STRUCTURE OF THE 2005 FINAL REPORT

Budget Heading 04.03.03.02

A-1- GENERAL INFORMATION

Agreement reference number: VS/2005/0215
Contract nr (SI2 No): SI2.409974
Date of report: 5^TH May 5, 2006
Applicant: CYPRUS HOTEL EMPLOYEES FEDERATION (OEXEV-SEK)
Head of Project: NICOLAOS EPISTITHIOU

Project title: INFORMATION OF WORKERS ORGANISATIONS IN DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA. 1^ST EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF SOUTHERN EUROPE TOURISM TRADE UNIONS

Project type:
Partners: EFFAT - CYPRUS WORKERS CONFEDERATION (SEK)

 Location and timetable of action:

 A-2- Company/ies - Sector/s - Other/s concerned 

 ¨    company/ies

* please write country name in italics if branch is in a CEE applicant country

¨    sector/s TOURISM

(if action is sectoral or covers several sectors)

¨    other:

(eg.: interprofessional conference)

B- INFORMATION ABOUT PARTICIPANTS  (Please enclose list of participants)

Please indicate the number of participants according to the country of origin (See Annex 2)

(1) Planned number of people

(2) Effective number of people

(please attach list of participants)

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACTION (C and D)

C-  Attainment of fixed objectives:

(Short reminder of the objectives of the action and of the achievements)

Objective of the project was to organize a conference of trade unions of the Mediterranean Countries. In this conference, results of a study report had to be discussed, with specific focus on differences in legislation, collective bargaining and practices concerning working and social conditions.

Objective of the project was to take stock of the industrial relation situation in Mediterranean area with the aim to enhance cooperation among social and economic actors in order to make seasonal work ad workers' mobility closer to both employees and company needs and expectations.

Seasonality and mobility are the shared problems of all Mediterranean countries. That is why the research had to be focused, drawing a general picture of the situation in each country, with specific regard to these two aspects.

The increasing presence of multinational companies in the sector it was also matter for a deeper analysis. The project wanted to have a qualitative analysis of the relevance of MNCs in the Mediterranean area and the status quo of information and consultation rights of employees in its transnational dimension.

It means that the objective of the project was to obtain two main products:

a) the 1st 1ST EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF SOUTHERN EUROPE TOURISM TRADE UNIONS. INFORMATION OF WORKERS ORGANISATION IN DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA.

b) a study report composed of three parts

-          part 1: Country reports on most recent developments in legislaion concerning tourism and collective bargaining

-          part 2: national measures to deal with migration and seasonality

-          part 3: transnational companies and EWCs in the tourism sector

Objective of the project was also to produce political documents able to show the way for a more effective trade union strategies for both EFFAT and UITA in the Mediterranean area.

Products had to be an exchange of views and carrying out common strategies in a European conference; a study report to increase the awareness of trade unions of the status and future of tourism in the Mediterranean thanks to; political documents to get the European and global action of regional trade unions closer to the needs of the Mediterranean trade unions.

D-1- Action carried out:

(Short description)

• at the preparation stage

The steering committee met in Valencia on July the 9^th in order to prepare the main event. The group was composed by the project director (Nicolaos Epistithiou , 5 EFFAT experts and an external expert (see enclosed signatures' list- Annex 2).

The steering committee drafted and approved the final agenda of the main event. They pointed out speakers to be invited and laid down the guidelines for the research on country reports and multinational companies operating in the tourism sector.

The research was pointed out on Laila Castaldo who had to terminate the first draft in two months.

The committee also agreed on practical aspects of the organization of the main event.

The expert edited the first draft at the end of August and was validated by the steering committee via electronic mail.

The research (see annex 1 chapters from one to three) was distributed via email two weeks before the main event.

• at the stage of implementation

The main event was a conference held in Cyprus (Nicosia) on 29-30 September and 1 October 2005. 41 people attended the Conference (please see participants' list enclosed, annex 2).

The agenda is enclosed (see annex 3).

The first part of the conference was dedicated to the seasonality in the tourism sector in the Mediterranean area. National situations were reported by trade union experts from each country (See Annex 1).

During the official ceremony, officials from the Cyprus government took stock of the situation and future perspective of tourism in Cyprus and in the Mediterranean are at large.

The second part of the conference focused on workers mobility. National situations were reported by trade union experts from each country (See Annex 1).

Third part of the conference focused on multinationals companies operating in the Tourism sector in the Mediterranean area. An expert introduced an overview on the main transnational companies and their EWCs (see Annex 1, chapter 3).

This work introduced the round table on Role of the Social Dialogue in promoting a responsible and sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean countries. Presentation from WTO is enclosed (see document- E enclosed to  Annex 1). The environmental issues were illustrated by the Director of Environment Department, Ministry of Agriculture Natural Resources and Environment (see powerpoint presentation- Document F enclosed to Annex 1).

At the end of the debate the conference approved a document to be delivered to the European Forum of Tourism to be held in Malta in the following two weeks (see declaration at the beginning of annex 1). An important presentation was also delivered by the Director of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation on tourism and environment in Cyprus (see document G in Annex 1).

Future challenges and programmes were discussed during the last working session of the conference. In a round table on the key challenges of the Tourism sector. The panel pointed out one major challenge in dealing with workers mobility. Main issues were illustrated by the EU Commisison and CEDEFOP experts (see document 2 enclosed to annex 1).

The representative of the Ministry of Labour of Cyprus introduced the professional booklet and its application in Cyprus as best practice of implementation of Europass (see document D in Annex1).

At the end of the round table participants recommended the steering committee to give a follow-up to the conference focusing just on the priorities raised during the last round table.

At the end of the conference Mr Nicolaos Epistithiou draw the conclusions of the conference (see introduction to the annex1). In particular the director of the project announced the intention to organise a second conference of Southern Europe tourism trade unions and it will focus on mobility of workers and qualification passport.

The conference decided to set up a new steering committee for the preparation of the next conference which will be held in Italy (after appropriate decision of the conference) before the end of year 2006.

The whole Project was evaluated by the participants at the end of Conference. The evaluation process included a questionnaire answered by all the participants and the answers are included in Annex 1, document I.

• at the follow-up stage

The external expert was in charge to update the report in accordance with the contents of the conference. The report was enriched with the presentations and documents provided by experts and representatives of European institutions who attended the conference.

The steering committee met in Rome on 7 April 2006 to validate the final report and to decide how it had to be circulated (a list of signatures can be found in Annex 2).

The group decided to carry out a short version of the report.

The group also decided to follow the project introducing a new application under this budget line.

In order to prepare the short version of the final report and to prepare the new project the group decided to meet again in Cyprus on 5 and 6 May 2006 (a list of signatures can be found in Annex 2).

D-2- Outcomes (products) produced and/or made available:

(Brief description of format, contents and possibilities for usage)

The project produced the following outcomes: a European Seminar in which leaders of trade unions in the Mediterranean area came together to share experiences and plan common strategies on Tourism policy.

A report on the status of tourism in the Mediterranean area was produced (Annex1). The main report gathers all the documents and reports produced during the project. The report is divided in three parts. The first part includes general overview on the legislative regulations and contract provisions in force in the investigated countries. The second part is dedicated to the analysis of the seasonality and mobility in the tourism sector with specific reference to the Mediterranean area. The third part deals with multinational enterprises and the exercise of information and consultation rights of the employees.

The report is completed by documents produced by experts who attended the main event on specific subjects.

Considering the heavy content of the materials produced during the project, a short version in which key contents have been selected. The short report has been translated in 5 languages (10 copies in each language are enclosed).

Both reports have been circulated among the EFFAT members.

Two political documents have been produced as well.

A declaration (first page of annex1) has been delivered from the conference to the European Tourism Forum of 2005.

A second document was edited by the project director at the end of the main event, approved with amendments during the conference and then validated by the steering committee during the first follow up meeting in Rome.

This document (second page of annex 1) is addressed to the political bodies of EFFAT and IUF and WTO in order to point out specific issues related to tourism sustainable development in the Mediterranean area.

D-3- Follow-up and prospects:

The project was largely appreciated by the participants and by the EFFAT, that discussed on the matter during its executive committee, and IUF representatives that asked to follow up with a second project in which we have to develop an European certification of skills and professional experiences to strength mobility and a primary approach of observatory of the sector within Europe.

A new conference will be organized by Italian Trade unions by the end of 2006.

F-1- Subsidy

            How was the subsidy from the European Union utilised (under-budget, over-budget, in line with the total subsidy allocated) ? In line with the total subsidy allocated

(Explain reasons if necessary)

G-1- How was the European Union's support made visible to participants in the action?

The EU Commission was mentioned on the first page of each document.

A European Commission representative was invited and attended the main event.

Date and signature

27/06/2006

Nicolaos Epistithiou
Head of Project