LEED Programme (Local Economic and Employment Development)

Seminar: More and better jobs - Employment Pacts’ experience & business strategies (Barcelona, Spain)

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A seminar

25 March 2011, Museu Picasso, Barcelona Spain

Organised by the OECD LEED Programme in cooperation with the City Council of Barcelona, through its Local Development Agency, Barcelona Activa

What / How and Who / Contact

What

This seminar was organised by the OECD LEED Programme in cooperation with the City Council of Barcelona, through its Local Development Agency, Barcelona Activa, to analyse best practices for quality employment in different environments among OECD countries. Particular interest was paid to action plans involving background reforms that combine mitigation measures with preventive approaches in order to move towards a new model that has the approval of both governments and socio-economic players.

Barcelona, as a major economic driver in Southern Europe, Catalonia and Spain, particularly among socio-economic players, is a recognised model for administrations in developing their policies to tackle the economic crisis: policies that have often been promoted from a metropolitan approach, but which have a clear global significance.

One example is Barcelona’s “path of dialogue”, a best practice model that oversaw the signature of the first Local Employment Pact in Barcelona in 2001 and, this year, the 2008-2011 Agreement involving local government, regional government, employers associations and trade unions, with the additional support of different political groups. Cities such as Vienna, Berlin, Stuttgart or Dublin, with similar experiences were also analysed during the seminar.

How and Who

Opening

Esther Sanchez, Secretary for Labour and Industrial Relations.Ministry of Enterprise and Labour. Government of Catalonia

Aart de Geus, OECD Deputy Secretary-General (.pdf)

Mateu Hernández, CEO of Economic Promotion Sector, City Council of Barcelona

Panel Discussion 1

The role of social partners in Employment Pacts. The case of Barcelona
Partnerships, many of which were first created to deal with the social and unemployment consequences of previous economic downturns, have accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge and know-how in bringing different stakeholders together, ensuring coordination and policy adaptation to local needs. Employment Pacts constitute a special partnership agreement for employment where social partners play a significant role. This session will discuss the Barcelona Employment Pact and how social partners shaped the formation of the Pact, its contribution to local development and the role it plays in the recovery.

Moderator: Sergio Arzeni, Head of the OECD Leed Programme

Panellists:

Joan Carles Gallego, CCOO Secretary General

Diego Martínez, UGT Vice-Secretary General Salvador Guillermo, Director of Economic Studies, Foment del Treball Nacional

Salvador Guillermo, Director of Economic Studies, Foment del Treball Nacional

Antoni Cañete, General Secretariat of PIMEC (Confederation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of Catalonia)

Panel Discussion 2

The role of Employment Pacts in Economic Development. International Experiences
Even if the recovery is in sight, it may take a long time for many localities to get back to pre-recession levels of employment and business activity and to heal the social exclusion scars of the recession. In the context of “low public spending recovery”, what are the conditions that need to be put in place for Employment Pacts and other forms of partnerships to be able to play a stronger role in supporting growth, job creation and inclusion at local level? This session will review and draw lessons from experiences in Ireland, Austria, Germany and Spain.

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