Information and consultation

2013
2012
2011
2010

16 May 2013
United.Kingdom: Information and consultation case highlights corporate complexity
During 2012, four complaints were made in the UK under rules brought in to comply with the 2002 EU Directive on informing and consulting with employees. The regulations give workers rights to information and consultation on a range of issues. Three of the complaints made in 2012 led to formal decisions from the Central Arbitration Committee and one was withdrawn. The cases highlight important aspects of the legal framework, particularly its application in complex corporate groups.
26 Apr 2013
Luxembourg: Workplace representation reforms proposed
At its meeting on 6 February 2013, Luxembourg’s cabinet approved draft legislation to reform social dialogue within companies. The particular aims of the bill are to put the ‘staff delegation’ at the heart of social dialogue. This body will become the main representative of employees in negotiations at company level. The joint committee will be abolished, and its responsibilities for information, consultation and co-determination transferred to the staff delegation.
18 Apr 2013
Hungary: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
In Hungary there are very few data available about the audiovisual sector itself and the recent changes to it. This paper is mostly based on interviews with the social partners, their data, and on the official data available. These are hard to compare due to the changing NACE classification and the fact that in Hungary the Social Dialogue Committee views itself more broadly as a committee covering communication, IT and audiovisual activities under the NACE 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63 categories. This paper tries to describe the situation prevailing in 2011 although the sector has been continually changing since 1 January 2011.
18 Apr 2013
Germany: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The audiovisual sector is of public policy interest because of growing employment figures and the growing number of companies. Yet the sector has been affected by the economic downturn. Companies are restructuring and there has been a massive increase in self-employment. Non-standard work contracts are widespread. As a result, employer organisations reorganised and some professional organisations of employees and self-employed cut across traditional fields of activity for engaging in collective bargaining issues. Collective bargaining coverage is estimated to amount to 50%. As of December 2011, four multi-employer agreements were in place. Public broadcasters are covered by single-employer agreements. At the time of writing, there is no jurisdictional dispute regarding representativeness.
18 Apr 2013
Greece: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
In Greece, the audiovisual sector includes the state-owned Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, private national or regional/local radio and television broadcasting corporations, as well as cinematographic/television production companies. As a whole, in 2010, around 18,500 people were employed in this sector. This percentage corresponds to 0.45% of the total employment in the country, while its contribution to the GDP, in the absence of statistical data, is considered low due to this size. The sector has been significantly affected by the exacerbated financial crisis and the recession the country is going through, as well as by the recent legislative changes in employment relationships.
18 Apr 2013
Finland: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The aggregate employment in Finland has been stable from 2000 to 2010. In this time, the number of companies has increased by 836and the number of employees has decreased slightly. Despite the fact that there are many trade unions and employer associations in the Finnish audiovisual sector, the issue of representativeness is clear, and there are no significant jurisdictional disputes or recognition problems in the sector. The most important employer association in the sector is the EK-affiliated the Service Sector Employers PALTA. The Union of Journalists in Finland (UJF) is the most important trade union in the sector, representing about 2500 employees in the audiovisual sector.
18 Apr 2013
Belgium: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the audiovisual performance in Belgium. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining. The audiovisual sector is fragmented and includes self-employed workers, workers in the public or private sector.
18 Apr 2013
Austria: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
Austria’s audiovisual sector is very small with about 2,150 companies and 11,500 workers in 2010. There are several multi-employer collective agreements in the sector. The largest collective agreements in terms of employees covered are two different single-employer agreements concluded by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF). There are two mandatory employer organisations under the umbrella of the Federal Economic Chamber, organising cinemas (FVKKV) and the film industry (FVFM), as well as the voluntary Association of Private Broadcasters in Austria (VÖP). On the employees’ side, there are two trade unions representing sectoral workers. Collective bargaining coverage is very low, at 40%, according to estimates.
18 Apr 2013
Czech Republic - The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The audiovisual sector is one of the sectors in the Czech economy that includes public institutions and a high percentage of self-employed people. There is a whole range of vocationally defined trade unions which do not bargain collectively. No higher-level collective agreement is concluded in the sector. Collective bargaining operates at company-level only. The collective agreement coverage of employees in the sector is higher than average. In the national economy, the sector represents 0.23% of economic entities and accounts for 0.35% of the total employment.
17 Apr 2013
Cyprus: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
Aggregate employment in the audiovisual sector in Cyprus accounted for 0.59% of total employment in 2010. As far as representation and collective bargaining is concerned, the situation appears to be particularly adverse for the sector’s employees, especially in the private segment of the sector. As a result, with the exception of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, the main features of the sector’s industrial relations are low union rates, low bargaining coverage and great disparities, in terms of the terms and conditions of employment, among the different types of employees.
17 Apr 2013
Poland: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The audiovisual sector in Poland has felt the effects of the economic slowdown, which manifested themselves in smaller advertising income and reduced income from radio and television licences. It was also reflected in decreased wages. The sector has strong employer associations that represent many entities; however, they do not engage in collective bargaining, but focus on taking part in public policy consultations. There are a number of trade unions operating within the sector. The biggest one is in public media. There also are trade unions whose main domain is the live performance sector, and a vigorous journalists’ association, which, although not a union, represents journalists’ interests in public policy consultations.
17 Apr 2013
Estonia: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The information and communication sector in Estonia is quite small, representing 2.2% of total employment of the Estonian economy. However, the employment information on the audiovisual sector specifically is not collected. The number of enterprises in the audiovisual sector was 359 in 2010. There are four trade unions and no employer associations active in the sector. However, one large enterprise plays a significant role in the industrial relations in the sector. It has concluded collective agreements with three trade unions and cooperation agreement with the remaining trade union.
17 Apr 2013
Denmark: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The quantitative relevance of the audiovisual sector is relatively small in Denmark. The sectoral employment amounts to13,.069 persons, which should be seen in relation to the total employment of 2,.626,846. With respect to collective bargaining, the sector is characterised by four parties; three trade unions (FAF, Danish Metalworkers’ Union and The Danish Union of Journalists) and one employer organisation (Danish Producers’ Association). All parties recognise each other’s representativeness. Furthermore, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation is included in the study, since the company negotiates collective agreements in the audiovisual sector.
17 Apr 2013
Sweden: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector.
17 Apr 2013
UK: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The audiovisual sector represents around 0.5% of employment in the UK, with around 144,000 workers. The membership data in this study indicates that trade union density stands at around 43% for the sector, considerably higher than the national level of 26.6%. In addition to formal collective agreements in the sector, there is a practice of informally extending multi-employer agreements to non-members (for example, the pay and conditions of employment negotiated under collective agreement might also be used for freelances or other independent workers. During the economic crisis, job losses occurred at the major broadcaster ITV; however, the sector has maintained a strong position based on the export of film and television productions.
17 Apr 2013
Lithuania: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual Sector
There are several sectoral trade unions and one employer organisation in the audiovisual sector in Lithuania, but collective bargaining at sectoral level does not take place. There is a strong company level trade union representing the largest (national) radio and television – the LRT. A collective agreement signed in this company covers up to 27% of all sectoral employees.
17 Apr 2013
Bulgaria: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the audiovisual sector
The main issue facing the audiovisual sector in Bulgaria is the survival of culture itself in the conditions of a general crisis. The audiovisual sector, in all areas of culture, is stagnating or declining, owing to the disappearance of state financing, the country’s generally bad economic position, and the economic crisis. All this, plus the fall in living standards, and the development of pirate cable networks and pirated videotapes, have caused a sharp drop in audiovisual and cultural productions.
12 Apr 2013
Bulgaria: Industrial relations profile
08 Apr 2013
EU.LEVEL: Social partners assert their collective bargaining autonomy
The social partners at EU level have stressed the importance of their collective bargaining autonomy in a meeting with the European Commission’s Employment Committee. Trade union representatives in particular had voiced their concern about what they saw as interference from EU institutions in national-level wage determination and wage policy. They reacted after the Commission issued a discussion note calling for a tripartite ‘exchange of views’ on wage developments.
08 Apr 2013
Czech.Republic: Chamber of Commerce calls for worker ID cards
The Czech Chamber of Commerce has called for the introduction of an electronic identification card system for workers. The Chamber’s President says the card should record the details of a person’s employment, medical examinations and training courses attended. It should include training on occupational health and safety, and records of arrivals to and departures from the workplace. The Chamber says the entire project should be financed by the Czech government.
08 Apr 2013
Slovenia: Changes proposed to referendum rules
Moves to change the Slovenian Constitution to make it more difficult to call a referendum are high on the political agenda at the moment. Parliament feels the current rules set out in Article 90 of the Constitution are too broad and, as a result, demands for referendums are being used to block reform. Four laws proposed by parliament were rejected by referendums in 2011, helping to bring down the government. One proposal is to remove taxes and the budget from the scope of referendums.
08 Apr 2013
Hungary: New Labour Code takes full effect
A new Labour Code was passed by the Hungarian government in December 2011. The code partially came into force in July 2012, taking full effect on 1 January 2013 after a six-month transition period. It replaced the Labour Code 1992, which was introduced immediately after the democratic transition from state socialism. The expectation of the government is that the law will make employment more flexible, cheaper and more market-compliant. However, it has been criticised by unions.
03 Apr 2013
France: Landmark agreement paves the way for labour market reform
On 11 January 2013, the social partners in France reached a landmark agreement on labour market reform. It will be signed by all employer organisations and by three unions – two unions refused to sign the pact. The government is to adopt a Bill enacting the agreement in March 2013, and it will come into force in May. It is the second significant step towards labour market modernisation in France since 2008, and it is seen as a first step towards the concept of professional career security.
22 Mar 2013
Malta: Social partners issue election messages
The social partners in Malta have sent their proposals for change to the country’s political parties ahead of the general election on 9 March 2013. The employers have called for restraint and caution in wage policy and public sector recruitment. Trade unions urged changes in legislation and in labour market policies to ensure more equity in the labour market. The two sides agreed on the need to set up more child care centres to boost the employment rate among women.
20 Mar 2013
France: Agreement to improve working life at La Poste
The management of the French postal group La Poste and four trade union organisations have signed a framework agreement on the quality of working life. The deal, signed on 22 January 2013, builds on the report drawn up in September 2012 after ‘large scale dialogue’ by experts and social partners. The working party looking into the issue was set up after two staff suicides were blamed on an oppressive work culture at the company. Two unions, however, have refused to sign the deal.
01 Mar 2013
Luxembourg: Tense industrial relations at steelworks group
Industrial relations at Luxembourg steelmaker ArcelorMittal have been deteriorating since the management’s decision in December 2012 to no longer observe two collective agreements that affect 3,000 of its workers. The company says it has a legal obligation to establish a ‘single status’ among employees and it must therefore end separate collective agreements for blue-collar and white-collar workers. Trade unions, however, see the move as an attack on social dialogue.
15 Feb 2013
United.Kingdom: Controversial ‘shares for rights’ employment status
Following a surprise announcement by the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer at the Conservative Party conference in October 2012, and a shorter than usual public consultation process, the coalition government is introducing legislation that will enable the creation of ‘employee shareholders’ whose statutory employment rights will be curtailed. Ministers are going ahead with the measure despite only lukewarm support from employer organisations and union opposition.
08 Feb 2013
United.Kingdom: Parental leave and flexible working rights reform
In November 2012, the UK coalition government confirmed plans to introduce changes to existing statutory provisions for parental leave and flexible working by 2015. The key proposals include the introduction of more flexible maternity and paternity leave, and the extension to all employees of the right to request flexible working. The government’s announcement was broadly welcomed by trade unions and, with some reservations, employers’ groups.

Page last updated: 12 March, 2012

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