On October 14th, the webinar “Organizing PHS Employers: Identifying Capacity Building Needs” took place as part of the European project PHSDialogue. It was organized by EFSI and the European Federation for Family Employment (EFFE).

The event gathered nearly 40 participants from 11 different European countries to discuss and explore how to build a better future for PHS, particularly focusing on the organisation of employers within the framework of social dialogue. 

Following the introduction by Aude Boisseuil from EFFE, the discussion focused on PHS employers’ representation. Aurélie Decker from EFSI shared the results of a sector survey, highlighting the profile of PHS Employers and Business organisations, their characteristics, and the challenges they face.

In the second part, participants gained valuable insights into how employers and business organisations are structured within the PHS sector across several EU countries, thanks to contributions from academic researchers. 

The first presentation, delivered by Clémence Ledoux, a political science professor at Nantes University, provided an overview of the French context. She outlined the diverse landscape of provider organisations and family employers, emphasizing strong incentives like social vouchers and tax allowances aimed at reducing undeclared work.

The second presentation was given by Giulia Frosecchi, a researcher from the University of Florence. She provided an overview of the Italian PHS sector, highlighting the plurality of unions, which has led to numerous collective agreements. Among these, the Domina-Fidaldo agreement of 1996 stands out. She emphasized the importance of these agreements, given that the primary law governing the care sector, dating back to 1958, does not guarantee standard workers’ rights, such as maternity leave. 

Barbora Holubova, from the Central European Labour Studies Institute (CELSI), then discussed the situations in Central and Eastern European Countries. In Czechia, she noted that the care sector is largely public and highly regulated, with cities being the main providers. In contrast, in Estonia, while employers are more motivated to organize than workers, they struggle to form a stable platform due to a lack of resources and motivation.

In the concluding discussion, Peter Kerckhofs, a research manager at Eurofound, offered suggestions and insights by drawing comparisons between the PHS sector and other industries, such as construction or hairdressing. EFFE and EFSI announced the development of a toolkit designed to help employers and organizations enhance internal participation, efficiency, and institutional impact. The toolkit will be further discussed in another webinar scheduled for December 16th.