The European Chamber in Nanjing is delighted to invite its members to the first meeting of the HR Forum in year 2009. Two main items on the agenda will include the HR section of the 2009 Position Paper and action plan for the involvement of the Nanjing HR Forum in its production.

For your consideration, once we receive your registration notification, a soft copy of the 2008 edition will be emailed to you.

The Position Paper discussion will be followed by a roundtable discussion and experience sharing on other HR issues such as termination of contracts. Participation and contribution from members are greatly welcomed.

Agenda:
2:30 – 2:40: Welcome words by Chair of the HR Forum
2:40 – 3:30: Position Paper Discussion
3:30 – 3:45: Coffee Break
3:45 – 5:00: Discussion on other HR topics

Registration:
To confirm your participation please register with Ms. Tang Jiaying at nanjing@euccc.com.cn or by phone at 025 – 8362 7330, before close of business on January 19th. Please note that registration is confirmed only after you receive a registration confirmation email!

If, after registering, you are not able to attend please inform us by phone or by email. This will help the smooth running of the event. Thank you for your understanding.

 

Event review

HR Forum meeting
EUCCC Position Paper and Roundtable Discussion on Termination of Employment
Time: 14:30 – 16:45
Date: Friday, 20th January 2009
Venue: Crystal Room C, Sofitel Galaxy, Nanjing
Author: Ralitsa Kanetti (rkanetti@euccc.com.cn)

Agenda

14:35 - 14:45 - Opening remarks by Business Manager and Chair of the HR Forum
14:45 - 16:00 - Discussion on EUCCC 2009-2010 Position Paper HR Forum paper
16:00 - 16:15 - Coffee Break
16:15 - 16:45 - Roundtable Discussion on Termination of Employment

Meeting Minutes

Business Manager and Chair of the HR Forum introduced to participants the Position Paper (PP).  Business Manager announced that production schedule of the 2009-2010 PP is still not set yet, but generally the final production deadline is sometime around June, July. It is still not clear which Chapter and which Business Manager of the European Chamber will be the lead on the HR paper. Nevertheless, Nanjing members were urged to contribute to the paper with their comments and ideas. Their liaison on this will be the new Business Manager Matthias Broemser who will take over Ralitsa’s responsibilities while she is away.

It was pointed out that this meeting marks only the beginning of the process and that the main goal today was to identify the key HR issues, which members believe should be included in the paper and then further identify people or companies, who are willing to contribute to these issues. Contributions means providing materials, drafting or reading (proofreading) and editing materials drafted by the Chamber secretariat.
 
After an hour of deliberation on the two-fixed terms rule, establishment of employee representative committees, training agreements and other means aiming at retaining staff  the following main issues were identified by members:

1. Lack of uniform implementation of Labour Law (still remains an issue from last year’s PP, but members considered this to be the number one priority)

2. Temporary workers

3. Consultation process for company’s rules

4. Training Agreements

5. Retention (this year may not be very relevant, however will be back on the list once the economic situation settles down)
a. Note: Training agreements as part of retention?

6. Lack of qualified staff (still remains an issue from last year)
Increase of labour costs was said not to be very relevant now. (an opinion backed by one member, others did not express an opinion)

The following companies volunteered to contribute to certain sections:

1. Siemens PSE – Training agreements and Consultation process

2. Iveco – Temporary workers

To view and download a copy of the HR Forum section of the 2008-2009 PP please click here.

Second part of the meeting focused on termination of employment as a topic  of interest previously suggested by members. Mr. Siebenhofer briefly presented a very recent case successful law case from their company, which shows that contrary to the common understanding that the new labour law makes it almost impossible for companies to let people go, if the termination was properly executed then the court will support the company no matter what.

Members also exchanged opinions the administrative side on how companies should handle implementation of salary reductions or the impact of massive lay-offs (such as bad publicity).

Members suggested that making sure that everything is done through the right channels and clear communication between management, labour union and employees is in place is a critical factor when either letting people go or reducing their salaries.

Business Manager announced that the next meeting of the HR Forum will take place on March 20th. Topic: Salary Studies. More details will be sent later though email.
In the upcoming four months for more information on the HR Forum members can contact Matthias Broemser at mbroemser@euccc.com.cn, or by phone on 025-83627330, ext. 82.

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