A reflection on the implementation of the PEGASE project

The "PEGASE" project
-Promoting Social Dialogue in SMEs has come to an end after a year of
operation. The project aims to strengthen the commitments of SMEs in the
participation of social dialogue and supporting them to better express the SMEs
needs related to social and employment issues.

The project provided the opportunity
to involve participants directly in the UEAPME work in the European Social
Dialogue. This gave them a quick overview of the practical conditions of social
dialogue in certain Member States.

One of the outcomes of the PEGASE
project is that the participants are better equipped and feel more comfortable
to justify their own involvement in the European and national social dialogue.
PEGASE also provides important tools to the participants which will continue
after the project, such as the network of participants to exchange their
experiences; the Newsletter with information and news on European Social
Dialogue activities provided by UEAPME and the Academy Avignon, the weekly
UEAPME Newsflash, covering the main fields of interest for SMEs such as
economic, fiscal, legal policies and a website which is a shortcut to all
necessary documents and useful links for social dialogue matters.

GRTUs, was also a project partner of
PEGASE, GRTU representative Michael Galea recounting his experience by saying
that "Social Dialogue is an objective that businesses, especially SMEs, have to
seriously look at. The issues raised at this level are important issues
affecting the daily life of businesses such as growth, employment, labour
market functioning, health and safety, life-long learning and development, working
time, gender equality and others. Participating at this level means that the
scope and activities can be agreed accordingly to SME priorities. This most
especially in today's business environment where we have SME's struggling to
make ends meet. In the PEGASE network I experienced the opportunity to
understand better the mechanism of how the SD functions, for example the
implementation of framework agreements. The reporting back on the state of play
of Social Dialogue of other EU countries and how effective and salient ideas
could be implemented back home. The network has helped in putting the SD on the
agenda of those countries where Social Dialogue is not yet developed and
discussions at national level have started. This will be continued and further developed
and therefore in itself will establish a lasting effect. Our organization is
now committed to Social Dialogue according to the EU model, it will continue to
play a role as social partner at national level, it will seek opportunities and
capacity, even through EU funded projects to express SME's needs and further
develop SD."

The main achievements of the project
should be to understand the procedures and decision making process in the EU
Social Dialogue by national organisations, to provide tailor made information
for small and micro enterprises, and to formulate the interests of small and
micro enterprises in the ESD agenda at a higher capacity.