European Project “Under Construction” Twinning seminar FMB / FOI 7th April 2008 Federation of Master Builders Gordon Fisher House 14/15 Great James Street, London Co-financed by DG Employment and Social Affairs - European Commission

CONTENTS CONTENTS 1. The European Builders Confederation EBC 2. The seminar 3. The Maltese side 4. The UK side 5. Seminar evaluation

WHO WE ARE The E.B.C. (European Builders Confederation) The Voice of Construction Craft and SMEs in Europe EBC was established in 1990 Now: 16 members in 11 EU countries In total EBC represents Craftsmen and SMEs from the construction sector employing workers members of the Board of Directors 100 delegates to the General Assembly 3 permanent members of staff in Brussels’ based Secretariat

WHAT WE DO 1.EU legislation Monitoring Lobbying 2. EU standardisation Influencing Technical Committees of the CEN Cooperating with NORMAPME 3. EU projects funded by the Commission Implementation of European Policies Exchange of best practices

HOW WE WORK 1.EBC’s internal structure 2.EBC’s external cooperation: Other EU associations: UEAPME / NORMAPME Social Partners: FIEC / EFBWW EBC has obtained two observer seats 3.EBC’s communication: Internal circulars The EBC Publications: - A newsletter (every 2 months) in 4 languages (Fr, En, Es, It) - An annual report in 2 or 3 languages (Fr, En, + 1) - Press releases (Fr, En) - Position papers (Fr, En)

THE SEMINAR / 1 25th January 2008 – Malta 12 participants Ray MUSCAT, Director General - Presentation of FOI’s structure and work Angelo XUEREB, President FOBC - Presentation on Federation of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors Tonio FARRUGIA - Presentation on Malta Social Dialogue David CROFT, EBC President - Presentation on FMB’s structure Brian BERRY, Director of External Affairs - Presentation on FMB’s participation to the sectoral social dialogue

Malta Federation Of Industry FOI Founded in affiliated member firms -some 25,000 employees 14% of members are from the Construction sector Federation of Building & Civil Engineering Contractors FOBC Set up in member firms (major building contractors) FOBC affiliated to FOI since 2004 Anglo-Saxon model of industrial relations Several similarities: Wage negotiation Voluntary bipartite agreements Consultative role with the Government THE SEMINAR / 2

THE MALTESE SIDE / 1 Industrial relations system is based on the British model:  Voluntary bi-partite collective bargaining at enterprise level  Polarised adversarial relationship between employers and trade unions  Almost total absence of sectoral level bargaining 33 registered trade unions 86,000 members 23 employers associations 9,000 members 5 main employers’ organisations:  Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise (COCE)  Chamber of Small & Medium Size Enterprises (GRTU)  Federation of Malta Industry (FOI)  Malta Employers Association (MEA)  Malta Hotels & Restaurants Association (MHRA)

The FOI takes part in the National Social Dialogue through: 1. The Malta Council for Economic & Social Development 2. The Employment Relations Board The Social Dialogue issues are the following: - National competitiveness - Social pact - Wage indexation - Low female participation rate - Working Time Directive Important point in the near future: Possible merger with the Maltese Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise COCE THE MALTESE SIDE / 2

Federation of Master Builders (FMB) - founded in ,000 members - the largest employers' body in UK’s construction sector FMB’s main services to members: - Help-lines (for health & safety; taxation; legal matters) - Training workshops - Access to warranty scheme and insurance services - Access to quality marks Very peculiar and interesting for the FOI – website service to find the best and closest builder Information: MasterBuilder magazine news bulletins THE UK SIDE / 1

THE UK SIDE / 2 NO sectoral social dialogue committee in the UK. Building & Allied Joint Industrial Council (BATJIC) – created by FMB and trade union It sets wage rates on annual basis Voluntary process - no government intervention Company CAN apply or not the wage agreements Skills and Training high on the social agenda of the FMB Best solution is APPRENTICESHIP BUT 4% of the 185,000 construction companies employ an apprentice Several problems prevent companies from employing apprentices: No insurance for under 18s on sites: Stigma of vocational training Costs of training - £12,000 pa and only £2,250 max grant ‘Lose the boy’ – employers lose their younger workers, after training them Cross Industry Construction Apprenticeships Task Force: 10,000 apprentices more Action supported by UK Government and ConstructionSkills

Capacity Building: -First occasion for fruitful exchange of best practices on services provided to builders -FOBC: first and only sectoral association in the construction sector in Malta -Created in 2000 but seems to be active since it joined the FOI in Several issues and problems concerning the construction sector were discussed: 1. Health and safety 2. Vocational training 3. Registration of enterprises 4. Lack of skilled labour 5. Construction and demolition waste Social dialogue: -Well chosen partnership: historical links and similarities -Sectoral collective agreements are very rare and concern mainly port industry -No specific agreement for the construction sector has been concluded until now SEMINAR EVALUATION

Thank you for your attention ! Riccardo VIAGGI Project Manager