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July 1997

• 28 Jul 1997
  Austria: Pension reform plans under debate

  With its medium-term viability thrown in question, Austria's pension insurance system has become the focus of a reform effort, which is due to be completed in November 1997. The main proposals for long-term viability are a moderate reduction of pension levels and a raising of the average retirement age. Raising contributions is regarded with caution.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Austria: First collective agreement signed on teleworking

  In what may be regarded as a pilot scheme, three trade unions have signed a collective agreement on teleworking with employers in the mineral oils industry. The agreement, which came into effect in May 1997, represents the first time standards have been set by the social partners for work practices made possible by new technologies.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Austria: Another year without strikes

  In 1996 there were no official strikes in Austria. This was the third year in a row with practically no strike activity.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Austria: Railway employees found liable for unemployment insurance contributions

  Austrian railway employees are likely to lose around 2% of their net monthly income from August 1997 because a court has found them liable for unemployment insurance contributions. They may also have to pay contributions for the whole period from the beginning of 1995. The workers' trade union has warned of possible strikes.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Austria: Work accidents down in 1996

  Accidents at work in Austria have tended to decline over recent years. a trend which continued in 1996. This is due entirely to a reduction of accidents among waged employees.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Austria: Sabbatical leave planned in Vienna

  From 1998, employees of the city of Vienna will be able to take a year-long sabbatical, if legal changes planned for autumn 1997 are passed.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Belgium: Forges de Clabecq: struggle against decline in steel production

  The fate of theForges de Clabecqsteelworks was due to be settled in June 1997. As examined in thsi article, for several years, the trade union delegation at the company has presented itself as the only spokesperson of the true interests of the workforce and the population of Belgium as a whole. This attitude could be understood both as a form of mistrust of the union apparatus and the political parties, and also as a reassertion of rank-and-file union action.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Belgium: Hours reductions and flexibility in insurance

  Despite the opposition in principle expressed by theFederation of Belgian Enterprises(FEB-VBO), employers in certain sectors in Belgium have signed collective agreements in 1997 granting real reductions in working time. In the insurance sector (25,000 employees), the reduction does not involve loss of pay, but is instead coupled with measures involving flexible working hours.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Belgium: Belgian Government launches new plan for jobs

  In July 1997, Belgium's Federal Government approved an important new job creation plan in which unemployment benefit is used as a wage subsidy. Further efforts are also made to promote the 32-hour working week. This article reviews the main points of the plan.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Belgium: Focus on employment creation

  Several initiatives in Belgium over summer 1997 reveal a serious intent on the part of the social partners to tackle unemployment.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Germany: Civil service law reform comes into force on 1 July 1997

  On 1 July 1997, the Act on Civil Service Law Reform came into force in Germany. It seeks to support the competitive principle in the public sector employment relationship, establish more flexible and performance-oriented remuneration systems, and increase the motivation and mobility of public sector employees. The implementation of the civil service law reform and further plans to reform public sector industrial relations have been accompanied by heavy trade union resistance.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Germany: Federal Labour Court issues 1996 annual report

  The annual report of Germany's Federal Labour Court for 1996 shows that the number of incoming cases increased to 2,118, while the number of resolved cases increased to 2,225.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Germany: Digital Equipment applies metalworking sectoral pay agreement

  In July 1997, the German subsidiary of the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and the IG Metall trade union signed a company agreement which provides for the Bavarian metalworking sector collective pay agreement to be applied to all DEC employees in Germany.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Germany: Downward wage flexibility agreed for the German construction industry

  On 15 July 1997, the bargaining parties in the construction industry concluded a collective agreement for eastern Germany containing an "opening clause" on wages to save jobs, which allows companies to reduce the collectively agreed wage by up to 10%. On the next day, the bargaining parties agreed on a reduction in the minimum wage from 1 September 1997.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Germany: New company agreement signed at Volkswagen AG

  In June 1997, the collective bargaining parties at Volkswagen signed a new company agreement which provides for moderate wage increases, the introduction of new profit-related bonus payments and, for the first time, a provision on partial retirement.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Germany: Extension of working time without wage compensation at Continental AG

  A new works agreement signed in July 1997 at Continental AG foresees an increase in the working week from 37.5 hours to 38.75, without wage compensation.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Germany: New IG Metall initiative to improve trade union cooperation in Europe

  In June 1997, IG Metall launched a regional exchange on collective bargaining policy with metalworking unions from neighbouring European states.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Denmark: Food and agriculture employers' confederation celebrates 50th anniversary

  In 1997, theDanish Confederation of Employers' Associations in Agriculture(SALA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary as an independent employers' confederation.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Denmark: Two union confederations sign historic agreement on organisational boundaries and cooperation

  TheDanish Confederation of Trade Unions(LO) andthe Danish Confederation of Professional Associations(AC) recently signed an agreement on demarcation to delineate organisational boundaries between the two confederations and to minimise competition for members.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Denmark: Public sector faces prospect of implementing pay bargaining reform

  From the beginning of 1998, the social partners in Denmark's public sector must put pay bargaining reforms into practice. We examine a number of unanswered questions which have been raised in the run-up to implementation.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Spain: Worksharing in the Basque Country

  In the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, measures to reduce working time and promote worksharing are being introduced through agreements between the regional government and companies. In summer 1997, they are very recent and at an early stage, but they are the only measures of this type in Spain that are supported by a regional government, and they have led to a lively debate amongst the social partners.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Spain: Unions campaign against Government's industrial policy

  The trade union confederations,UGT(Unión General de Trabajadores) andCC.OO(Comisiones Obreras),have initiated a campaign against the industrial policy of the Spanish Government and its plans for privatisation. This campaign has so far included a strike in publicly-owned industrial companies in July 1997, and the unions have warned of continued action.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Spain: Merger of the two main Catalan small and medium-sized enterprise associations

  TheSEFESandPIMECemployers' organisations agreed in July 1997 to merge, creating a single association that will represent small and medium-sized enterprises inCatalonia. The new association will be calledPIMEC-SEFES, will represent more than 45,000 companies and 111 employers' unions and associations, employing 340,000 workers.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Spain: Agreement on the Plan for the future of coal mining (1998-2005)

  The Industry Ministry and the UGT and CC.OO trade unions signed thePlan for the future of coal miningin Spain on 15 July 1997. The plan defines the volume of aid for the mining sector, as well as production targets and labour restructuring, for the period 1998-2005.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Spain: Serious industrial accident in shipbuilding

  On 3 July 1997, 18 workers in the shipyards ofUnión Naval de LevanteinValenciadied when a ship under construction caught fire. The causes of the accident, Spain's most serious in recent years, have not yet been officially established, but trade unions are alleging a breach of safety regulations.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Spain: Active employment policies in Spain: an overview

  After a decade of their operation in Spain, active employment policies have led to only limited results in promoting job creation. This feature examines the variety of policies that have been introduced and the results of relevant experiments, and looks at social partners' reactions.

• 28 Jul 1997
  EU Level: Commission seeks to encourage debate on new forms of work organisation

  TheEuropean Commissionadopted a Green Paper on new forms of work organisation on 16 April 1997. This document aims to encourage debate on this issue among interested parties across Europe. This feature outlines the main arguments and questions presented in the document, details initial reactions from the social partners and seeks to assess to potential for drawing up a European model of work organisation.

• 28 Jul 1997
  EU Level: Amsterdam Treaty brings small advances for employment and social policy

  On 17 June 1997 inAmsterdam, theEuropean Councilagreed a new draft Treaty. This feature presents those contents of the Treaty which are set to have an impact on European industrial relations, outlines the reactions of the social partners and provides an initial assessment of the outcomes.

• 28 Jul 1997
  EU Level: Commission examines measures to encourage the use of apprenticeships

  A Communication from theEuropean Commission, issued in June 1997, sets out recommendations designed to encourage the use of apprenticeships in the Member States.

• 28 Jul 1997
  EU Level: Council reaches common position on burden of proof in sex discrimination cases

  Labour and Social Affairs Ministers from the Member States, meeting on 27 June 1997, discussed Directives relating to sex discrimination and health and safety, and debated employee information and consultation measures.

• 28 Jul 1997
  EU Level: Commission publishes White Paper on sectors and activities excluded from the working time Directive

  In July 1997, theEuropean Commissionpublished a White Paper seeking to address the issue of working time and holiday regulation in sectors covered by derogations from the 1993 working time Directive. Here we examine the content of the White Paper in connection with action taken on these issues by trade unions representing road transport workers in the European Union and worldwide.

• 28 Jul 1997
  EU Level: Commission adopts draft Directive on part-time work

  In July 1997, following the adoption of a framework agreement on part-time work by the European social partners, theEuropean Commissionagreed a proposal for a Directive aimed at transposing the agreement into European law.

• 28 Jul 1997
  EU Level: Commission adopts a Communication on the social and labour market dimension of the information society

  TheEuropean Commissionadopted a Communication in July 1997 aimed at stimulating debate on the social and labour market dimension of the "information society", as a follow-up to its 1996 Green Paper onLiving and working in the information society.

• 28 Jul 1997
  EU Level: European agriculture social partners sign first sectoral framework agreement

  The European-level social partners in the agriculture sector signed the first sectoral "recommendation framework agreement" in July 1997. The accord is concerned with the improvement of paid employment in agriculture in the Member States of the European Union.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Finland: The Finnish National Workplace Development Programme

  Ever since the coalition Government headed by Prime MinisterPaavo Lipponencame to power in 1995 in Finland, it has made the fight against unemployment its top priority. This article outlines one measure that the Finnish Government has taken to combat unemployment - the tripartite National Workplace Development Programme.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Finland: New centralised agreement on incomes policy unlikely

  In summer 1997, theConfederation of Finnish Industry and Employers(TT) is currently discussing the possibility of negotiating a new agreement on a broad and comprehensive incomes policy. While the employers retain an open mind on the level of future pay settlements, they hope that the outcome of future negotiations will guarantee the continuity of moderate pay settlements.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Finland: Paperworkers' Union seeks a separate agreement for the forestry sector

  Finland's possible membership of EU Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is having a major impact on the labour market, with increasing pressures towards decentralisation of decision-making. The current incomes policy is seen as creating difficulties in the resolution of sector-specific problems. The decision in June 1997 by the Paperworkers' Union to seek a separate agreement, rather than be covered by a new overall incomes policy, has highlighted these issues.

• 28 Jul 1997
  France: Means-testing for family allowances

  The new Government's plan to means-test family allowances has immediately opened a wide-ranging and contradictory debate within French society, with trade unions generally opposing the move. In his overall policy statement of 19 June 1997, Prime MinisterLionel Jospinannounced that households with a monthly income of above FRF 25,000 would no longer be eligible for this benefit, which would henceforth be reserved for families "in genuine need".

• 28 Jul 1997
  France: Collective bargaining in 1996

  In June 1997, the tripartite National Collective Bargaining Commission examined the Ministry of Labour's 1996 annual report on collective bargaining in France. The study indicates progress in bargaining in a context marked by low growth in GDP, control of inflation and relative lethargy in domestic consumption. Wage bargaining has slowed considerably and, for the first time, more company agreements were signed on the issue of working hours than on that of wages.

• 28 Jul 1997
  France: UNEDIC reforms management of contingency fund

  The administrative board of the national unemployment insurance scheme (UNEDIC), which is managed jointly by employers' associations and trade unions, adopted in July 1997 several measures aiming both to raise the level of benefit and overhaul the way its contingency fund is run. It is the second objective which has provoked the most heated reactions, especially from groups representing unemployed people.

• 28 Jul 1997
  France: Employment creation in the national education system

  The new Minister for Education,Claude Allègre, wishes to create new jobs from October 1997 without deviating from the present education budget. The sector's trade unions have reiterated their demands on this issue.

• 28 Jul 1997
  France: Closure of Superphoenix

  In his general policy statement to the National Assembly in June 1997, France's new Prime Minister announced the decision to close the Superphoenix fast breeder reactor, drawing protests from trade unions.

• 28 Jul 1997
  France: Jobs created at SNCF

  France's Minister for Transport, Housing and Public Infrastructure,Jean-Claude Gayssotannounced in July 1997 the creation of 2,000 new jobs at theSNCFrailway company, in exchange for a reduction in the state-owned company's indebtedness. He also confirmed the separation to be made between the management of infrastructure and the operation of the rail network.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Greece: Government's proposals for regulating employment and social protection

  In July 1997, in the framework of its current process of social dialogue, the Greek Government presented its proposals for industrial relations reform and new forms of employment.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Greece: Controversy over regulation of illegal immigration and employment

  A decision taken by the Greek Council of Ministers on 27 June 1997 is threatening to derail efforts to regulate illegal immigration and the employment of aliens originating from non-EU countries, and is being reconsidered.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Ireland: Court backs cellular manufacturing at Krups

  Ireland'sLabour Courtagreed in June 1997 that the proposed introduction of cellular manufacturing at theMoulinex-ownedKrups Engineeringplant in the mid-western region is essential for the survival of the company and the 600 jobs there.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Ireland: National pay deal faces first real test in over a decade

  After almost 10 years of stable centralised pay bargaining, in June 1997 social partnership in Ireland is facing its first real test in the private sector, with the country's largest union determined to secure additional rewards in "strong" or "profitable" companies.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Ireland: Aer Lingus pilots accept pay review

  In July 1997, pilots in the Irish state airline,Aer Lingus, accepted a pay review which gives them average pay increases of 7%, on top of a 5% award which they received last year, and in addition to increases due under Ireland'sPartnership 2000national wage agreement.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Italy: Galbani cuts staff but redeploys and outplaces redundant workers

  In July 1997, an agreement was concluded at Galbani, part of the French-based Danone food sector group, which provides for the redeployment or outplacement of many of the 1,200 staff made redundant through the reorganisation of production and distribution.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Italy: Commerce sector agreement seeks to regulate telework

  A new collective agreement in Italy's commerce sector, signed in June 1997, provides for equal pay and career opportuntities for those workers who agree to teleworking.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Italy: Intersind reaffirms the need to change the welfare state with the consensus of the social partners

  Welfare and flexibility were the central themes of the annual assembly of Intersind, the employers' organisation for state-controlled companies, held in July 1997.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Italy: Workers' participation in difficulty at Electrolux-Zanussi

  In mid-July 1997, a clash between management at Italy's Electrolux-Zanussi and part of the Fiom-Cgil trade union was threatening the company's exemplary model of workers' participation.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Italy: Tripartite talks on welfare reform continue

  Tripartite negotiations over the reform of Italy's welfare and social security system started in earnest in July 1997. Two main points of tension have so far arisen - pensions and flexibility in recruitment and redundancy.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Italy: Strikes in the transport sector analysed

  Transport is one of Italy's most strike-prone sectors, at the same time as being covered by legislation regulating strikes in essential public services. This article draws on recent statistical evidence to examine the nature of industrial conflict in transport, highlighting the problem of the "announcement effect", whereby a strike call can cause considerable disruption, even though the strike itself is cancelled.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Italy: The debate on union unity is resumed

  In May 1997, the executive committee of Italy's CGIL trade union confederation approved a plan to create a single union centre by 2000, a development welcomed by the CISL confederation. This article reviews the moves towards trade union unity and their background.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Italy: Bill introduces temporary agency work into the Italian labour market

  In June 1997, the Italian Parliament adopted a package of measures aimed at boosting employment, including legislation giving temporary agency work a legal status for the first time. This article reviews the provisions of the new legislation and its implications.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Luxembourg: Debate in the Chamber of Deputies on women and employment

  Following a public hearing in which the chambers representing employers' and employees' professional interests (Chambres Professionnelles) took an active part, a recent debate in Luxembourg'sChamber of Deputiessuggested measures that the Government might adopt to promote equality between men and women. The debate identified a number of interesting statistics on women's employment.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Luxembourg: New jobs created by introduction of 36-hour week

  Sommer Industrie Luxembourgsigned an agreement in June 1997 introducing a 36-hour working week in its maintenance department, and has thereby created new jobs which will preferably filled by unemployed workers registered with theEmployment Administration.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Netherlands: Recommendations on workplace-level union structure

  In the Netherlands, trade unions were originally poorly represented at workplace level, where works councils have traditionally been viewed as the appropriate forum for representing employees' interests. Although works councils and trade unions are cooperating to an increasing degree, this has not progressed without tension. For a long time, workplace-level union structure has been (and still is) a rather touchy issue. To address this, in April 1997 the bipartite Labour Foundation published several new recommendations concerning union structure at workplace level.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Netherlands: Investment contracts: job security and education

  Social partners at national level in the Netherlands have recently recommended investment in the quality of the workforce. Alongside the reduction of working time, the new spearhead for improving terms and conditions of employment focuses on the education of workers. For the Industrial Union affiliated to theDutch Trade Union Federation(Industriebond FNV), contracts with employers on investment in employment and the education of workers will be a major item on the collective bargaining agenda in the future. The potential significance of this is clearly illustrated in the agreement concluded in June 1997 atHeineken.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Netherlands: Mobility centre at Stork aims to improve flexibility

  Stork, the Dutch engineering company, aims to create a more flexible and multiskilled workforce by establishing a new "mobility centre" -Mobile 2000. This centre will work together with temporary employment agencies.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Netherlands: Complaints about holiday jobs

  A special "holiday jobs line" set up by the young workers' secretariat of the Dutch Federation ofTrade Unions receives complaints every day about violations of the recently amended law protecting young workers. In 1997, the Labour Inspectorate is conducting an extensive nation-wide campaign concerning holiday jobs.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Netherlands: Chinese company may continue demolition work

  The Chinese companyCMICmay continue its controversial demolition of two blast furnaces on the premises of the Dutch steel concernHoogovens, after theCentral Office of the Employment Servicedecided in July 1997 against suspending its work permit.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Norway: New legislative proposal on the regulation of retail opening hours

  In summer 1997, the Norwegian Government put forward a new legislative proposal regarding opening hours in the retail trade. The Government proposes to make opening hours dependent on the size of the outlet. If the proposal is passed, the opening hours for many outlets will be restricted compared with current practice, while some smaller outlets will be able to extend their opening hours.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Norway: Wage regulation negotiations in the state sector finalised

  Late June 1996 saw agreement in the central "wage regulation" negotiations in Norway's state sector. These negotiations take place within the framework of the main state sector settlement.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Portugal: Union confederation alleges exclusion from national-level representative body

  In May 1998, theGeneral Confederation of Portuguese Workers(Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses,CGTP) lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman on a legal question relating to its representation on the country's trilateral social concertation bodies.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Portugal: Social security reform under debate

  A government committee has been set up in Portugal to examine the framework for reform of the country's social security system and to make proposals for change. Consultations with the social partners were launched in late June 1997.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Portugal: Continuous working at Somincor requires restructuring of working time

  Somincor, a company which operates the copper and zinc mining complex ofNeves Corvoin theAlentejoregion of Portugal, wishes to introduce continuous working in the mines through a restructuring of working time. The miners are opposed to this change and, following a strike in July 1997, a compromise "preliminary agreement" has now been reached.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Portugal: TAP-Air Portugal and pilots' union try to negotiate Lufthansa model

  There has been a breakdown in the negotiation of a company-level agreement between TAP-Air Portugal and theUnion of Civil Aviation Pilots, designed to provide a structure for new forms of work organisation. The pilots are planning industrial action over July-September 1997.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Portugal: Banking union debates pension funds

  Pension funds were on the agenda of the congress of the SBSI bank workers' union, held in June 1997. Funds for bank employees were formed in Portugal to guarantee pension commitments contained in employment contracts, but their operation raises a number of important issues.

• 28 Jul 1997
  Sweden: Labour Court's ruling on sick pay may complicate future bargaining

  On 2 July 1997 theLabour Courtin Sweden ruled that theVargönpaper mill had fulfilled its obligations according to the relevant collective agreement by paying one of its workers only 75% of normal wages for the 15th day of absence because of illness. The judgment may indirectly cause difficulties in the next bargaining round.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: Details of Welfare to work programme announced in Government's first Budget

  In July 1997, details of a new scheme to get 250,000 people back to work over the next four years were announced by the UK's new Chancellor of the Exchequer,Gordon Brown, in his first Budget. The scheme generally received a positive response from the social partners.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: New Government, new industrial unrest: is this really the case?

  In July 1997, it seems that the headlines in the UK have been dominated by the news of strikes or impending industrial disputes. This has led some to question whether the election of another Labour Government has ushered in a new era of strikes. This feature examines the question in the light of the latest statistical data.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: Trade union membership falls yet again

  The 1996 Labour Force Survey statistics show that UK trade union membership continues to decline from its high point in 1979. We ask what the unions will do to reverse this trend.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: Is Britain's labour force divided by class?

  TheManufacturing, Science, Finance(MSF) trade union, which represents skilled and professional workers, published the results of a survey in July 1997, which indicate that Britain's workforce is divided in terms of status, "perks", and modes of address between staff and managers. Furthermore, the British subsidiaries of companies from elsewhere in Europe were found to be more status-orientated than were British-owned companies.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: Barclays Bank may face strike action

  After members voted in a ballot to turn down a new pay scheme atBarclays Bank, trade unions balloted members in July 1997 on whether to take industrial action.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: Government to repeal check-off ballots

  The UK's new Labour Government announced in July 1997 that it will repeal legislation forcing trade unions to ballot their members over the automatic deduction of membership subscriptions.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: Record number of employees claim employment rights

  The annual report of theAdvisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service(ACAS) for 1996, published in June 1997, shows that for the first time ACAS had to deal with over 100,000 individual employment rights cases in a single year.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: Construction industry wage agreement

  After a difficult start, employers and trade unions in the construction industry managed to reach a settlement in July 1997 over the UK's largest private sector national agreement.

• 28 Jul 1997
  United Kingdom: Teamworking improves productivity and employee satisfaction?

  New research findings on teamworking in the UK and North America suggest that more "advanced" systems of teamworking may raise levels of worker job satisfaction and labour productivity. However, there is little evidence that teamworking brings about high-trust management-worker relations, or high-commitment work orientations.