Brussels, December 2 2016

At its 7th Congress held in Brussels today, CESI elected its new leadership and adopted guidelines and positions for the upcoming legislative term until 2020.

Romain Wolff and Klaus Heeger were re-elected President and Secretary General respectively. Urs Stauffer will succeed Frank Stöhr as Treasurer.

All three were elected with large majorities.

Romain Wolff, Klaus Heeger and Urs Stauffer to lead CESI

Romain Wolff will enter his second term of office, having been President of CESI since 2012. As a long-standing trade unionist, he has been Secretary General of CESI’s Luxembourgish member organisation CGFP (General Confederation of Public Services) since 2005. In his speech, Romain Wolff underlined the long way that CESI has come as a constructive interest group and recognised social partner at the EU level, and stressed his determination to help shape CESI’s further evolution during the next years.

Klaus Heeger, German, has been Secretary General of CESI since 2012. His noted expertise in EU affairs and experience in lobbying and social dialogue are to root CESI’s interest representation further in the Brussels arena. During his address to the Congress, Mr Heeger underscored the importance of CESI as an actor in Brussels, stressing the need of a strong voice of workers at the EU level in the management of the post-crisis employment and social affairs policies.

Urs Stauffer has been President of the Swiss trade union ZV (Central Association of Public Personnel) since 2002. He has held several positions within CESI in the past; during the last legislative period he was a Vice-President of CESI. Addressing the Congress, Urs Stauffer pledged to continue to manage CESI’s finances in a successful and sustainable manner.

The CESI Presidium will be completed by:

• Péterné Erzsébet Boros (MKKSZ, Hungary)
• Klaus Dauderstädt (dbb, Germany)
• Jean-Claude Delage (FP CFE-CGC, France)
• José Fernández Vidál (CSI-F, Spain)
• Patrick Fey (CNV Connectief, the Netherlands)
• Fritz Neugebauer (Eurofedop, European Federation)
• Marco Paolo Nigi (CONF.S.A.L., Italy)

Keynote address by European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis

The keynote address at the Congress was delivered by Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of the Euro and Social Dialogue. In his speech, Mr Dombrovskis highlighted CESI’s important role in EU social dialogue and its constructive contribution to European policy debates as a voice of workers and public sector employees.

Motions adopted on the future of work, public services and digitalisation

Three overarching main motions, accompanied by side motions, were adopted, which provide guidelines for the strategic work, social dialogue activities and interest representation work of the CESI General Secretariat and mandate holders until the next Congress in 2020. They focus on what the workers which CESI represents consider priority fields for action during the next years:

The first adopted motion, with side motions, reviews the EU’s challenges more generally and specifically in the field of employment and social affairs, touching on issues such as occupational health and safety, gender equality at work, social dialogue, in-work poverty and labour law standards.

The second adopted motion and its accompanying side motions focus on the need to invest in public services and public administrations as a tool for adequate working conditions for public sector workers and, importantly, social cohesion through the provision of accessible and affordable services of general interests for citizens.

The third motion and its side motions, address the impacts of digitalisation on employment, worker rights and trade unionism in detail. It stipulates that digitalisation can be an opportunity for workers – if it is properly regulated.

In addition, a number of motions were adopted to change the statutes of CESI so as to improve the organisation’s functioning and governance structure. This includes the formal recognition of CESI’s youth representation, the CESI Youth.

For the adopted motions:

• Adopted main motion 1 – Investing in people
• Adopted motions accompanying main motion 1
• Adopted main motion 2 – Public services
• Adopted motions accompanying main motion 2
• Adopted main motion 3 – Digitalisation
• Adopted motions accompanying main motion 3
• Adopted motions to adjust CESI’s statutes

Picture: CESI Congress 2016 © CESI 2016