January 1998
- 28 Jan 1998
Austria: Distribution option for pay rises proves popular<#PDF_LINK>In Austria, four sectoral collective agreements on pay took effect from 1 November 1997 which included a "distribution option", allowing for some of the agreed increase to be allocated at company level. Related works agreements were concluded in 11.5% of eligible companies, covering 22% of the relevant employees, and have generally met expectations. The distribution option is now being taken up in other collective agreements.
- 28 Jan 1998
Austria: Limited implementation of annual working time model in construction<#PDF_LINK>In mid-1996, a collective agreement was signed in the Austrian construction industry aimed at spreading paid employment more evenly over the year. Up to 90 excess hours worked during the summer are not paid for until the winter, and then attract a premium of 10%. Implementation so far has had limited results, which may partly be due to the slack in the industry. Employers are now asking for a more far-reaching scheme.
- 28 Jan 1998
Austria: Measures to further women's careers<#PDF_LINK>Austria's Ministry of Women's Affairs wishes to facilitate the furthering of women's careers by companies and hopes, in 1998, to implement relevant incentives. One measure is likely to be the inclusion of an income-based index of equal opportunities for women in tenders for public contracts.
- 28 Jan 1998
Austria: Employee protection in small firms<#PDF_LINK>In early 1998, the Austrian social partners are in negotiations over the precise requirements to be placed on small firms from 1999, concerning workplace hazard prevention. While employers emphasise the immediate costs of prevention, the trade unions have been focusing on the savings accruing once the investments are made.
- 28 Jan 1998
Austria: Apprenticeship remains key issue in 1998<#PDF_LINK>The Austrian social partners are at odds over measures for absorbing 1998's 15-year-old school-leavers into further education and training. Suggestions vary from additional schooling to tax breaks for firms offering training positions. There are also attempts to break new ground in occupations hitherto without formal apprenticeship curricula. The deadline for agreement is the end of March 1998.
- 28 Jan 1998
Austria: Unions seek further harmonisation of labour law<#PDF_LINK>In 1998, Austria's trade unions are setting out to achieve legal equality between wage earners/blue-collar workers and salary earners/white-collar workers. The two outstanding issues are notice of dismissal and payment during periods of sickness. Estimates of the cost of harmonisation vary by a factor of 10, and the negotiations are likely to be arduous.
- 28 Jan 1998
Austria: Trade unions reorganise<#PDF_LINK>The restructuring of the Austrian Trade Union Federation is beginning to take shape in January 1998. Closer, formal cooperation between some member unions has been agreed and merger talks are being held. The final aim is the creation of only three trade unions.
- 28 Jan 1998
Belgium: Social partners denounce recommendations by Higher Council for Employment<#PDF_LINK>The political debate on employment policies in Belgium grew bitter just before the Christmas break at the end of 1997. Recommendations on government policies made by the new Higher Council for Employment provoked the anger of the leaders of the two main trade union organisations and some critical declarations from the chief executive of the employers' federation.
- 28 Jan 1998
Belgium: Pioneering sectoral agreement at Electrabel: 35-hour week and job creation<#PDF_LINK>Following a long dispute, in December 1997 employees at Electrabel, the Belgian electricity-distribution company, approved an agreement that focuses on the reduction of working hours and on recruitment.
- 28 Jan 1998
Belgium: Joint declaration on jobs in Belgian not-for-profit sector<#PDF_LINK>Following demonstrations and work stoppages in December 1997, employers and trade unions in Belgium's not-for-profit sector have submitted a joint declaration to the Government calling for increased financing for employment.
- 28 Jan 1998
Germany: Profit-sharing and personnel policy at Audi<#PDF_LINK>In December 1997, management and company works council at Audi AG in Germany concluded a works agreement on the introduction of a new permanent profit-sharing system for all employees from 1998. This is the latest in a number of new personnel policies that have been introduced since 1988.
- 28 Jan 1998
Germany: Bavarian employers' and trade associations merge<#PDF_LINK>December 1997 saw the merger of the peak employers' association and peak trade association in the German federal state of Bavaria. The new association of Bavarian enterprises is called Vereinigung der Bayerischen Wirtschaft.
- 28 Jan 1998
Germany: Changes in the Partial Retirement Law<#PDF_LINK>On 1 January 1998, new legal provisions came into effect in Germany which include a variety of measures to improve the social security provisions for flexible working time arrangements, and to allow for easier application of the Partial Retirement Law.
- 28 Jan 1998
Germany: New collective agreement in the east German steel industry<#PDF_LINK>In January 1998, after very difficult negotiations, the collective bargaining parties in the east German steel industry accepted the same wage increases as had earlier been concluded for the west German steel industry.
- 28 Jan 1998
Germany: New works agreement on partial retirement at Daimler-Benz<#PDF_LINK>A January 1998 works agreement on partial retirement at Daimler Benz, Germany, provides better conditions for the employees than the analogous collective agreements in metalworking.
- 28 Jan 1998
Germany: Government gives up aim of halving unemployment by the year 2000<#PDF_LINK>After Chancellor Helmut Kohl declared in January 1998 that halving unemployment by the year 2000 might no longer be realistic, German trade unions reacted with strong criticism of the Government's policy.
- 28 Jan 1998
Denmark: 1998 collective bargaining commences in industry<#PDF_LINK>Pay, pensions and flexible working time are key issues in the 1998 collective bargaining round in Denmark's industrial sector, which started in early January 1998. More flexible working time arrangements may be the price trade unions will have to pay for a satisfactory result.
- 28 Jan 1998
Denmark: Danish LO celebrates 100 years of existence<#PDF_LINK>Denmark's LO trade union confederation celebrates a century of existence in 1998. The anniversary, on the brink of the new millennium, marks a challenging period in the organisation's history, and this feature looks at LO's continuing organisational changes, its relationship with its members and its new relationship with the political system.
- 28 Jan 1998
Denmark: Unskilled male workers will still be in demand<#PDF_LINK>Recent statistics suggest that unskilled male workers will still have a place in the Danish labour market in the near future. A high take-up of further vocational training courses by this group of workers is believed by employers and trade unions to be the main reason.
- 28 Jan 1998
Denmark: 1997 was a relatively peaceful year on the Danish labour market<#PDF_LINK>Although 1997 was a year which saw considerable collective bargaining in Denmark, it was relatively peaceful in terms of industrial disputes.
- 28 Jan 1998
Denmark: LO members set out priorities for 1998<#PDF_LINK>A survey of the priorities for 1998 of members of trade unions affiliated to Denmark's LO confederation indicates that they rate improvement of working environment above fighting unemployment, increasing wages and reducing working time.
- 28 Jan 1998
Spain: Agreement on Barcelona Metro ends lengthy pensions dispute<#PDF_LINK>The four-year dispute between the workers and management of the Barcelona Metro seems to have come to an end in January 1998, with the acceptance by 70% of the workforce of the pension plan that the UGT and CC.OO trade unions negotiated with the company.
- 28 Jan 1998
Spain: Trade unions propose measures for unemployed people<#PDF_LINK>In January 1998, both the UGT and CC.OO trade union confederations proposed measures aimed at improving the situation of unemployed people in Spain. UGT has proposed the creation of a branch for unemployed people within the trade union and CC.OO has suggested lower taxes for them.
- 28 Jan 1998
Spain: Survey of collective bargaining in 1997<#PDF_LINK>According to a report on collective bargaining in Spain in 1997, conducted by the CEOE employers' confederation, changes have taken place in pay structure, involving an increase in the number of productivity bonuses and a reduction in the incidence of length-of-service payments. Clauses transforming temporary into secure jobs have had little effect despite the April 1997 intersectoral agreement for secure employment.
- 28 Jan 1998
Spain: Impact of the April Agreements on job security in Spain<#PDF_LINK>The Spanish trade unions and employers' organisations which signed the important labour market reform agreements in April 1997 (the "April agreements") have carried out a review of their results over the first six months, which was published in January 1998. The social partners agree in general that the results are positive, but have reservations on some points.
- 28 Jan 1998
Spain: Dispute between unions and Government over national minimum wage<#PDF_LINK>The adjustment of Spain's national minimum wage in line with the projected rate of inflation for 1998 is considered insufficient by the trade unions. A dispute has arisen owing to the loss of the minimum wage's purchasing power, repeated failures to increase it and its wide differential with the average national wage, at a time when the Spanish economy is progressing favourably.
- 28 Jan 1998
Spain: General strike in Spanish mining sector<#PDF_LINK>A strike in the mining companies, Hunosa and Minas de Figaredo, escalated into a well-supported general strike in the whole Spanish mining industry in January 1998.
- 28 Jan 1998
EU Level: Big pay gap remains between men and women<#PDF_LINK>A December 1997 report from Eurostat shows a persistent discrepancy between the pay of men and women. The report, which covers four Member States, shows the highest pay differentials to be in the UK, followed by France, Spain and Sweden. The greatest pay inequalities are found in the higher income groups, the older age groups and among the most highly educated. Here, we present the report's findings, the European policy context on equal pay and equal opportunity, and an analysis of the reasons for pay differentials between men and women.
- 28 Jan 1998
EU Level: ETUC calls for social clauses in trade agreements<#PDF_LINK>In December 1997, the executive committee of the European Trade Union Confederation adopted a resolution which calls for "social clauses" to be inserted into all European Union trade agreements. The abolition of forced and child labour, as well as the guaranteeing of minimum standards of working conditions at the international level are among the main preoccupations of such clauses. This issue has also been considered in the sectoral social dialogue, in the context of an increasing focus on ethical standards in trading.
- 28 Jan 1998
EU Level: High-level expert group launched to discuss industrial change<#PDF_LINK>In line with the conclusions of the Luxembourg Employment Summit in November 1997, the European Commission launched a high-level expert group charged with analysing industrial change and its impact in January 1998. Members of the group were selected on the basis of their experience with large-scale industrial restructuring.
- 28 Jan 1998
EU Level: ETUC launches proposals for new social Action Programme<#PDF_LINK>In December 1997, the European Trade Union Confederation launched its proposals for a new social policy Action Programme, calling for the integration of a social dimension into the EU's wider objectives.
- 28 Jan 1998
EU Level: Social partners deliver their opinions on the Davignon report<#PDF_LINK>Following the publication of the findings of the expert group on worker involvement in the European Company, and the subsequent initiative by the Luxembourg Presidency on a new legislative proposal, the European social partners at intersectoral level delivered their opinions on these recommendations in late 1997. These show a continuing divergence of views on the form and scope of worker involvement in the European Company.
- 28 Jan 1998
EU Level: European maritime social partners agree on working time aboard ships<#PDF_LINK>Workers in the maritime sector were among those excluded from the 1993 EU working time Directive. Since then, the European social partners in the sector have been negotiating on maximum working hours and rest periods, and an accord was signed in December 1997 which aims to set binding standards.
- 28 Jan 1998
EU Level: Commissioner Flynn launches major new industrial relations database on the Web<#PDF_LINK>On 22 January 1998 in Brussels, Pádraig Flynn, the European Commissioner responsible for employment, social affairs and industrial relations, officially launchedEIROnline, the major new database on industrial relations in Europe.
- 28 Jan 1998
Finland: Second incomes policy agreement for employment is signed<#PDF_LINK>In December 1997, the Finnish social partners signed an incomes policy agreement for the period from January 1998 to January 2000. The agreement - which is probably one of the most comprehensive in Finnish history, covering over 98% of wage-earners - provides for pay increases which will raise average labour costs by about 2.6% in 1998 and 1.7% in 1999.
- 28 Jan 1998
Finland: The Finnish Ship's Officers Union stays outside the incomes policy agreement<#PDF_LINK>The Finnish Ship's Officers Union has not approved the country's new central incomes policy agreement, which was signed on 12 December 1997 by STTK, the confederation to which it belongs. According to the union, the reason for its refusal is an imbalance in pay between crew and officers, which need to be adjusted.
- 28 Jan 1998
Finland: Lawyers reject incomes policy agreement<#PDF_LINK>The Association of Finnish Lawyers has rejected the new national incomes policy agreement, which was approved by AKAVA, the confederation to which it belongs, on 12 December 1997. The Association believes that pay for state lawyers is well below that for equal work in the private sector
- 28 Jan 1998
France: Widespread protests by unemployed people: towards a new form of social movement?<#PDF_LINK>In December 1997 and January 1998, France has seen a growing wave of protests by unemployed people, which has grown from specific local actions into a nationwide movement. The demands of the protesters have challenged both the Government and the trade unions which co-manage the unemployment insurance fund, and raised basic questions about the collective representation of unemployed people and the financial support for those unemployed long-term.
- 28 Jan 1998
France: Strikes in France in 1996: return to normal levels?<#PDF_LINK>The number of working days lost through strikes in France in 1996 decreased sharply from the number recorded in 1995, according to figures published in late 1997. Rates are now back to levels registered in the early 1990s.
- 28 Jan 1998
France: Worker buyout at shoe factory<#PDF_LINK>A January 1998 ruling by the Commercial Court in Paris has enabled some of the former workers of a Bally shoe factory to take it over and restart production.
- 28 Jan 1998
France: Civil service negotiations deadlocked<#PDF_LINK>Negotiations in the French civil service reached deadlock in January 1998 over pay increases and working time reductions.
- 28 Jan 1998
Greece: Union proposals to enforce health and safety legislation at the workplace<#PDF_LINK>Prompted by the fatal accident that took place on 3 January 1998 in a paper mill inThrace, the Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) has proposed a series of measures to deal with the problem of industrial accidents. The accident once again brought to the fore the question of health and safety at the workplace, highlighting the nationwide problem of non-implementation of the proper measures. The GSEE attributes industrial accidents to reductions in production costs which have a negative impact on safety conditions.
- 28 Jan 1998
Greece: Government seeks reform of labour relations in public enterprises<#PDF_LINK>The Greek Government is seeking to alter the way in which labour relations are conducted in public enterprises, by means of an article of a taxation bill submitted to Parliament in January 1998. This has aroused strong opposition amongst the trade unions and has given rise to strike action.
- 28 Jan 1998
Greece: Trade union confederation sets out demands for 1998<#PDF_LINK>In December 1997, Greece's GSEE trade union confederation invited employers' organisations to open negotiations for a new National General Collective Agreement for 1998, and set out its demands.
- 28 Jan 1998
Greece: Report proposes improvements in public administration<#PDF_LINK>A report on the service offered by the Greek public administration, released in January 1998, contains proposals aimed at achieving greater efficiency, greater responsibility amongst public servants, better management of the workforce and a better response to citizens' needs.
- 28 Jan 1998
Ireland: New report on social partnership<#PDF_LINK>A report on social partnership in Ireland, published in December 1997, has posed some difficult questions for trade unions, employers and government. The report, while acknowledging the social partners' efforts in widening the concept of social partnership to include community and voluntary groups and their contribution towards informing public policy, points to a number of severe challenges and tests. It makes a number of important recommendations, which include a renewed vision and role for social partnership in Ireland.
- 28 Jan 1998
Ireland: Union recognition report supports continuation of voluntarist approach<#PDF_LINK>A set of draft proposals on the issue of trade union recognition, drawn up by a group of the main social partner organisations, advocates the maintenance of Ireland's "voluntarist" approach to union recognition. The draft was leaked to the press in January 1998.
- 28 Jan 1998
Ireland: Government accepts record equal pay award<#PDF_LINK>The Irish Government has decided not appeal against a record equal pay award of IEP 100,000 made in November 1997 to four women employed by the state-run Irish Aviation Authority, after the Labour Court determined that they had been discriminated against on grounds of sex.
- 28 Jan 1998
Italy: Single European currency already creating jobs in Italy<#PDF_LINK>An agreement signed in Pistoia, Italy in December 1997 by metalworkers' trade unions and the Europa Metalli company has created 20 new jobs, manufacturing the metal to be used in the new Euro coins.
- 28 Jan 1998
Italy: Social partners oppose child labour in Italy<#PDF_LINK>January 1998 saw a debate among the Italian social partners on the use of child labour in the country.
- 28 Jan 1998
Italy: Reorganisation deal signed at Barilla group<#PDF_LINK>In December 1997, management and trade unions signed a major agreement on the reorganisation of Barilla - Italy's largest food group - and on investments and new jobs.
- 28 Jan 1998
Italy: Collective agreement signed for temporary agency workers<#PDF_LINK>A first collective agreement regulating the terms and conditions of employment for employees of Italy's temporary work agencies was signed by sectoral trade unions and employers' associations in December 1997.
- 28 Jan 1998
Italy: Union confederations sign agreement on supporting job creation in the South<#PDF_LINK>Labour flexibility has returned to the agenda in Italy after the Cgil, Cisl and Uil trade union confederations reached agreement in December 1997 on "guidelines to follow in negotiations between the social partners to support the growth of investment and job creation in the Mezzogiorno". The agreement has provided the opportunity for discussion of some of the issues that will be addressed in forthcoming talks on both the 35-hour working week and the revision of the central agreement of July 1993.
- 28 Jan 1998
Italy: European Court of Justice finds Italian state monopoly of job placement services is illegitimate<#PDF_LINK>A December 1997 ruling by theEuropean Court of Justicehas declared that the Italian state's monopoly of job placement services is contrary to the principles of free competition, and is therefore illegitimate. The judgment comes at a time when the job placement system is being reformed in Italy, and is therefore likely to accelerate the move towards the greater liberalisation of labour market mediation in the country.
- 28 Jan 1998
Luxembourg: Strike called in public transport<#PDF_LINK>Luxembourg's two public transport trade unions called a 48-hour strike in January 1998 in protest against the Government's intention to reduce their members' pensions.
- 28 Jan 1998
Luxembourg: Tripartite meetings on employment scheduled for February<#PDF_LINK>The Luxembourg Government has arranged five tripartite meetings for the month of February 1998; they are aimed at planning and creating new jobs.
- 28 Jan 1998
Luxembourg: Agreement signed at Cargolux SA<#PDF_LINK>A new three-year collective agreement was signed at Cargolux SA, the Luxembourg air freight company, in December 1997. It contains substantial improvements, including the restoration of certain benefits lost in 1995.
- 28 Jan 1998
Luxembourg: Cooperation deal signed by Employment Administration and temporary agencies<#PDF_LINK>In December 1997, Luxembourg's Employment Administration and the Union of Temporary Employment Agencies signed an agreement, aimed at better using temporary work top help unemployed people return to the labour market.
- 28 Jan 1998
Netherlands: Corporate governance: Dutch system under fire?<#PDF_LINK>In late 1997, a legislative proposal was submitted to the Dutch Parliament to reduce the use of anti-takeover measures in listed companies. A few months earlier, the Corporate Governance Committee had issued its final report. Discussions surrounding corporate governance have focused on the position of shareholders vis-à-vis the management board and the supervisory board members. The trade union movement has particularly criticised the lack of attention paid to workers' interests.
- 28 Jan 1998
Netherlands: Unions claim higher basic wages while employers offer performance-related pay<#PDF_LINK>The trade union in the Netherlands' trend-setting metalworking industry is demanding a 4.75% increase in pay for 1998. By contrast, the VNO-NCW employers' organisation wants to eliminate pay scales based on automatic wage increases and would rather pay variable wages based on individual performance.
- 28 Jan 1998
Netherlands: Civil service union supports better pay for workers on job-creation schemes<#PDF_LINK>December 1997 and January 1998 have seen industrial action in public transport and refuse collection, called by the Dutch civil service trade union, AbvaKabo, in support of wage claims by workers recruited on several job-creation schemes. Amsterdam city council will meet the demands, while the city of Leiden has also taken a positive stance.
- 28 Jan 1998
Netherlands: Employability proves to be thorny issue in bargaining round<#PDF_LINK>Employers and trade unions in the Netherlands cannot seem to agree on subjects relating to "employability" during the 1998 collective bargaining round.
- 28 Jan 1998
Norway: Minister proposes lifting the ban on private employment agencies<#PDF_LINK>In January 1998, the Norwegian Minister of Labour and Government Administration, Eldbjørg Løwer, called for the lifting of the country's ban on private employment agencies. This followed a similar proposal to reform the Directorate of Employment put forward in December 1997 by its Director.
- 28 Jan 1998
Norway: Uncertainty associated with the 1998 pay negotiations<#PDF_LINK>During the spring of 1998 most of the pay agreements in Norway are to be renegotiated. It is anticipated that the right to further education and training will be a central issue during this year's settlement.
- 28 Jan 1998
Norway: Few strikes in Norway during 1997<#PDF_LINK>1997 was a year with few industrial conflicts in Norway, according to recently published statistics. The six-week strike on mobile oil installations in the North Sea during the autumn was the only major labour dispute during 1997.
- 28 Jan 1998
Norway: Wage growth figures for 1997<#PDF_LINK>The average wage growth in 1997 for Norwegian wage earners is estimated to have been 4.25%, according to statistics compiled as a basis for the 1998 bargaining round. For the first time, wage growth for top management within the private sector has also been estimated, and it is indicated that top managers have had higher than average wage growth.
- 28 Jan 1998
Portugal: Equal opportunities dominate bargaining in footwear industry<#PDF_LINK>Bargaining over equal opportunities has been a central element in the 1998 round of negotiations in the Portuguese footwear industry. Even though equal rights and, above all, equal pay are guaranteed by law and collective bargaining, inequality continues because of structural and cultural factors. Positive actions taken by workers and trade unions have centred around structuring careers and overcoming cultural barriers.
- 28 Jan 1998
Portugal: Social partners discuss national minimum wage<#PDF_LINK>In January 1998, the Portuguese Government presented the social partners with the results of a study on the increase in the national minimum wage for 1998. Neither trade unions nor employers agree with the Government's proposals.
- 28 Jan 1998
Portugal: Outsourcing at Petrogal leads to labour tension<#PDF_LINK>Worker representatives are aiming to guarantee acquired rights at Petrogal, a Portuguese oil-refining company which is engaged in a process of "outsourcing", and the dispute resulted in strike action in December 1997. Information and consultation are seen as mechanisms through which workers can participate.
- 28 Jan 1998
Sweden: Paper industry agreement likely to set the standard for other sectors<#PDF_LINK>Negotiations on wages and general terms of employment for workers in the paper and pulp industry were completed in January 1998 with the conclusion of three-year agreements, which provide for reductions in working time and small increases in nominal pay. As the first agreements in private industry, the deals traditionally set the standard in subsequent negotiations in other sectors. The negotiations also represented the first time that the 1997 procedural agreement for industry was put to the test.
- 28 Jan 1998
Sweden: Pensioner wins challenge to collective agreement<#PDF_LINK>A pensioner who was challenging the central collective agreement on pensions for municipal workers won his case in the Stockholm District Court on 29 December 1997. The court ruled that his trade union did not have the authority to agree on inferior pension terms for its members. The former employer has appealed against the judgment.
- 28 Jan 1998
Sweden: New act grants workers leave of absence to start own businesses<#PDF_LINK>On 1 January 1998, a new act came into force in Sweden which grants employees six months' leave of absence in order to start or work in their own businesses.
- 28 Jan 1998
Sweden: Employers praise unusual agreement for energy enterprises<#PDF_LINK>On 1 January 1998 a new collective agreement for 15,000 employees in Swedish energy enterprises came into force. It is unusual in several respects: employers and company trade union branches are authorised to deviate from all of its provisions, and it has no rules on temporary employment contracts. This means that unions which earlier objected to 1997's modifications of the Employment Security Act have now accepted them.
- 28 Jan 1998
Sweden: Committee proposes Act prohibiting discrimination against disabled people<#PDF_LINK>Sweden needs an act which prohibits discrimination in working life against people with disabilities, according to a report presented in December 1997 by an official committee.
- 28 Jan 1998
EU Countries: The EU parental leave agreement and Directive: implications for national law and practice<#PDF_LINK>The December 1995 framework agreement on parental leave was the first such accord between the EU-level social partners, and was given legal force by a Council Directive in June 1996. This comparative study: outlines current parental leave provisions in the Member States (plus Norway); examines the perceptions of the framework agreement/Directive and the changes it requires in national provisions; and assesses the practical impact of current parental leave provisions and the likely effect of the agreement/Directive.
- 28 Jan 1998
United Kingdom: Fashionable flexibility?<#PDF_LINK>In November 1997, the general secretary of the UK's Trades Union Congress gave a speech arguing that flexibility has become too much of a "fashionable buzzword", with very little thought given to its meaning or the policy implications of its use. This feature explores the issue.
- 28 Jan 1998
United Kingdom: Costs of UK labour turnover increase<#PDF_LINK>A survey of labour turnover, published in December 1997, by theInstitute of Personnel and Developmentindicated that the cost of replacing staff has increased significantly in the UK in the last 12 months.
- 28 Jan 1998
United Kingdom: Union recognition: UK social partners reach partial agreement<#PDF_LINK>In December 1998, the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress published a joint statement on statutory trade union recognition in advance of the UK Government's forthcoming White Paper on the issue. We highlight the areas of agreement and disagreement, and assess its likely influence on government policy.
- 28 Jan 1998
United Kingdom: Equal opportunities on social partners' agenda<#PDF_LINK>Late 1997 and early 1998 have seen a number of reports confirming persistent problems of sex and race inequality in the UK. Concern over such issues has led to a new initiative intended to raise awareness of the problem among both employers and employees.
- 28 Jan 1998
United Kingdom: Little cheer at Christmas for many workers<#PDF_LINK>Several reports focusing on the treatment of workers over the Christmas 1997 period have highlighted what some see as the growing exploitation and general poor treatment of many UK workers.
- 28 Jan 1998
United Kingdom: New Jaguar model to be produced at Halewood<#PDF_LINK>In January 1998, Jaguar announced that its new car will be produced at Ford's Halewood plant in the UK, to the surprise of some and the delight of trade unions.