Social dialogue is the dialogue between the social partners, i.e. the employers and the employees, on the arrangement and development of work-related issues. This dialogue was initiated at the EU level in 1985; it is recognised in Title X (Art 151-161) of the Treaties.
In 1998, the Insurance Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee was set up alongside 25 other sectoral committees, with the CEA, (then) ACME, and BIPAR, the European Federation of Insurance Intermediaries, as organisations representing employers, and UNI Europa Finance representing the industry’s employees. With the transfer of activities from ACME to AMICE at the beginning of 2008, AMICE has taken over the role of representing its members as employers.
Having initiated the process, the Commission withdrew from further involvement in the contents of the work and the process has become purely bilateral between employers and employees. The Commission, however, basically funds the work of the committees. The ISSDC has adopted its own rules of procedure and establishes a yearly work programme. Work is done in several working group meetings throughout the year and at least one plenary to ratify working results.
The main lines of the 2010 work programme include:
- The demographic challenge within the insurance industry.
- The integration of the social partners from the new EU Member States into the sectoral social dialogue.
- Solvency II and remuneration systems as they concern the social partners.
AMICE participates in the meetings of the working group at the Secretariat level and endeavours to provide speakers from its membership when invited to contribute in this form at working group meetings and plenaries. The Secretariat reports to AMICE’s Legal Affairs task force on its activities in this area.