on the 9th of contributions. The CEOE documents drew the circumstances of the group of elderly people.
April 2001. This dealt with improving and attention of the negotiators to the convenience This is a matter of coming to terms with
developing the Social Security system and of expressing, without any shadow of a doubt, growing population ageing within the
anticipated the introduction of a flexible the nature of the commitment to be taken on framework of the social inclusion of the
retirement system that should be extended by them. That is to say, they commented on elderly, on the basis of equality in the fields of
beyond 65 years of age. whether the aim is to improve the Social employment and social protection. The joint
Security services in terms of capital or income social responsibility of businesses,
This would make it possible for the pension (which constitutes a pensions commitment) institutions, organisations and government
amount to be increased if the worker stays in or, on the other hand, whether what is sought should be brought to bear, without overlooking
his job after the normal retirement age. Most is to provide incentives to voluntarily leaving the fact that —as international bodies
of these modifications have taken shape in work, before the age of 65 or not, with the loss reiterate— “ageing is an achievement of
the Royal Decree-Act 16/2001 of the 27th of in salary being recompensed in a lump sum. humanity.”
December, concerning measures for Finally another possible objective under
establishing a gradual and flexible retirement
system; a clear example of consensual or
Sesenta y más 29
social protection systems, pensions policies, negotiated legislation, in spite of the absence debate could be whether it is a matter of
the dilemma about maintaining public of the UGT (General Workers Union). providing incentives for length of service and
systems or replacing these with private seniority in the company and providing
systems based on different formula have been The contribution of social participants to financial rewards for this.
welcomed and form a fundamental part of the the debate on population ageing and social
claims, approaches and actions of social protection systems has doubtless made most COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
participants in our country. progress in the area of collective bargaining.
The social and economic participants in the More recently, the signing of the 2002
As regards institutional participation, the sectorial and business levels are the people Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
main trades union and business organisations responsible for welcoming the most recent between the CEOE-CEPYME, UGT and the
in our country, represented on the Social and legislative amendments (promoting CCOO at the SEC headquarters on the 20th of
Economic Council (SEC), have made employment, new contracts of insertion and December 2001, implies a certain amount of
declarations about these issues on numerous relief work pursuant to the 12/2001 Act of the progress and shows a greater degree of
occasions. Acting on a proposal from the 9th of July), and the people involved in consensus and responsibility from the social
Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, the establishing the negotiation criterion or participants. The Agreement shows the
SEC drew up the 2/2000 Report concerning models as regards the complementary social commitment of the social agents to the fight
working and early retirement life in response and pensions provision. against discrimination and recalls the need to
to both the growing debate in Spanish society translate concrete criterion about employment
about the so-called early retirement practices Now, with regard to the latter, there have and hiring, salaries, health and safety at work
(current frequency and those which are traditionally been slight disagreements and the negotiation process into the collective
foreseeable in the future), and their effects on between the social parties involved. Indeed, agreements. These issues are directly or
the public pensions system and the Spanish as is set out in the documents drafted by the indirectly affected by or related to the
society and economy. main organisations, the trades unions employment of the elderly. The CBA-2002
considered that it was necessary to call upon expressly includes the commitment by the
The SEC has clearly positioned itself in the businesses to initiate the process of social participants to study the effect of the
favour of the current public protection system, externalising pension plans, once the deadline reforms with regard to the complementary
while stating that necessary reforms should has been extended to November 2002. The social provision
be introduced into it and that the development businesses for their part, recommended that
of complementary private systems should be the negotiators exercise caution with regard to Once again there is a call to the social
made possible . pension plans because, in their opinion, there agents and for social dialogue, whether it be
were still multiple questions to be answered bipartite or tripartite, institutionalised or
As one result of this social dialogue, it is and a lack of co-ordination and suitability within its different modes. This principally
relevant to highlight the tripartite Agreement between the pension plan norms and concerns the collective bargaining process —
signed by the government and the bodies collective bargaining norms in aspects of as a regulatory source of employment law and
known as the CCOO (the Workers Collective), unquestionable importance such as business industrial relations— with respect to the need
CEOE (Spanish Business Confederation) and liability, collective legitimisation or the setting to reinforce the search for solutions to specific
the CEPYME (Spanish Small and Medium- out of reduction clauses for business problems and improve the present and future
sized Business Confederation) on the 9th of contributions. The CEOE documents drew the circumstances of the group of elderly people.
April 2001. This dealt with improving and attention of the negotiators to the convenience This is a matter of coming to terms with
developing the Social Security system and of expressing, without any shadow of a doubt, growing population ageing within the
anticipated the introduction of a flexible the nature of the commitment to be taken on framework of the social inclusion of the
retirement system that should be extended by them. That is to say, they commented on elderly, on the basis of equality in the fields of
beyond 65 years of age. whether the aim is to improve the Social employment and social protection. The joint
Security services in terms of capital or income social responsibility of businesses,
This would make it possible for the pension (which constitutes a pensions commitment) institutions, organisations and government
amount to be increased if the worker stays in or, on the other hand, whether what is sought should be brought to bear, without overlooking
his job after the normal retirement age. Most is to provide incentives to voluntarily leaving the fact that —as international bodies
of these modifications have taken shape in work, before the age of 65 or not, with the loss reiterate— “ageing is an achievement of
the Royal Decree-Act 16/2001 of the 27th of in salary being recompensed in a lump sum. humanity.”
December, concerning measures for Finally another possible objective under
establishing a gradual and flexible retirement
system; a clear example of consensual or
Sesenta y más 29
