July 2000
- 28 Jul 2000
Austria: Social democrats win Chamber of Labour elections<#PDF_LINK>May 2000 saw the conclusion of the elections to Austria's regional Chambers of Labour, which represent employees in the country's system of social partnership. The faction affiliated to the Social Democratic Party was the comfortable winner, gaining nearly 60% of the votes. The results of the elections are generally regarded as a signal of opposition to the centre-right government coalition and its reform policies.
- 28 Jul 2000
Austria: Conflicts highlight regulation of industrial disputes<#PDF_LINK>In late June 2000, Austrian trade unions held a nationwide "day of action" in opposition to the welfare reform plans of the right-wing government. The action included the first strikes held in Austria for some years, and confrontation is likely to continue. The dispute has focused attention on important aspects of the regulation of strikes.
- 28 Jul 2000
Belgium: Tension and agreement in French-speaking not-for-profit sector<#PDF_LINK>In June 1999, following difficult negotiations and serious skirmishes between employers, government and trade unions, an agreement was reached on improving the status of the not-for profit sector (healthcare and socio-cultural activities) in Belgium's French-speaking community (Wallonia and Brussels). The difficulties arose because the sector is underfinanced, the French-speaking community faces structural difficulties and there are extreme discrepancies within this heterogeneous sector.
- 28 Jul 2000
Belgium: Government agrees bill on local services and local jobs<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the Belgian government agreed on a draft bill introducing a voucher system for the provision of "local services" to households (domestic help, childcare etc). The system will most probably be implemented in September, after its approval by the federal parliament. It aims to guarantee formal employment and "professionalisation" in a sector that has been quite unstable until now, due to both highly sensitive labour relations and complex government subsidy schemes. The social partners are generally in favour of the new system. They are also relieved in at least one respect: at last, the government has clearly voiced its main aims in this field.
- 28 Jul 2000
Germany: Interim report on 2000 collective bargaining round<#PDF_LINK>In July 2000, the WSI research institute presented an interim report on Germany's 2000 collective bargaining round. The study evaluates collective agreements concluded in the first half of 2000, affecting about 57% of all employees covered by an agreement. The average increase in wages and salaries will be around 2.3% in 2000 - significantly lower than the average increase of 3.0% recorded in 1999, but still higher than the 1.8% increase in 1998.
- 28 Jul 2000
Germany: New provisions on parental leave and childcare payments<#PDF_LINK>In July 2000, the German parliament adopted new provisions on parental leave and childcare payments. For the first time, both parents are allowed to take parental leave at the same time and have the right to work part-time during this period. Furthermore, the number of families which are entitled to receive childcare payments will increase.
- 28 Jul 2000
Germany: Alliance for Jobs agrees to support vocational training and lifelong qualification<#PDF_LINK>In July 2000, leading representatives of the German federal government, trade unions and employers associations met officially for their sixth round of top-level talks within the National Alliance for Jobs, Training and Competitiveness. In the run-up to the meeting, several topics were excluded from the agenda with the result that its outcome was not satisfactory for the participants. Nevertheless, they agreed to promote vocational training, to compensate overtime work with "vouchers" instead of money and to introduce "job-rotation".
- 28 Jul 2000
Denmark: Third time lucky: Falck agreement approved<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, ambulance workers and firefighters employed by Denmark's Falck private rescue service approved a revised compromise collective agreement in a third ballot, thus ending a three-week strike. The dispute highlighted a problem in the Danish bargaining system: the difficult of reaching agreements with a four-year term (as occurred in the 2000 bargaining round) in the sectors covered by the "normal wage" system - whereby central bargaining sets pay levels and there is no local bargaining during the term of the agreement - where two-year deals are the norm. However, a new wage system introduced in the third version of the Falck agreement may pave the way to a solution of these problems.
- 28 Jul 2000
Denmark: Professional associations' journals launch campaign against xenophobia<#PDF_LINK>A study of 300 personnel managers commissioned by the journals of 13 Danish professional associations indicates that one out of five public sector managers and one out of 10 public sector managers believe that highly educated immigrants and refugees do not belong in their organisation. The reasons most commonly cited are language and cultural barriers, as well as scepticism as to the quality of foreign education programmes. The study was commissioned as part of a joint campaign, entitled "Professional journals against xenophobia", launched in June 2000.
- 28 Jul 2000
Denmark: New Holiday Act introduces more flexibility<#PDF_LINK>In May 2000 the Danish parliament adopted a new Holiday Act which will come into operation by the turn of the year 2001. The new law increases flexibility as to when the holiday is to be taken - primarily by making it possible to conclude agreements concerning the transfer of one of the five weeks of statutory annual leave from one holiday year to the next. The new rules have been introduced after many years of discussion and reflect a strengthening of the role of the social partners. Employees in areas which are not covered by any collective agreement will also be covered by the Act, but are to follow the rules laid down in the agreement which would normally be applicable in the area concerned. The Holiday Act does not regulate the so-called "sixth week of holiday" which is currently being introduced in most Danish collective agreements in the form of "special holidays".
- 28 Jul 2000
Denmark: Care services in private hands as local authorities increase use of outsourcing<#PDF_LINK>The last strongholds of public services in Denmark seem to be falling to the continued use of outsourcing of tasks to private enterprises by municipalities, and this development will continue. These are the findings of a study carried out by the municipal sector employers' organisation, KL, and published in June 2000. The study - which is the first of this type - confirms that a growing number of local authorities want to use outsourcing in politically sensitive sectors such as care for children and elderly people.
- 28 Jul 2000
Spain: Controversy over sick leave<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the Spanish government decided to authorise the semi-public mutual insurance societies to take the decision on whether to grant employees sick leave for common illnesses, which was up to now the exclusive responsibility of the public health system. The trade unions have expressed their total rejection of the measure, which they consider to be an attack on the social protection system and a step toward the privatisation of the health service. Due to the controversy that this has raised, the government seems willing to reconsider its decision.
- 28 Jul 2000
Spain: 35-hour week agreed in Basque public administration<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the Basque government and trade unions reached an agreement to introduce a 35-hour week in the region's public administration from 2001. The agreement affects 35,000 civil servants and has been severely criticised by employers' organisations.
- 28 Jul 2000
Spain: New collective agreement signed at RENFE<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, a new collective agreement was signed at RENFE, the main Spanish railway company. The agreement was signed by all the trade unions represented on the workers' committee, following a long period of dispute and disagreements between the unio ns.
- 28 Jul 2000
Spain: Controversy over liberalisation of shop opening hours<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, measures were adopted to liberalise shop opening hours in Spain, causing great controversy. The regional governments, the employers' associations representing small and medium-sized retailers and the trade unions oppose the reform and are preparing legal challenges and mobilisations to paralyse it. The CEOE employers' confederation and the employers' associations representing large retailers are in favour of the changes.
- 28 Jul 2000
Spain: Prospects of framework regional agreement for metalworking in Catalonia<#PDF_LINK>In May 2000, representatives of metalworking employers in the four provinces of Catalonia agreed for the first time to start talks aimed at establishing collective bargaining at regional rather than provincial level. This is a notable initiative in Spain, where bargaining levels are often confused and overlapping.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: Social issues debated at Feira Council<#PDF_LINK>The final European Council meeting of the outgoing Portuguese EU Presidency was held in Feira on 19–20 June 2000. The Council debated a number of social policy-related issues, including follow-up measures to the March 2000 Lisbon summit, institutional reform, and a "European charter for small enterprises".
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: Commission consults social partners on modernisation of work<#PDF_LINK>In late June 2000, the European Commission issued a first consultation document to the European-level social partners on the issue of "modernising and improving employment relations". This consultation in is line with the conclusions of the March 2000 Lisbon European Council, which agreed to encourage the social partners to take a more active role in the modernisation of the "European social model".
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: Commission proposes social package for road transport sector<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the European Commission issued a Communication setting out a series of measures relating to working time, employment conditions and vocational training in the road transport sector. The issue of working time in road transport has been particularly contentious, as it is now the only sector still excluded from the scope of the 1993 working time Directive.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: EPSU agrees framework for coordinated action<#PDF_LINK>At its sixth general assembly, the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) agreed in April 2000 to put into place a framework for joint collective action, which it hopes could pave the way to a coordinated system of collective bargaining in Europe's public services.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: Costs and benefits of EWCs assessed<#PDF_LINK>Research published in the UK in June 2000 evaluates the costs and benefits of establishing European Works Councils (EWCs) in 10 major multinational companies. The costs of annual EWC meetings were found to vary significantly between companies, with the major factor being the cost of translation and interpreting. Most companies perceived the benefits of EWCs as largely symbolic.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: Informal Employment Council maps out agenda for French Presidency<#PDF_LINK>An informal meeting of the Employment and Social Policy Council on 8 July 2000 in Paris set the social priorities for the French EU Presidency of the second half of 2000. It focuses on the European Commission's recently-issued social policy agenda, making progress on the national information and consultation draft Directive and combating poverty and exclusion.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: Commission proposes fifth gender equality programme<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the European Commission issued a proposal for an action programme to promote equality between men and women. The programme will take over from the existing gender equality programme, which expires at the end of 2000, and will run from the beginning of 2001 until 2005. The programme focuses on the promotion of gender mainstreaming, research, analysis and exchange of views and best practice, although it also makes some concrete proposals for legislative review.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: The impact of EMU on industrial relations<#PDF_LINK>The coming of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is one of the defining moments in the development of European integration. There has been considerable speculation about the implications of this momentous event for industrial relations - but so far little empirical research. This feature reviews the main points to emerge from a recent six-country programme of company case studies in three sectors, involving interviews with representatives of employers' organisations, management, trade unions and works councils.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Level: Commission issues new five-year social policy agenda<#PDF_LINK>In late June 2000, the European Commission issued a Communication on a new social policy agenda in which it sets out its proposed social policy objectives and actions over the coming five years. All the main social policy issues are covered, including gender equality, discrimination, the new work environment and fundamental rights. The social partners are also called on to play an active role in the development of policy.
- 28 Jul 2000
Finland: Government agrees to grant subsidies for shipping<#PDF_LINK>The Finnish Government's ministerial committee for economic policy decided in June 2000 to favour measures that will improve the prerequisites for the competitiveness of the Finnish merchant shipping fleet. The government will submit bills to parliament on subsidising shipowners in the form of lower taxes and contributions. The sector's social partners, who had called for such measures, seem relatively satisfied with the decision.
- 28 Jul 2000
France: Controversial bill on employee savings programmes<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the French government announced the contents of a forthcoming bill reforming employee savings schemes, which include various forms of profit-sharing. The bill, to be debated in parliament in October, has met with opposition from the trade unions.
- 28 Jul 2000
France: Report examines precarious employment and poverty<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, France's National Economic Planning Agency issued a report examining minimum social benefits, work-related income and precarious employment, highlighting the problems of the national welfare system. It recommends a number of reforms of labour market regulation, unemployment benefit and other aspects of social security.
- 28 Jul 2000
France: Negotiations on precarious employment in the civil service<#PDF_LINK>In late June 2000, a protocol agreement was reached by the Minister for the Civil Service and State Reform and trade unions on "the progressive elimination of insecure employment in the three branches of the civil service, and improved management of employment within the public services". The deal, which the unions had until 10 July to ratify, will give official civil servant status to many workers currently on fixed-term contracts.
- 28 Jul 2000
France: Government considers endorsement of UNEDIC agreement<#PDF_LINK>A draft agreement reforming France's UNEDIC unemployment insurance was reached in June 2000 by employers' organisations and the CFDT and CFTC trade union confederations (but not CFE-CGC, CGT and CGT-FO). However, it did not prove possible to implement the agreement by 1 July 2000, the expiry date of the existing UNEDIC accord. Therefore, the government passed a decree extending, indefinitely, the existing agreement. The government has thus gained extra time in which to consider carefully whether it should endorse the new agreement in the current sensitive political climate.
- 28 Jul 2000
France: The SMIC in the age of the 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>As it does every year, the French government reviewed and raised the SMIC national minimum wage as of 1 July 2000. However, this year, due to the implementation of the law on the 35-hour working week, two different levels of pay, corresponding to two separate SMICs, have been laid down.
- 28 Jul 2000
France: Working time dominated bargaining in 1999<#PDF_LINK>The reduction of working time drove the collective bargaining process in France during 1999. The number of company-level agreements rose by over 130%, while sector-level bargaining was dominated by the implementation of the 35-hour working week, enabling 4.5 million employees to have their working time reduced. These are the main findings of the Ministry of Employment and Solidarity's annual bargaining report, issued in June 2000.
- 28 Jul 2000
France: New job creation pushes unemployment below 10%<#PDF_LINK>Since early July 1997, exceptionally strong employment growth has pushed down the unemployment rate in France, which fell below 10% in April 2000. A return to full employment is now a real possibility, but raises the issue of "hard-core" unemployment. In spite of the fact that unemployment remains high, some sectors are already experiencing problems in meeting their labour requirements.
- 28 Jul 2000
France: Doctors' organisations opposing current health insurance policy make election gains<#PDF_LINK>Since 1995, the French government and health insurance system have been actively promoting a policy of curbing health spending and improving the quality of healthcare. The results of the recent elections of representatives among independent doctors, published in June 2000, demonstrated relatively widespread hostility to the approach adopted by the government and health insurance system.
- 28 Jul 2000
Greece: Government proposes changes to industrial relations<#PDF_LINK>In July 2000, the Greek government announced a set of proposals aimed at increasing employment and reducing unemployment. The proposed measures, which will be subject to a process of social dialogue before being finalised, include a number of changes in the industrial relations area, including greater flexibility in working time rules at the discretion of management and reduced employers' social security contributions. The proposals met with a strong reaction from the trade unions.
- 28 Jul 2000
Ireland: New forms of employee financial participation<#PDF_LINK>In view of the pressures and tensions generated by economic growth and membership of the "euro-zone", the Irish government and social partners have paid increased attention to new payment systems such as gainsharing, because they represent an alternative, and flexible, means of rewarding workers. In mid-2000, however, the coverage of such schemes is still relatively modest. This is unlikely to change to any significant extent in the future under Ireland's "voluntarist" industrial relations framework.
- 28 Jul 2000
Ireland: Prime Minister targets key posts for women<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the Irish Prime Minister announced a target of ensuring that a third of positions in one of the country's top civil service grades, that of assistant principal, will be filled by women applicants within the next five years.
- 28 Jul 2000
Ireland: Postal workers agree share scheme and working time changes<#PDF_LINK>Management and trade unions at An Post, Ireland's state-owned postal company, concluded an agreement in July 2000 on an employee share-ownership plan, new cost-saving working patterns and a small number of redundancies.
- 28 Jul 2000
Italy: Uil general secretary becomes president of Cnel<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, Pietro Larizza, the general secretary of the Uil trade union confederation, was appointed president of Italy's consultative National Council for Economic Affairs and Labour (Cnel), despite the opposition of the Confindustria employers' confederation. Luigi Angeletti succeeded Mr Larizza as Uil general secretary.
- 28 Jul 2000
Italy: Unions draw up demands for new company agreement at Fiat<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, metalworkers' trade unions presented a platform of demands to the Fiat motor manufacturing group for a new company agreement, which may mark the beginning of a new form of decentralised bargaining in Italy. The unions' demands are influenced by the company's new organisational structure and by the alliance agreement recently signed with the US-based General Motors. The main demands concern employment, job-classification levels, industrial relations and profit-related pay.
- 28 Jul 2000
Italy: Sectoral agreement signed in telecommunications<#PDF_LINK>Liberalisation and privatisation of the Italian telecommunications market has led to the creation of many new companies in the sector, creating a situation of confusion in collective bargaining. In June 2000, the national trade union and employers' confederations reacted by signing an agreement which regulates pay, conditions and industrial relations for all the companies operating in the sector. The agreement is the first example of a new form of bargaining organisation that the trade unions are seeking.
- 28 Jul 2000
Italy: On-call jobs rejected by Electrolux-Zanussi workers<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, an agreement at Electrolux Zanussi sought to introduce "on-call jobs" for the first time in Italy. The agreement was negotiated by the three metalworking sector trade unions, Fiom-Cgil, Fim-Cisl and Uil-Uilm, and approved by the company's Rsu worker representative bodies. However, the deal was rejected in a workforce referendum in July, and Fiom-Cgil now opposes the agreement. As well as causing divisions among the unions, the on-call jobs initiative has also prompted debate among labour law experts.
- 28 Jul 2000
Italy: Employee share-ownership: agreement at Dalmine while debate resumes<#PDF_LINK>At the end of May 2000, an important agreement on employee share-ownership was reached at Dalmine, a leading Italian manufacturer of unwelded steel tubes. The agreement also provides for the possibility of a representative of worker shareholders sitting on the board of directors. At the same time, a speech by the governor of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fazio, has sparked debate on the so-called "share economy", based on workforce involvement, in which share ownership would be an important component.
- 28 Jul 2000
Italy: Recent developments in collective bargaining in the artisanal sector<#PDF_LINK>The issue of reforming the bargaining structure has recently moved to the top of the Italian industrial relations agenda. This is especially true in the artisanal (small crafts businesses) sector, where employers' organisations want the role of local, territorial-level bargaining to be enhanced at the expense of the national level. The Confartigianato employers' organisation has been highly critical of the present bargaining system in the artisanal sector, and in May 2000 withdrew from a 1992 inter-confederation agreement which established a two-tier bargaining structure, divided between the national sectoral and territorial levels.
- 28 Jul 2000
Luxembourg: Strike in building sector avoided at 11th hour<#PDF_LINK>Following lengthy negotiations, and with a strike looming, a new collective agreement was signed for Luxembourg's building sector in June 2000. The deal disregards the opportunities for working time flexibility opened up by legislation adopted in 1999, and limits its scope to modest pay rises.
- 28 Jul 2000
Luxembourg: New pay agreement signed in civil service<#PDF_LINK>A new pay agreement was signed in the Luxembourg civil service in late May 2000. It provides for pay increases of almost 6% over two years and introduces part-time working in the civil service. The outcome could have repercussions for pay bargaining in the private sector, with many seeing it as signalling a break with pay moderation.
- 28 Jul 2000
Netherlands: Managers at listed companies obliged to reveal salaries<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the Dutch cabinet announced that it will introduce legislation to oblige companies listed on the stock exchange to reveal the salaries of individual managers.
- 28 Jul 2000
Netherlands: Separate collective agreements signed for most large banks<#PDF_LINK>At the close of 1999, the sector-wide collective agreement for the Dutch banking sector ended. By the end of June 2000, all major banks except ING had reached company agreements.
- 28 Jul 2000
Netherlands: 2000 collective bargaining round progresses relatively quietly<#PDF_LINK>The average wage increase amounted to 3.4% in the most important collective agreements concluded in the Netherlands' 2000 collective bargaining round up until the end of June. It is noteworthy that numerous agreements now include agreements on performance-based payment in some form. It is also evident from a report published by the Labour Inspectorate that more and more agreements include provisions on the integration and reintegration of partially disabled people, employability, job opportunities and flexible pension schemes.
- 28 Jul 2000
Norway: Compulsory arbitration ends strikes<#PDF_LINK>At the end of June 2000, the Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Regional Development made use of compulsory arbitration to end a strike by social workers in Oslo. This governmental intervention was one of four in the 2000 bargaining round, which saw several small strikes, alongside the major dispute in the private sector area covered by the LO trade union confederation and NHO employers' confederation.
- 28 Jul 2000
Norway: Public committee proposes continued cooperation on incomes policy<#PDF_LINK>A public committee that has been considering the issue of "employment and value creation" in Norwegian working life delivered its report in late June 2000. The committee emphasises the objective of maintaining wage growth at the level of Norway's trading partners, with the view to safeguarding high levels of employment and a stable economy. The committee supports a continuation of cooperation on incomes policy matters, with a strong coordination of wage formation.
- 28 Jul 2000
Norway: AF union confederation to be dissolved in 2001<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the council of representatives of the the Confederation of Norwegian Professional Associations (AF) decided to dissolve the organisation, marking the culmination of a long period of turbulence within AF. The confederation will be formally dissolved in 2001.
- 28 Jul 2000
Portugal: New Basic Law on Social Security adopted<#PDF_LINK>In July 2000, a new Basic Law on Social Security was adopted in Portugal. While a number of reforms have been made aimed at improving the system's operation and ensuring its future finances, the basic state-managed nature of social security has not been changed. There are also new ways of involving the social partners in the management of the system. Trade unions and employers' organisations have differing views of the new legislation and of their role in managing social security.
- 28 Jul 2000
Portugal: Industrial relations in the fishing industry<#PDF_LINK>In 2000, the Portuguese fishing industry is contracting and facing problems such as falling catches, modernisation requirements, an ageing workforce and restrictions imposed in order to preserve stocks, particularly arising from EU policies. Here, we examine industrial relations in the sector, which is marked by the existence of several types of fishing, governed by very different regulations.
- 28 Jul 2000
Portugal: Collective bargaining and strikes in the first half of 2000<#PDF_LINK>Official statistics on collective bargaining and strikes in Portugal in the first half of 2000 were published in July. Collective bargaining activity remains relatively stable, if lacking innovation, while strike activity, though declining somewhat in terms of the number of strikes, has had a considerable impact. Trade unions appear to be making a major effort to coordinate their bargaining activities and taking a more active role in instigating effective industrial action.
- 28 Jul 2000
Sweden: Council proposes measures to improve gender equality in IT sector<#PDF_LINK>In late June 2000, a government-appointed Gender Equality Council for Transport and Information Technology (IT) presented a report on gender equality in the IT sector. The Council finds that IT remains a male-dominated area and makes a number of recommendations to rectify the situation, including legislation to increase women's representation on the boards of IT companies.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Countries: Wage policy and EMU<#PDF_LINK>Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) has placed new emphasis on the role of wage policy in the European Union Member States. The EU's Broad Economic Policy Guidelines and the "European employment pact" thus stress the importance of wage developments that are consistent with price stability and non-inflationary economic growth and take into account labour productivity gains. This comparative study assesses the extent to which the national systems of wage determination in the EU Member States (plus Norway) are prepared to meet the new requirements of EMU. The study examines both the outcome and the institutions of wage setting, concluding that overall they seem well prepared for the new environment.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Countries: La politique salariale et l'UEM<#PDF_LINK>L'Union économique et monétaire (UEM) a donné une nouvelle importance au rôle de la politique salariale dans les États membres de l'Union européenne. Les Grandes orientations des politiques économiques de l'UE et le "Pacte européen pour l'emploi" insistent ainsi sur l'importance de réaliser des évolutions salariales qui soient en accord avec la stabilité des prix et avec une croissance économique non inflationniste et qui tiennent compte des gains de productivité du travail. Dans la présente étude comparative, nous examinons dans quelle mesure les systèmes nationaux de fixation des salaires des États membres (plus la Norvège) sont prêts à remplir les nouvelles conditions de l'UEM. Nous analysons à la fois les résultats et les organes responsables de la fixation des salaires et nous concluons que, dans l'ensemble, ils paraissent bien préparés au nouvel environnement.
- 28 Jul 2000
EU Countries: Lohnpolitik unter den Bedingungen der Europäischen Währungsunion (EWU)<#PDF_LINK>Mit der Einführung der Europäischen Währungsunion (EWU) haben sich auch die makroökonomischen Rahmenbedingungen für die Lohnpolitik in den Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union grundlegend verändert. Da die einzelnen Nationalstaaten innerhalb der EWU nicht mehr auf flexible Wechselkurse und Zinssätze zurückgreifen können, um auf diese Weise Schwankungen in der Wirtschaftsleistung auszugleichen, besteht die Gefahr, dass die wesentlichen Anpassungsleistungen der Lohnpolitik aufgebürdet werden. Darüber hinaus hat die Lohnpolitik erhebliche Konsequenzen für die Stabilität innerhalb der EWU. Während "zu hohe" Löhne möglicherweise die Inflationsgefahr verstärken können, wirken "zu niedrige" Löhne in die entgegengesetzte Richtung und können eine Deflationsspirale in Gang setzen.
- 28 Jul 2000
United Kingdom: Workforce and management skills key to competitiveness says CBI survey<#PDF_LINK>The Confederation of British Industry's annual employment trends survey, published in May 2000, shows that employers regard workforce and management skills as crucial to raising competitiveness. A large majority of employers said that the administrative burden of employment legislation had increased.
- 28 Jul 2000
United Kingdom: Unions launch joint campaign to cut teachers' workload<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the UK's two main teaching trade unions revealed plans for a work-to-rule by teachers in a bid to reduce what the unions see as "excessive" out-of-class workloads and bureaucracy.
- 28 Jul 2000
United Kingdom: Terms of reference for review of national minimum wage announced<#PDF_LINK>In June 2000, the UK government published terms of reference for the next phase of the work of the Low Pay Commission. The Commission has been asked to prepare a third report on the impact of the national minimum wage and to make recommendations on its future up-rating.
- 28 Jul 2000
United Kingdom: Statutory trade union recognition procedure comes into force<#PDF_LINK>On 6 June 2000, a new statutory procedure came into effect in the UK, through which trade unions can seek recognition from employers for collective bargaining purposes. This feature outlines the main elements of the legislation and discusses its likely impact.