In November, a joint declaration on Telework was signed by the social partners of the European banking sector at the European Sectoral social dialogue plenary meeting in Brussels.

Telework is a common form of organising work and tasks in the financial sectors. In the Nordic countries, where telework and other forms of mobile work has been common for some time now, it is recognized as a beneficial form of work, giving further opportunities co-determination and flexibility both for managers and employees. Teleworkers are also protected through national law and their rights and conditions have been safeguarded by trade unions in collective agreements and framework agreements.

The declaration is the result of a year-long constructive dialogue between the social partners, UNI Europa Finance and European Banking Federation, European Association of Co-Operative Banks and European Savings Banks Group. It is non-binding and sets out guidelines for the social partners on telework in the banking sector.

NFU has played an active role in the process with the declaration together with our member unions. In particular, NFU emphasizes the importance of social dialogue and collective bargaining as-well as wellbeing and work/life balance. Joint declarations from the social dialogues are significant as they frequently lay the ground for collective bargaining across Europe, providing a solid basis for negotiations between trade unions and employers.

The joint text on Telework is also an important step towards signing a joint declaration on digitalisation within the European Sectoral social dialogue of the banking sector. NFU will continue to work actively to shape the outcome of the social dialogue and will work together with our member unions to influence the European discussion on digitalisation in the banking sector. The discussions and negotiations on a joint declaration on digitalisation will start in 2018, and the aim is to sign the declaration the same year.

The signed declaration on Telework is available at the NFU website here.