Members of the European Chamber Meet with Commissioner Vladimir Spidla Go back »

2008-01-14 | Shanghai

Members of European Chamber Meet with Vladimir Spidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities

On Monday, 14th January 2008, representatives of the European Chamber's HR, Insurance, Legal and CSR Working Groups met with Commissioner Vladimir Spidla at the European Chamber to give an overview on European business in Shanghai.

The Chairman of the European Chamber, Mr. KK Ho gave an overview on the European Chamber and its operations and the Commissioner responded saying how delighted he was to be in Shanghai as part of his Commissioner's portfolio and spoke about how he signed a MoU with Chinese Academy of Social Science to enhance dialogue between the two sides on social security and employment issues.

The European Chamber representatives then provided an overview on issues pertaining to the Commissioner's portfolio. Hans-Joerg Probst, Allianz, offered some insights into social security and insurance in China and the problems that China will face with its ageing population. Andreas Lauffs, Baker & McKenzie, gave insight into the new Employment Contract Law which increases employee rights and reduces management autonomy in significant respects, and therefore will likely lead to increased employment costs for companies. Roberto Siu, DSM informed the visiting delegates that according to a recent survey, the top 5 barriers to success for companies in China are:
1. quality of leadership
2. acquisition and retention of talent
3. employee engagement
4. increased competition
5. talent management and management development.

Finally, Alexandra Belaud-Guillet of Jones Day provided an overview of corporate governance in China. She mentioned that whilst corporate governance practices are still weak in China and many players have been accused of making nothing but token gestures, there are still a growing number of Chinese managers that are seeking to improve their corporate governance practices, aware of the positive impact of such actions on their company's profitability and reputation.

The Commissioner responded by saying that respect of core labour standards, the promotion of decent work for all and social dialogue are crucial to ensure sustainable development and fair globalisation. A fruitful Q&A session followed with all members of the Commissioner's delegation and the European Chamber representatives.