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April 2001

• 28 Apr 2001
  Austria: Far-reaching union restructuring under discussion

  In February 2001, the president of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB), Fritz Verzetnitsch, presented a new proposal for organisational reform, which would involve a substantial change in the membership domains of ÖGB's affiliated unions and a reduction in their number from 13 to eight. The initiative has launched a new round of discussions on reform within ÖGB.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Austria: Banking sector bargaining system examined

  By comparison with other sectors in Austria, collective agreements in banking cover a relatively broad range of issues and provide for pay and conditions which are comparatively favourable to the employees. This feature examines the distinctive institutions and actors of bargaining in the sector and the issues and problems that the bargaining system currently faces. In 2001, the banking social partners are reviewing the largely seniority-based payment system.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Belgium: Usinor, Arbed and Aceralia merger raises employment concerns

  The merger of the steel firms, Usinor (France), Arbed (Luxembourg) and Aceralia (Spain) to form Newco was announced in February 2001. The employment effects of the merger will vary from country to country, with trade unions fearing job losses in France and Spain and Belgium's Wallonia region, where the announcement has caused particular concern.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Belgium: Sustainable development and corporate governance high on the political agenda

  Politicians, trade unions and employers in Belgium seem to have found a common interest and area for action under the headings of "sustainable development" and good "corporate governance". This covers a range of themes, such as good business practice, corporate social responsibility, environmental protection and observance of worldwide minimum social and labour standards in production. Many events in 2000 and 2001 indicate the increasing interest in these areas, such as: an employers' conference on sustainable enterprise; a parliamentary bill to foster socially responsible production; trade union and NGO action against multinational companies that violate labour laws in third world countries; and a debate on the plight of small shareholders of the overvalued speech technology company, Lernout en Hauspie.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Belgium: Renewed industrial unrest at GB (Carrefour Belgium)

  March 2001 saw a strike at Belgium's largest retail group, less than a year after an earlier outbreak of industrial action. In the summer of 2000, the GIB chain was acquired by the French-based Carrefour, which has developed a commercial plan aimed at putting its Belgian subsidiary back on the road to profitability. It was aspects of this plan that led to the dispute in March, which was resolved at the end of the month by a draft agreement between management and trade unions. The deal includes new bonuses for staff.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Germany: New agreements signed for Lufthansa cabin and ground staff

  In March 2001, collective agreements were signed by management and the new Unified Service Sector Union (Ver.di) for 55,000 cabin and ground staff at the German airline Lufthansa. The settlement followed a warning strike by 10,000 employees. Negotiations continue between Lufthansa and the Cockpit pilots' union, which is bargaining independently of Ver.di.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Germany: First sectoral agreement on private pensions signed in construction

  In anticipation of a pending reform of the German pensions system, the social partners in the construction industry have concluded a new collective agreement on private pensions, which was due to come into force in April 2001. The new law will require workers to contribute to a private pensions scheme, and the construction industry deal thus provides for workers and employers jointly to invest a monthly sum of DEM 78 per head. However, the agreement cannot take effect until the new pensions legislation is adopted.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Germany: IG Metall seeks collective agreement on further training

  In March 2001, negotiations began over a new general agreement on pay grades for the metalworking industry in Germany's Baden Württemberg region. With pay increases themselves not due to be renegotiated until spring 2002, the IG Metall metalworkers' trade union is focusing on more qualitative issues, and especially an extension of company-level further training. It seeks, as part of a comprehensive programme for the improvement of working conditions, to make training available to the entire workforce (ending the widespread exclusion of low-skilled and older workers) and to include binding rules on training entitlements in the collective agreement. If IG Metall is successful in Baden Württemberg, it will extend its new strategy throughout the country.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Germany: IG Metall launches debate on the future

  Germany's IG Metall metalworkers' trade union has launched a "debate on the future", in order to develop new perspectives and strategies for the union, which faces dwindling membership. The debate, which is divided into three phases, will last for two years from May 2001. Over this period, IG Metall will organise opinion polls, discussion groups and conferences dealing with the future of work, trade unions, society, the economy and politics. The outcomes will be published in a manifesto and translated into practice at the IG Metall congress in 2003.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Germany: Unified Service Sector Union (ver.di) created

  After a merger process between five trade unions lasting more than three years, Germany's new Unified Service Sector Union (ver.di) was created at a founding congress in Berlin on 19-21 March 2001. With nearly 3 million members, ver.di is thought to be the largest union in the democratic world.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Denmark: Meat workers approve new agreement at third attempt

  In April 2001, workers in Denmark's meat-processing factories approved a new collective agreement in a third ballot, following the rejection of two earlier proposals. The NNF trade union and the industry's employers had expressed their surprise at the earlier rejection, given that the second proposal contained major improvements on the initial draft. The final agreement provides for a total pay increase of 9.5% over a two-year period.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Denmark: Government sets new employment targets

  The Danish government is seeking to speed up its efforts to increase the employment of excluded or at-risk groups in a new "inclusive" labour market. In a new publication issued in April 2001, the two ministers responsible for this area have called for changed attitudes on the part of all those involved so that good intentions are translated into concrete, practical work in local communities and companies. The social partners support this government initiative.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Spain: Agreement on resolving labour disputes out of court renewed

  In late January 2001, the main Spanish trade union confederations and employers' organisations renewed their national agreement on resolving labour disputes out of court, signed in 1996. The revised agreement will remain in force until the end of 2004.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Spain: Production ends at Hewlett Packard Barcelona

  In late 2000, the management of the Hewlett Packard plant at Sant Cugat in Spain announced the end of production activities, with the redundancy of 200 workers, as the US-based computer hardware and services multinational had decided to outsource production. Workers took industrial action to oppose the job losses, but were eventually forced to negotiate an improved redundancy package in February 2001.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Level: Employment and Social Policy Council prepares for Stockholm

  The EU Employment and Social Policy Council met on 6 March 2001. Ministers discussed a range of social policy issues, including preparations for the Stockholm summit meeting and safe and sustainable pension systems.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Level: Second stage of social partner consultations on teleworking

  In March 2001, the European Commission launched the second stage of European-level social partner consultations on the issue of teleworking. The social partners have been asked to consider a number of principles as a possible framework for European-level regulation of the matter.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Level: Temporary agency work negotiations break down

  Talks between the European-level social partners over an agreement on temporary agency work appeared to have broken down at the end of March 2001. The parties to the negotiations failed to agree on the issues of the conditions of recourse to temporary agency work and of equal treatment between temporary agency workers and user company employees.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Level: Board-level participation agreed at Aventis

  In March 2001, it was announced that an agreement on board-level employee participation had been reached at the Franco-German chemicals group, Aventis. The agreement, which provides for employee and trade union representatives from both France and Germany to sit on the Aventis supervisory board, is seen as an important precedent in this area.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Level: Intermediate employment targets agreed at Stockholm

  European Union heads of state and employment and social policy ministers met in Stockholm on 23–24 March 2001 at the annual spring economic and social European Council. The 2001 Council carried on the work of the 2000 Lisbon Council, focusing on the employment of older workers and setting intermediate targets for employment levels.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Level: Benchmarking and the Europeanisation of industrial relations

  The findings of research being carried out under the UK Economic and Social Research Council's "One Europe or several?" programme, published in April 2001, indicate that, rather than legal regulation and collective bargaining being the main engines of "Europeanisation" in industrial relations, developments involving "benchmarking" are to the fore. Furthermore, the research suggests that benchmarking is increasingly acquiring quasi-regulatory status, raising major questions for theory and practice.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Level: The consequences of corporate restructuring for employees and unions

  Recent research explores the implications of corporate restructuring for employees and trade unions in Europe, based on accounts of mergers and acquisitions from 10 trade unions (from seven countries) affiliated to Eurocadres, the European body representing professional and managerial staff. The study, conducted in 2000, finds both similarities and differences in the effects of restructuring, reflecting the existence of both common pressures across countries and distinctive national systems of industrial relations.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Finland: Unions reject plans for pensions reform

  In April 2001, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health published proposals for the gradual abolition of unemployment pensions (allowing early retirement for long-term unemployed people) and of individual early retirement pensions. The plans have aroused strong opposition from trade unions.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: International Womens' Day - the French perspective

  8 March 2001 was International Women's Day, and French trade unions, associations and ministries took the opportunity to take stock of the status of women in both family and working life, through a series of campaigns, events and publications.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: Public transport workers strike for retirement at 55

  In late March 2001, urban public transport systems in most French cities (excluding Paris) were hit by four days of strike action. Employees in the sector are calling for universal early retirement at the age of 55, as already enjoyed by many other transport workers.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: Civil servants continue to mobilise over pay

  In an attempt to force the government to reopen pay negotiations, France's civil service trade unions called a second strike on 22 March 2001. However, it was much less well-supported than the strike held on 30 January. The government and the unions are still at odds over back-pay for 2000, despite a proposal by the civil service minister to raise the wages of the low-paid.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: Metalworking seeks to improve integration of young and unemployed people

  An important agreement was signed in March 2001 by the social partners in the French metalworking sector, aimed at more effectively integrating young and unemployed people hired on specific employment policy contracts into collectively agreed pay and conditions.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: Agreement signed on career paths in state hospitals sector

  In March 2001, the Ministry of Employment and Solidarity signed an agreement on career paths for state-run hospital staff with five of the sector's eight trade unions. The accord aims to improve pay scales for employees nearing the end of their career and to enhance promotion opportunities.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: Referendum endorses 35-hour week deal at Michelin

  On 29 March 2001, the workforce of the French tyre manufacturer Michelin voted in favour of a draft agreement on the 35-hour week in a controversial referendum opposed by a number of trade unions.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: Globalisation blamed for restructuring at Danone and Marks & Spencer

  In March 2001, under the pressure of economic and financial globalisation, the French-based food group Danone and the UK-based retail multinational Marks & Spencer announced a restructuring of their operations, including redundancies in France and the rest of Europe. The simultaneous announcement of job losses by the two companies resulted in an angry response and retaliatory action by French workers and their representatives, backed by politicians and the government.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: Supreme court annuls decree on overtime for managerial staff

  In March 2001, France's Supreme Administrative Court annulled a January 2000 decree on the establishment of overtime quotas, in a case brought by the CFDT and the CGT trade unions. The unions had brought proceedings against the government for excluding certain types of managerial and professional staff from the scope of the annual overtime quota - set at 130 hours or 90 hours if working time is calculated over a 12-month period - since the adoption of the law on the 35-hour week in January 2000.

• 28 Apr 2001
  France: Industrial conflict breaks out at SNCF

  Late March and early April 2001 saw the organisation of a week of industrial action by France's six main rail trade unions, culminating in two day-long national strikes. The action sought to defend wages and pensions and oppose a restructuring of the SNCF railway company around its passenger and freight activities. The general industrial action was accompanied by a strike of train drivers, supported by the independent drivers' union, FGAAC, and the SUD rail union. The backdrop to the discontent is the plan to restructure the company and the overall liberalisation of the European Union rail sector.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Greece: New industrial relations legislation comes into force

  On 1 April 2001, the provisions of Law 2874/2000 regarding "employment regulations and other provisions" came into full force in Greece. In the area of industrial relations, this means changes in areas such as overtime, working time flexibility, part-time workers' pay and the definition of collective redundancies.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Greece: Government issues controversial social security proposals

  In April 2001, the Greek government announced to the social partners and the public a set of proposals on social security reform, focusing on changes in pensions. The plan involves reductions in pension benefits and less advantageous retirement terms, and has caused conflict with trade unions.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Greece: Trade union views and proposals on the 2001 NAP

  In spring 2001, the Greek government has been drawing up its new National Action Plan (NAP) for employment, in response to the EU Employment Guidelines, and conducting a dialogue with the social partners on the NAP's content. Here we outline the positions and proposals of the Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) on the NAP's "adaptability" and "equal opportunities" pillars.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Ireland: New National Centre for Partnership and Performance established

  A new National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP) was established in Ireland in early 2001 to replace the previous National Centre for Partnership (NCP). The main role of the NCPP is to provide institutional support for diffusing workplace partnership. It remains to be seen how much success the NCPP will experience in the context of Ireland's voluntarist industrial relations system.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Ireland: Union membership rises but density declines

  According to figures released in March 2001, trade union membership in Ireland rose by almost 19,000 or 3.8% in 2000. However, with overall employment across the economy growing by 4.1%, union density will have fallen further over the year.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Ireland: Social partners clash over revised terms of national agreement

  In March 2001, Ireland's largest trade union and its main employers' organisation clashed over the criteria to be used in paying the additional wage increases provided for by the recent revision of the national agreement, the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Italy: Agreement signed at Fiat Cassino

  In March 2001, an agreement was signed at the Fiat motor manufacturing plant at Cassino in southern Italy, in the context of the forthcoming production of a new model of car, the Stilo. The main points of the accord are: substantial new investments and recruitment; new vocational training measures; a new system of standard manufacturing times; and the introduction of new forms of work organisation, based on group work. The agreement was signed by two metalworkers' trade unions, Fim-Cisl and Uilm-Uil, but not by Fiom-Cgil, which opposed the provisions on manufacturing times.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Italy: Gender pay differentials examined

  Two studies published in March 2001 go some way towards filling the gap in data on pay differentials between women and men in Italy. Unsurprisingly, women are found to be paid less than men - 7.7% less among managers, 5.2% less among middle managers and 11.1% less among white-collar workers. Gender pay differentials are even wider in the South of Italy.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Italy: Negotiations on transposing fixed-term work Directive fail

  Negotiations among the Italian social partners on the transposition of the 1999 EU Directive on fixed-term work ended without results in March 2001. On 9 March, the minister of labour officially closed the negotiations, which had already been compromised by the decision of the Cgil trade union confederation to leave the bargaining table.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Italy: Career discrimination against women examined

  Two recent studies, published in April 2000 and March 2001, highlight the very low representation of women in managerial and senior positions in the private and public sectors in Italy, compared with the situation in other EU countries. The reports examine how and why women are excluded from career advancement, and propose measures to address this discrimination.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Italy: Supplementary pension funds under debate

  Supplementary pension funds, on top of the mandatory state pension system, were introduced in Italy in 1993. By the end of 2000, however, membership of supplementary funds remained at a very low level. In 2001, the social partners and government are seeking to promote supplementary pensions through an advertising campaign and tax incentives, while negotiations are due over additional funding for the schemes.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Italy: Confindustria proposes new social pact

  At its congress in March 2001, Italy's main employers' confederation, Confindustria, presented its objectives and strategies aimed at guaranteeing the country a leading position in the increasingly competitive international economy. The proposals are to be put to the new government that emerges after the May 2001 general election. Shortly after the congress, Antonio D'Amato, the Confindustria president, proposed negotiations with the trade unions on a new "social pact", covering pensions, flexibility and the end-of-service allowance (Tfr). The Cisl and Uil trade union confederations seem to have welcomed the proposal while Cgil has voiced many criticisms, and relations among the unions and between Cgil and Confindustria are deteriorating.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Italy: New rules introduced on equality advisors

  Legislative decree no. 196 of 23 May 2000 has introduced significant changes to Italy's system of "equality advisors", who are responsible for promoting female employment and enforcing sex equality law at the workplace. The decree boosts the advisors' functions, allocating an annual fund of ITL 20 billion to their activities, and creating a national network coordinated by a national advisor. The decree has also reformed the procedures for granting public funding for positive action plans in the workplace and has extended funding to new beneficiaries, like trade unions and other associations. During 2001, the new equality advisors are being jointly appointed by the minister of labour and the minister of equal opportunities.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Italy: New agreement for journalists faces up to changing profession

  A new national collective agreement for Italian journalists, signed in April 2001, introduces new rules on fixed-term employment and freelance journalists, and for the first time covers online journalism. Negotiations on the deal were marked by conflict between the Fieg employers' association and the Fnsi trade union, and by heated debate within the latter.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Luxembourg: Bank Hapoalim wins equality prize

  In March 2001, Luxembourg's Ministry for the Advancement of Women awarded its annual prize for innovative company measures to promote the employment of women to Bank Hapoalim Luxembourg SA. The prize recognised the bank's efforts to ensure equal opportunities in career development.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Netherlands: Rail unions threaten strikes as arbitration fails

  Following the rejection by trade union members of an agreed reorganisation plan for the state-owned Dutch Railways (NS) in mid-March 2001, an arbitration committee was convened, which recommended postponing introduction of a controversial new duty roster. NS management refused to do so, and the unions responded by calling for strikes. The Minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management was still seeking a solution in early April.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Netherlands: Tight labour market and inflation drive collective bargaining outcomes

  The tight labour market in the Netherlands is having an impact on collective bargaining in 2001. Most collective agreements concluded up until April include a 4% wage increase, with some displaying strong upward deviations. Warnings from the government against straying from wage moderation have met with little success so far. Negotiations in the public sector have taken centre stage following publication of a report at the start of the year outlining the sector's recruitment potential.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Netherlands: New agreement reached at Dutch railways

  Following a series of strikes over proposed new duty rosters at Dutch Railways (NS), and failed attempts at arbitration and mediation (which included the transport minister), a new agreement on the issue was signed on 23 April 2001 by management and the FNV and CNV trade unions. The deal provides for the new rosters to come into force in June 2001, as planned, but allows the works council to draw up an alternative plan. It also contains provisions on improved employment conditions. The agreement is opposed by the independent Trade Union for Engine Drivers and Conductors (VVMC).

• 28 Apr 2001
  Norway: Supreme Court reverses previous rulings in working time case

  In March 2001, the Norwegian Supreme Court reversed the rulings of lower courts when it found that the working day begins when employees start working, and not when they enter the main gates of their employer's premises. The case related to a dispute at the Statoil petrochemicals firm.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Norway: Continued rise in management salaries threatens pay moderation

  New figures issued in March 2001 by Norway's Technical Calculating Committee on Wage Settlements show that management salaries continue to rise. Top managers in large companies saw average pay increases of 27.7% from 1999 to 2000. Many commentators believe that increases in management salaries may contribute to undermining the Norwegian policy of pay moderation.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Norway: Wage growth still high

  There was a slight recovery in the Norwegian economy in 2000, according to the report of the Technical Calculating Committee on Wage Settlements, issued in March 2001. However, the tight labour market may lead to growing problems in the future in the form of a drop in productivity, and further increases in national wage growth compared with Norway's main trading partners.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Norway: Public committee proposes changes to rules on mediation and strikes

  In April 2001, a public committee which had been examining the Norwegian collective bargaining system issued its report. It proposes strengthening the authority of the state mediator in a number of areas. The proposals have met with opposition from several trade unions.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Portugal: CGTP holds day of action to highlight job insecurity and low pay

  On 24 March 2001, Portugal's CGTP trade union confederation called a national day of action to highlight increasing job insecurity and delays in fulfilling expectations of convergence with wage levels elsewhere in the EU. For its part, the UGT confederation has published a report analysing current socio-economic problems.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Portugal: TAP restructuring continues

  TAP, Portugal's ailing national airline, is currently at a difficult stage between privatisation and continuing state intervention. Against this background, early 2001 saw the announcement of further restructuring measures, involving the loss of 700 jobs, while management and unions are in disagreement over a wage freeze.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Portugal: Restructuring in multinationals hits employment in Portugal

  April 2001 saw the latest in a series of announcements of job losses in Portugal, following the restructuring of multinational companies involving closures and relocation. The redundancies have affected sectors such as textiles and clothing (Têxteis Proteu and C&J Clark), steel (Siderurgia Nacional) electronics (Indelma) and motor manufacturing (Autoeuropa-Volkswagen). The job losses, often hitting especially women and poorer regions, have prompted much criticism and debate.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Portugal: EPAL 35-hour week deal causes controversy

  In April 2001, an informal agreement was reached between management and trade unions at EPAL, the public water company in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. The innovative provisions of the deal include the introduction of a 35-hour working week by 2004 and additional holiday entitlement, which have been criticised by the AEP business association, fearing a "knock-on" effect in the private sector.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Sweden: Court rules that examination fees do not violate negative freedom of association

  In March 2001, the Swedish Labour Court issues its judgment in a dispute between the Swedish Building Workers' Union and the Swedish Construction Federation over the deduction from the wages of non-unionised workers of an "examination fee" paid to the trade union. The Court ruled that the fees did not violate the non-unionised workers right to "negative freedom of association" (ie the right not to join a union).

• 28 Apr 2001
  Sweden: Negotiations over white-collar supplementary pensions may be relaunched

  In March 2001, it was announced that the SAF employers' organisation and PTK trade union cartel were preparing for a possible relaunch of negotiations over a new "contribution"-based supplementary pensions scheme for white-collar workers in the private sector. Previous talks broke down in May 1999.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Sweden: Ericsson's Norrköping model for helping redundant workers reviewed

  In spring 2001, the Swedish-owned Ericsson electronics group announced a massive programme of redundancies in Sweden and elsewhere. These events have focused attention on the innovative project launched in 1999 to find new jobs for 587 workers made redundant earlier at the Ericsson Telecom plant in Norrköping. The "Norrköping model", widely regarded as having been very successful, brought together the company, trade unions, the Proffice temporary work agency and various local government and labour market bodies.

• 28 Apr 2001
  Sweden: Ericsson announces 2,100 redundancies in Sweden

  In late March 2001, the Swedish-owned telecommunications company Ericsson announced that 2,100 workers employed in mobile telephone production in Sweden were to be given notice of redundancy. Furthermore, contracts with 7,500 consultants operating worldwide would be terminated and production at two Ericsson mobile telephone factories in the UK would cease.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Countries: Variable pay in Europe

  Traditionally, variable pay systems - whereby employees' pay is linked in some way to individual or collective performance - have been seen as an "employers' issue", and they are generally fiercely opposed by trade unions. However, in recent years, variable pay seems to have become somewhat less controversial in Europe, and has even been given a high priority on some unions' bargaining agendas. This does not mean, however, that differences of opinion no longer exist over the real or perceived advantages or disadvantages of variable pay and its effects on productivity and competitiveness, social cohesion, industrial relations, and especially the structure of collective bargaining. Introducing or changing variable pay systems can still give rise to industrial action, or even public controversies. This EIRO comparative study examines the issue of variable pay in the 15 EU Member States, plus Norway. It looks at the incidence and development of different systems, the extent to which variable pay is covered by collective bargaining and the attitudes of the social partners, the government and the public, concluding with an analysis of the impact of variable pay on industrial relations.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Countries: La rémunération variable en Europe

  Les systèmes de rémunération variable (selon lesquels, la rémunération des travailleurs est liée dans une certaine mesure à la performance individuelle ou collective) ont traditionnellement été considérés du ressort des employeurs, et en général, les syndicats s'y opposent fermement. Toutefois, depuis quelques années, la rémunération variable semble moins controversée en Europe et constitue même une question prioritaire à l'ordre du jour des négociations de certains syndicats. Cela ne signifie pas néanmoins qu'il n'existe plus de divergences d'opinion concernant les avantages et inconvénients réels ou perçus de la rémunération variable et ses effets sur la productivité et la compétitivité, la cohésion sociale, les relations industrielles et notamment la structure des négociations collectives. L'institution ou la modification de systèmes de rémunération variable peut encore susciter des conflits sociaux voire des controverses publiques. Cette étude comparative de l'EIRO portant sur la rémunération variable dans les 15 États membres de l'UE ainsi qu'en Norvège, examine la fréquence et le développement de différents systèmes, la façon dont la rémunération variable est traitée dans les négociations collectives et l'attitude des partenaires sociaux, du gouvernement et du public, et analyse en conclusion l'impact de la rémunération variable sur les relations industrielles.

• 28 Apr 2001
  EU Countries: Variable Entlohnung in Europa

  Variable Entgeltsysteme, bei denen sich die Vergütung an der individuellen oder kollektiven Leistung orientiert, gelten seit jeher als "Steckenpferd der Arbeitgeber" und stoßen in der Regel auf den erbitterten Widerstand der Gewerkschaften. Seit einigen Jahren wird diese Frage aber in Europa nicht mehr so kontrovers gesehen, zumal ihr einige Gewerkschaften bei den Tarifverhandlungen einen hohen Stellenwert beimessen. Damit ist aber nicht gesagt, dass zu den wirklichen oder vermeintlichen Vor- und Nachteilen der variablen Entlohnung und ihren Auswirkungen auf die Produktivität und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, den sozialen Zusammenhalt, die Arbeitsbeziehungen und vor allem auf die Struktur der Tarifverhandlungen keine unterschiedlichen Auffassungen mehr bestehen. Bei der Einführung oder Änderung variabler Entgeltsysteme kann es nach wie vor zu Arbeitskämpfen oder gar zu öffentlichen Auseinandersetzungen kommen. In der vorliegenden vergleichenden Studie des Europäischen Observatoriums für die Entwicklung der Arbeitsbeziehungen (EIRO) wird die Frage der variablen Entlohnung in den 15 EU-Mitgliedstaaten sowie in Norwegen untersucht. Es wird auf die Verbreitung und Entwicklung der einzelnen Systeme, auf den Grad der Einbeziehung in kollektivrechtliche Regelungen und die Position der Sozialpartner, des Staates und der Öffentlichkeit eingegangen. Den Abschluss bildet eine Analyse der Konsequenzen, die sich aus der variablen Entlohnung für die Arbeitsbeziehungen ergeben.

• 28 Apr 2001
  United Kingdom: Merger forms new super-union

  At the beginning of April 2001, the AEEU engineering trade union and the MSF technical union announced that the proposed merger between the two organisations had been approved in membership ballots. With over 1 million members, the new "super-union" will be the second largest in the UK.

• 28 Apr 2001
  United Kingdom: Government agrees to significant increase in national minimum wage

  In March 2001, the UK government announced an 11% increase in the main adult rate of the national minimum wage, to GBP 4.10 per hour. The new rate will take effect from October.

• 28 Apr 2001
  United Kingdom: Employers and unions respond to parental leave green paper

  In March 2001, the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress published their responses to the UK government's green paper on parental leave. The issue on which there is the sharpest disagreement between the two organisations is the proposed right for new parents to opt to work part time.

• 28 Apr 2001
  United Kingdom: EOC urges new action on equal pay

  In February 2001, the Equal Opportunities Commission's Equal Pay Task Force published its report into UK performance on equal pay. The gap between men and women's earnings has narrowed from 31% to 18% since the passage of the Equal Pay Act 1970. The Task Force put forward a broad package of recommendations to close the remaining gap, including that employers should carry out gender pay reviews, but its proposals have received a mixed reception from the government, employers and trade unions.

• 28 Apr 2001
  United Kingdom: UK to extend rights and labour market support for disabled people

  Legislative protection and labour market support are to be extended for people with disabilities in the UK. Regulations to come into force from 2004 will increase the coverage of current anti-discrimination law, it was announced in March 2001. Furthermore, following a successful pilot programme since 1998, the New Deal for Disabled People is to be extended nationally.