Euronews: How the FairPlusService in Austria promotes quality jobs

Screenshot from the Euronews episode on quality jobs, showing three workers in a factory

In this episode of our Make it work series, Euronews travels to Kapfenberg, Austria to explore how the ESF+ funded FairPlusService helps companies improve working conditions for female workers and speaks to Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director of Eurofound, about the Quality Jobs Roadmap.

The quality of a job is not just about a salary. It is about labour rights, equal opportunities, good working conditions and real chances to grow.

The latest episode of “Make it work” series on Euronews shows how new efforts in Austria are bringing workers and employers together to tackle these efforts at workplaces like BHDT – a company specialised in high-pressure equipment for the chemical and petrochemical industries.

For Eva Jodl, who has been with the company for 11 years, it is the working conditions that truly make the difference: ‘Work-life balance is excellent and that is one reason I have been with the company for so long.’

This is thanks to the FairPlusService, an ESF+ funded initiative offering free coaching and consulting for companies and their female employees. This is helping them get new qualifications and feel more valued at work, like Lilo Brandner: ‘I feel seen and heard as a woman. It is getting better and better, because the company is doing a lot about it’.

Werner Kordasch, managing director of BHDT explains: ‘For us, FairPlus started with an investigation on the shop floor, and they brought us a lot of ideas where we have to focus on, to have an even better collaboration among the different groups of employees working in our company.’He concludes: ‘And it works!’

Projects like FairPlusService are an important step to tackle the challenges, that continue to affect female workers in the EU. The new Quality Jobs Roadmap will guide Member States in creating better and more secure jobs across Europe.

Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director of Eurofound, emphasises key aspects of the Commission’s flagship initiative: ‘It gives the ground, the framing of our discussions about quality jobs and this is something extremely important. It is part of European competitiveness.’