DEVELOPMENT

How did it go off?

In each country involved in the project, a workshop has been created gathering researchers and representatives of the various actors involved in a restructuring process (trade unions, local authorities, companies and public employment services as well as private providers). During the national workshops meetings, these actors have been able to discuss on restructuring cases showing one or several innovative aspects, in stakes as well as in the process steps.

A first international intermediate conference took place in Paris on December 8th and 9th 2005. It was an opportunity for the national workshops members to meet. The objectives of this conference were to confront the first works carried out, specifically the analysis of the national practices and frameworks in terms of restructuring, to evaluate a first formalization of a transverse analysis framework and to allow exchanges among actors at the transnational level.

These exchanges were made easier by the organisation of six thematic workshops:

- Is it possible to anticipate and how?
- Selection rules and principles;
- Social dialogue and negotiation;
- Compensation and accompanying measures (outplacement,…);
- Local development and restructuring;
- Employability and training.

As well as four actor-related workshops:

- Restructuring and trades unions strategies;
- Restructuring and companies;
- Transitional agencies (outplacement, coaching, training, reskilling);
- Regional and national agencies.

This communication dynamics among the members of the workshops of the various countries led to the organisation of eleven international workshops gathering all actors involved in a restructuring process:

1. Restructuring and regions
2. Insolvency in France and Germany: strategies and innovative practices
3. Learning training and employability
4. Restructuring Processes and innovation: Learning from experience
5. Employer’ grouping
6. Restructuring without compulsory lays-off
7. Employment transfer and outplacement activities
8. Restructuring and EWC
9. Restructuring and European corporate responsibility
10. Innovative Restructuring and Health Initiatives: Examples and Future Perspectives
11. Restructuring and subcontracting

Finally, international actors workshops allowed, at the end of the project, to define the problems that are common each actor, and to start discussing on recommendations.

These recommendations will be discussed upon on November 9th and 10th of during a second international conference.