new competencies and
innovations in logistics

Until the decision was made to integrate logistics within the transport sector's collective agreement, the non frigorific storage activities were taken care of several sector collective agreements (chemical, transport, food, retail).

The project of extending the transport sector collective agreement implementation area emerged in 2001 in the transport sector organisation UFT. Several social partners in the transport sector decided to integrate all the jobs related to the logistics activities that are specific to the non frigorific storage function. This decision has been made according to the economic reality in the companies thanks to the observation of these jobs' contents, as observed during series of visits to companies.

The extension of the transport sector collective agreement has been realised in a progressive way. To convince the reluctant members among the social partners, the strategy was to progress step by step, asking the agreement of all members at each step. Therefore, each proposal of the collective agreement's modification was validated by all the social partners. Then, a final draft was agreed upon among all the members of the group. The final general agreement was signed on 30 June 2004.

This agreement was preceded by a two year process of definition of jobs to be selected, of classification of all activities and tasks specific to logistics. This led to the identification of 21 jobs from the managerial level to the operational level related to warehousing and logistics. These jobs were defined to be included in the transport sector collective agreement. The partners defined the activities as well as the different related competences, the required knowledge and compulsory training for some of them. They then listed the training programmes and diplomas available for the 21 jobs whether the coverage was complete or not, for a better understanding of the interface between the needs and the offers. These steps are presented in the schedule below:

The extension of the transport sector collective agreement was divided into three main texts: the identification of the logistics jobs in the non frigorific storage function (1), the jobs definition (2) and the part related to the training programmes (3).

It was decided to split these dimensions into several three-steps agreements: the first was signed in November 2001, the second in July 2002 and the third was signed at the end of June 2004.

We now work out the steps of the schedule presented above a little further. The first step of the work consisted of the identification of logistics jobs. A list of jobs related to logistics to be integrated in the collective agreement, was realised by the partners. Here is the list of the 21 jobs:

• Logistics Operational Manager
• Logistics Site manager
• Logistics Operational Supervisor
• Project Leader (in Logistics Methods or Studies)
• Logistics Team Leader
• Stock/Inventory Controller
• Warehouse Maintenance Supervisor
• Quality Control Manager
• Quality Control Manager Assistant
• Customising Manager
• Operator-Packer
• Controller/Flasher
• Warehouse Maintenance Technician
• Warehouse Maintenance Operator
• Planner
• Order Picker
• Warehouse Supervisor
• Warehouse Operators
• Logistics Forklift Driver
• Inventory Assistant
• Logistics Quay Team leader.

The second step consisted of the definition of jobs identified in logistics specific function of the non frigorific storage. For each job, after a global definition of the job contents, five different categories were designed to give a global view of the tasks, activities, competences, qualifications required to fit the job:

• Competences
• Knowledge
• Compulsory Trainings
• Initial Trainings
• Qualifying Training

The third step consisted of the building of the correspondence between the definitions and the trainings. They provide some key information on the type of skills required by the jobholder as well as possible training programmes to be followed to acquire adequate knowledge, competences and/or skills. They also propose a cross between diplomas, qualifying trainings and specific jobs. The fourth step consisted in a definition of the key families of jobs, at a consolidated level. As key jobs families are defined:

• Implementation and piloting
• Warehouse production
• Warehouse management
• Post production (co-manufacturing)
• Maintenance
• Control/Quality service

The key competences are the relational approach of each job. The extension of the transport sector collective agreement brings new competences in the domain of logistics knowledge because of its integrated approach. The jobs to be integrated in the collective agreement have all been identified in companies (by the observation), defined and referred to the available training and related diplomas or professional titles.

Each job then has a complete description and it is possible to relate its activities to competences, specific training and qualifications. The distinction between initial training, lifelong training, diplomas and professional titles enriches the job definitions with a profound knowledge of what is required to fulfil these jobs.

Because these jobs are at the core of the logistics function in most of the companies, the fact that social partners work on their task definitions lighten them with a new perspective (see Annex 1: the definition of forklift driver activities, competences and the relation with the training).

The process that the social partners in the transport sector experienced was difficult to accept in companies, because of the involvement of the social partners in this definition process and the fear of the companies' managers about this original process. Furthermore, many managers do not focus on job definitions because it does not change their actions and does not help them to recruit suitable employees. As it consists of the identification of jobs according to the real observed situation of the employees, the companies' management seldom accept the non formal method of defining the criteria to differentiate jobs. It is a new way for them to define jobs.

The creation of a working group in charge of the identification of the related jobs was the basis for a real analysis in a set of companies and in training organisations. This first step led to the identification of 21 jobs by their job titles and job definitions, related to the storage function including the socio-professional categories, the level of classification and of qualification. By defining the activities of the employees in the non frigorific storage function, the social partners involved in this process became aware of the needs in terms of competences, as expressed by the companies. The competences requirements are then translated in terms of training needs. Doing this, it gives an opportunity to make a correspondence between job descriptions, competences and existing diplomas and trainings.

The general process of integration of jobs is none but difficult to accept by trade unions too; the transfer of some jobs (among the 21 selected jobs) from one collective agreement to another means for them a symmetric transfer of their adherents/ members and of the fees they pay. An employment/ a social stake is linked with an internal/ financial stake for the unions and their different divisions.

The results that have been obtained are to be observed and analysed as key outputs in the short and long term.

First, the method and the tools that emerged and the first meetings of social partners, companies, and training organisations, on a regular basis, are in itself a new way of improving the transport sector social dialogue. The choice of developing an empirical approach brings the actors to cross the occupational profiles in the companies and the definition of the training offers. The presence of social partners, experts of the transport and logistics services in companies, with the sectoral training organisations, make this relational approach credible and legitimate.

Second, an interesting result is that, through the extension towards non-frigorific storage, the participants obtained the acknowledgement of logistics in terms of activity related to transport and of training, competences and qualifications

Third, it provides companies, employment and training professionals, the frame for the work organisation of the employees in logistics: it is crucial for the logistics workers, to have a conventional frame for their activities, functions, competences. The integration of logistics jobs in the transport sector collective agreement constitutes a change in the legal frame of jobs and occupations and, therefore, the definition of the sector, but also the statistical visibility of it and the area it recovers, are modified in the same terms.

Fourth, in the short and long term, the issues of the integration of logistics jobs in the agreement, is a complete and shared view from and for all partners and parties involved at the regional and/or national level.

Last, it gives an opportunity to have an integrated and demand-orientated approach and an assessment of the training offer in the transport and logistics sector.

The first element of transferability is the process of extending the limits of a specific sector and the methodological way in which it was organised. There are several conditions that ensure the good reception of this type of collective agreement extension: the method used for the identification of jobs in the specific function of non frigorific storage has to be empirical to reflect a real situation within companies. In the case described, the job definition concept was based on visits to companies, not only on theoretical descriptions. It is particularly important for the logistics activities because of its growing role and the very quick changes in this domain; the trade unions follow the evolution and are aware of the high value and legitimacy of an empirical job identification. On the other hand, the creation of a list of relevant jobs to be integrated should be developed in comparison with existing nomenclatures, to be able to improve the final work. Then, it will take precise work to correlate the identified jobs with the available training. The objective is to check the links between the jobs requirements in terms of competences and the existing training programmes. The job access depends on a series of criteria and the very interesting element of this case is the identification of initial training, vocational training, mobility possibilities, for the logistics jobs selected. For each job, there is a list of adequate trainings with a detailed description of their levels of qualification. By that way, it became clear that the training programmes correspond to the job requirements. The training system is considered in that way as quite adapted, even if a few training modules should be created to cover this specific logistics job area.

The extension brings the definition of a perimeter of the logistics job area. In fact, the influence of the extension is that the transport sector is now open to logistics and the collective agreement is not the transport agreement anymore, but has become the transport and logistics sector's agreement. The sector has been reconfigured and this new shape also gives the workers in the logistics domain some rights and a formal visibility in labour legislation. Logistics jobs make good progress as a professional group, while belonging to the former collective transport agreement.

The objectives of this extension of a collective agreement to logistics jobs is transferable in its permanent regulation between these three main terms, which are employment, training, and social dialogue for the improvement of working conditions in the specific logistics domain.