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At the High-Level Conference dedicated to digitalisation in social security coordination (ESSPASS) and “Social ID Cards”, EFBWW (European Federation of Building and Woodworkers) and FIEC (European Construction Industry Federation) were invited to share their knowledge and experience on Social ID Cards in construction, and their views on a possible way forward.
Confronted with the reality of a sector populated with a highly mobile workforce, in a very fragmented industry operating in a competitive Single Market, social partners have set up a series of targeted initiatives in the Member States with the aim to increase transparency on worksites, including Social ID Cards.
Domenico Campogrande, Director General of FIEC, explained how “the added-value of these social ID cards is that most of them have been created with the direct involvement of social partners and integrate sector-specific features. This is a very useful tool for workers, contractors and the administration altogether”.
“(…) In a fragmented industry - with a highly mobile workforce - there is a strong need for more digital tools to facilitate a more effective enforcement and to protect the rights of mobile workers”, said Tom Deleu, General Secretary of EFBWW. He also added that “this becomes even more important against the background of the rapidly increasing number of non-EU workers who often find themselves in a very vulnerable position”.
The joint message reiterated by EFBWW and FIEC highlights that it is crucial to accelerate real-time cross-border access and exchange of electronic data for the enforcement of EU mobility rules.
EFBWW and FIEC stressed the added value of a European approach to Social ID Cards in construction that promotes the existing systems and the autonomy of the involved social partners. Such approach should provide solutions to digitally interconnect systems across borders and support new initiatives of social partners. It should provide financial and technical support for new initiatives and for the ongoing ones, as well as cross-border data exchange of running systems.
EFBWW and FIEC are teaming up to start a sectoral social partner project funded by the European Commission. Among its core deliverables is the mapping of the existing systems and a full assessment of the technical, legal aspects, including other requirements to interconnect those systems and meet the need for a European harmonised framework.