August 2003
- 27 Aug 2003
Bulgaria: Social partners and government discuss unpaid wages<#PDF_LINK>The non-payment or late payment of wages has become a widespread problem in Bulgarian enterprises and a major source of industrial conflict. In June 2003, trade unions, employers' organisations and the government met to discuss the issue and consider possible solutions.
- 27 Aug 2003
Bulgaria: Main features of industrial relations examined<#PDF_LINK>The Bulgarian industrial relations system has developed rapidly since the end of communist rule in 1989. This article outlines the development and situation as of 2003 of: trade unions; employers' organisations; social partnership; collective bargaining; and employee participation.
- 26 Aug 2003
Netherlands: Social partners oppose proposed changes to dismissals law<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, the Dutch social partners, represented on the bipartite Labour Foundation, issued an opinion opposing a proposal for the reform of dismissals law put forward by a government-appointed committee. The committee proposed abolishing the system whereby dismissals must be approved in advance by a public authority. The Foundation argues that the objections raised by the committee do not outweigh the advantages of the present system, which keeps costs in check and offers the parties involved a high degree of certainty and security.
- 26 Aug 2003
EU Level: 2003 employment guidelines and recommendations adopted<#PDF_LINK>The 2003 EU employment guidelines and employment policy recommendations to the Member States were adopted in July 2003. Following changes to the European employment strategy, the timing of the process and the contents of the guidelines and recommendations have been modified in 2003. The employment guidelines now focus on 10 policy priorities, rather than grouping a larger number of guidelines under four pillars as was previously the case, and set concrete targets for most of them.
- 26 Aug 2003
Sweden: Law proposed on employee involvement in European Companies<#PDF_LINK>June 2003 saw the publication of a report commissioned by the Swedish government on the national transposition of the EU Directive on employee involvement in the European Company Statute. It propose a new law to implement the Directive in Sweden. The social partners were involved in drawing up the proposals and reached consensus on many issues.
- 22 Aug 2003
Poland: Operation of tripartite sector teams examined<#PDF_LINK>Specialtripartite sector teams, made up of representatives of the social partners and government, have been created in Poland since the 1990s to deal with the problems of selected industries (such as coal mining, metalworking and power generation) facing restructuring, privatisation and reorganisation. The teams are responsible for drawing up guidelines on restructuring within these sectors, includingsocial packagesfor employees. This article examines the operation of the tripartite sector teams up until the end of 2002.
- 22 Aug 2003
Austria: Controversy over planned reduction in railway workforce<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, Austria's State Secretary for Traffic Affairs announced a proposal to cut the 48,000-strong workforce of the state-owned Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) by 12,000 within seven years. However, the government's overall plans for restructuring ÖBB are still unclear and the State Secretary's proposal to use a special ÖBB early retirement scheme as part of the planned workforce reduction has caused friction within the government, as it is inconsistent with a recently announced pensions reform. The Union of Railway Employees (GdE) is opposed to the proposed job losses and to plans to remove railworkers' current civil service status.
- 22 Aug 2003
Norway: Government calls for 'father-friendly' changes to parental leave regulations<#PDF_LINK>In autumn 2003, the Norwegian parliament is due to consider government proposals for changes to the present regulations on parental leave, with greater financial incentives for men to take leave and a possible extension of the part of parental leave reserved exclusively for fathers. The main objective is to encourage men to spend more time at home with their children.
- 22 Aug 2003
Hungary: New legislation on fixed-term and part-time work in force<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, new legislation regulating fixed-term and part-time employment came into force in Hungary. The new provisions of the Labour Code seek to transpose the EU Directives on these issues. This article highlights the main new regulations and outlines the social partners' involvement in drawing them up.
- 22 Aug 2003
Denmark: Cooperation to combat illegal labour<#PDF_LINK>Over summer 2003, public authorities, trade unions and employers' organisations launched a major cooperative effort aimed at combating illegal labour in Denmark. One of the first fruits of this initiative was the arrest of seven illegal foreign workers at a shipyard in August.
- 22 Aug 2003
Denmark: Building workers' union to organise self-employed<#PDF_LINK>In summer 2003, the Danish Union of Wood, Industrial and Building Workers (TIB) announced plans to set up an affiliated organisation which will offer membership to self-employed people in the construction sector. This initiative is targeted at people working as self-employed under questionable circumstances, usually receiving lower pay than set by collective agreements. The issue of increasingbogusself-employment is also seen as a problem by the main building industry employers' organisation.
- 19 Aug 2003
Poland: Industrial action threatened over railway restructuring<#PDF_LINK>July 2003 saw a wave of protests by trade unions represented at Polish National Railways (PKP) against the planned closure of loss-making local services. Faced with the unions' threat of a general rail strike, PKP management and the government agreed to cut the number of services to be axed. However, the continuing restructuring of PKP, which is facing major financial difficulties, suggests that further unrest cannot be ruled out.
- 19 Aug 2003
Germany: Packages of collective agreements signed for temporary agency workers<#PDF_LINK>In May 2003, representatives of all trade unions affiliated to the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB) signed separate packages of collective agreements with two major employers' associations in the temporary work sector. The agreements cover pay, working time, paid leave and bonus payments. The negotiations followed new legislation on temporary agency work which came into force at the beginning of 2003.
- 19 Aug 2003
Finland: Study examines views on wage bargaining system<#PDF_LINK>In June 2003, two research institutes published a joint study of the views of employers, employees and their respective organisations on the problems and future prospects of the Finnish wage bargaining system. The findings of the questionnaire-based survey indicate a relatively wide consensus on the advantages of the present, largely centralised, system
- 19 Aug 2003
Germany: Recent trends in female employment examined<#PDF_LINK>A study published by the German Federal Statistical Office in July 2003 shows that there has been a clear trend since the early 1990s towards a more equal distribution of employment between men and women in absolute terms, with more women entering employment and the employment rates of women and men (measured in terms of the number of people in employment) converging. However, according to another recent study from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), if the volume of work performed by men and women is taken into account, this more equal distribution of employment between men and women is less marked, with the average number of hours worked by women falling steadily.
- 18 Aug 2003
United Kingdom: Strike grounds British Airways at Heathrow<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, an unofficial strike by British Airways customer services staff caused heavy disruption at the company’s Heathrow base, costing it an estimated GBP 40 million. The dispute was triggered by the introduction of a new electronic attendance-monitoring system, but reflected deeper staff concerns over the management of working time.
- 18 Aug 2003
Belgium: Strike action hits Post Office<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, a large-scale strike occurred at the Belgian Post Office, triggered by the implementation of a new system for organising delivery rounds, which is one of 10 measures being introduced by management in the context of the EU-wide liberalisation of the postal sector. At the end of the month, trade unions and management concluded a pre-agreement that halted industrial action until mid-September, when the outcome of further negotiations will be known.
- 18 Aug 2003
United Kingdom: Employer and union reaction to UK’s decision to defer euro entry<#PDF_LINK>In June 2003, after a detailed assessment of five economic tests, the government decided that it would not be in the national economic interest of the UK to join the European single currency at present. This article examines the rationale of government policy, and the response of trade unions and employers’ organisations to the decision.
- 18 Aug 2003
EU Level: European code of conduct signed in private security sector<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, the European-level social partners in the private security sector signed a code of conduct, aimed at raising standards and guaranteeing a high level of professional ethics in the industry's firms. The code will also apply to companies in the new Member States joining the EU from 2004.
- 18 Aug 2003
EU Level: Social policy provisions of draft EU constitutional Treaty examined<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, a draft EU Constitutional Treaty was presented by the European Convention. The new Treaty, which will repeal existing Treaties once it comes into force, has a number of implications for the future social and employment policy of the EU. This article examines the main changes proposed.
- 15 Aug 2003
Estonia: Pay agreement signed in healthcare sector<#PDF_LINK>In June 2003, trade unions and employers concluded a new pay agreement for the Estonian healthcare sector, laying down minimum wage rates for doctors, nurses and care assistants. In July, the government approved the new budget of the Health Insurance Fund, which will give hospitals the extra funding required to pay the new minimum rates.
- 14 Aug 2003
EU Countries: Niedriglohnempfänger und Arbeitnehmer mit Einkommen unter dem Existenzminimum<#PDF_LINK>Nach wie vor gibt es in Europa Beschäftigungsverhältnisse mit Niedriglöhnen, wobei Schätzungen zufolge etwa jeder siebte Arbeitnehmer in der EU einen Niedriglohn erhält - auch wenn die Definitionen erheblich voneinander abweichen. Darüber hinaus wurde dem Phänomen derArbeitnehmer mit Einkommen unter dem Existenzminimumin den letzten Jahren immer mehr Bedeutung beigemessen. In dieser Vergleichsstudie der EIRO wird das Ausmaß von Beschäftigungsverhältnissen mit Niedriglöhnen und Armut mit geringfügiger Beschäftigung in der EU und Norwegen untersucht. Dabei werden die einzelnen Definitionen dargelegt und die Faktoren analysiert, die zu Niedriglöhnen führen. Anschließend wird dieses Thema vor dem Hintergrund der Arbeitsbeziehungen betrachtet und dabei die Rolle gesetzlich oder tarifvertraglich festgelegter Mindestlohnsysteme sowie das Gewicht von Tarifverhandlungen in Bezug auf die Verbreitung von Niedriglöhnen erörtert.
- 14 Aug 2003
EU Countries: Les travailleurs à bas salaire et lestravailleurs pauvres<#PDF_LINK>Les bas salaires continuent d’être une caractéristique de l’emploi dans toute l’Europe, un salarié sur sept environ dans l’UE étant considéré comme faiblement rémunéré – bien que les définitions varient considérablement. De surcroît, le phénomène destravailleurs pauvresa fait l’objet d’une attention croissante ces dernières années. La présente étude comparative de l’EIRO (Observatoire européen des relations industrielles) examine l’étendue de l’emploi faiblement rémunéré et de la main d’œuvre pauvre à travers l’UE et la Norvège, en soulignant les différentes définitions utilisées, et observe les facteurs à l’origine des bas salaires. Ensuite, l’étude replace le problème dans le contexte des relations industrielles, en examinant comment les systèmes de salaire minimum, établis par la loi ou par convention collective, et la force des négociations syndicales influencent le développement des bas salaires.
- 14 Aug 2003
Romania: The development and current situation of trade unions<#PDF_LINK>Since the end of the communist regime in 1989, the Romanian trade union movement has developed through a series of stages, mirroring the country's transition to a free market. This feature examines this process and the situation, as of 2003, with regard to trade union representativeness, membership, density and policies. Five trade union confederations are currently recognised as being representative in legal terms, and their role and activities are still developing, despite a sharp decline in the number of employees and in the unionisation rate.
- 14 Aug 2003
France: Alstom restructuring continues<#PDF_LINK>In March 2003, Alstom, the French-based engineering multinational, announced a major Europe-wide restructuring plan which includes major cuts in its activities and 5,000 job losses. In July, management obtained shareholders' approval for an increase in capital as part of the plan, while employees from across Europe demonstrated in protest against the workforce reductions. The French government is intervening to support Alstom’s activity, enable the sale of assets and allow partnerships to be formed.
- 14 Aug 2003
France: Progress towards national agreement on vocational training<#PDF_LINK>After a difficult start, negotiations between the social partners on reform of the French vocational training system led in July 2003 to consensus on the basic points of an agreement on the issue. However, there are still differences over the division of training costs between employers and employees and on the possibility of training outside working hours. The negotiators were to meet again in early September 2003 to finalise an agreement.
- 14 Aug 2003
Norway: Growth in sickness absence halted<#PDF_LINK>The sickness absence rate has been growing steadily in Norway for some years, but figures issued by Statistics Norway in summer 2003 show that this growth came to a halt in the year to the first quarter of 2003. Furthermore, recent sectoral statistics from the Federation of Norwegian Process Industries indicate that cooperative efforts launched by the government and social partners in 2001 to reduce sickness absence are now starting to take effect.
- 14 Aug 2003
Sweden: Electricians' dispute resolved<#PDF_LINK>In late June 2003, a new collective agreement for 2003-4 was signed for Sweden's 18,000 electricians. The settlement followed industrial action by the Swedish Electricians' Union (SEF) and was enabled by the intervention of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO).
- 13 Aug 2003
France: Refuse collection workers take strike action<#PDF_LINK>A refuse collection strike affected a large number of French cities over May and June 2003. The industrial action, mainly concerning public sector workers but also some employees of private companies, partly overlapped with the national wave of protests over the government's reform of the pension system, but also reflected existing problems in the sector. The major demands involved wage and staffing increases and a lower retirement age, at a time when workers in this industry are facing particularly difficult working conditions in the context of increasingly demanding public policies.
- 12 Aug 2003
EU Countries: New technology and respect for privacy at the workplace<#PDF_LINK>The use of new information and communication technologies (ICT) at the workplace has spread rapidly in recent years. This raises numerous issues for employers, employees and their representatives, especially in terms of the relationship between workers' privacy and employers' need to control and monitor the use of ICT. The matter is especially topical in Europe at present, with the European Commission due to propose a Directive on workplace data protection in 2004 or 2005. This comparative study focuses on one specific issue raised by the growth of ICT at work - the relationship between internet/e-mail use at work and respect for workers' privacy. It examines: the European and national legal framework on privacy at work, data protection, and workplace internet/mail use; guidelines and codes of conduct in this area; the views and activities of the social partners; and the extent to which collective bargaining deals with such topics.
- 12 Aug 2003
France: Controversial agreement signed on entertainment industry unemployment insurance scheme<#PDF_LINK>In June 2003, employers' organisations and three trade unions reached a new agreement on France's special unemployment insurance scheme for workers employed sporadically on fixed-term contracts in the entertainment industry. The deal imposes stricter entitlement criteria and reduces the benefit payment period. It was met with major protest action by the employees affected and the non-signatory unions. Parts of the agreement were renegotiated in July following an appeal by the Minister of Culture. However, the protests intensified, eventually resulting in the cancellation of two major summer arts festivals.
- 12 Aug 2003
France: Controversy over compensation for victims of asbestos<#PDF_LINK>Compensation for people suffering illness as a result of asbestos exposure at work has been in the headlines in 2003, with disagreement over the level of compensation to be paid by a newly created Fund for the Compensation of Asbestos Victims (FIVA). The Fund aims to provide full compensation to asbestos victims, following an asbestos-related early retirement scheme introduced in 1999. In 2003 it adopted a scale of compensation payments much lower than awards made by the courts, bringing protests from trade unions and victims' organisations.
- 07 Aug 2003
Belgium: Social partners divided over draft EU Constitution<#PDF_LINK>The draft EU constitutional Treaty submitted to the European Council by the European Convention in June 2003 has given rise to some very divided opinions among the Belgian social partners. The employers are delighted with a draft that they believe will ensure that the enlarged EU functions more efficiently, while the trade unions have described the proposed Treaty as unacceptable.
- 07 Aug 2003
Belgium: Social partners give mixed reaction to new government's plans<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, four socialist and liberal political parties reached agreement on the formation of a new Belgian federal government. The coalition agreement includes a number of important employment and social plans, such as creating 200,000 jobs over four years and cutting employers' social security contributions. The social partners have reacted in differing ways to the new government's programme.
- 06 Aug 2003
Germany: 'Economic freedom' falls, partly due to stricter labour laws<#PDF_LINK>According to a study released in July 2003 by the Fraser Institute, a Canadian free market think-tank,economic freedomis declining in Germany, contrary to a general worldwide trend towards greater freedom. In the report’s ranking of 123 countries by their degree of economic freedom, Germany slipped from 13th place in the previous report to 20th place. An important reason for this fall is what the report regards as stricter regulation of Germany's labour market.
- 06 Aug 2003
Portugal: Government unveils new National Plan for Equality<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, the Portuguese government presented the second National Plan for Equality. The plan aims to promote equality between women and men in a wide range of areas, addressing matters such as education, employment, balancing work and family life, preventing violence against women, and social protection.
- 06 Aug 2003
EU Level: ETUC outlines demands to Italian Presidency<#PDF_LINK>The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) issued a memorandum to the incoming Italian EU Presidency in July 2003. The memorandum sets out ETUC’s concerns and demands for action over the next six month in a range of areas, including social and employment policy.
- 06 Aug 2003
EU Level: Informal social affairs Council looks at undeclared work<#PDF_LINK>An informal employment and social affairs Council, the first under the Italian EU Presidency, was held in July 2003. Ministers discussed a range of issues, including undeclared work and streamlining EU social policy within the Lisbon employment and economic strategy.
- 06 Aug 2003
Norway: Merger creates Norway's largest union<#PDF_LINK>In June 2003, a new trade union, Fagforbundet, was established by a merger between the Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees and the Norwegian Association of Health and Social Care Personnel. The new organisation is Norway’s largest union, with approximately 300,000 members.
- 05 Aug 2003
Netherlands: Union members receive better redundancy terms<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, a trade union affiliated to the Dutch Christian Trade Union Federation (CNV) negotiated extra benefits for its own members in a redundancy agreement with the Getronics IT company. A similar deal was reached in 2002 by an affiliate of the Dutch Trade Union Federation (FNV) at Ballast Nedam, the construction firm. Both CNV and FNV expect more such agreements in future.
- 05 Aug 2003
Netherlands: Cutbacks at agricultural employers' organisation<#PDF_LINK>The employers’ organisation for the Dutch agriculture and horticulture sector, LTO Nederland, is to make a quarter of its staff redundant, it was announced in summer 2003. The factors behind the move include a continuing decline in the number of farmers and the fact that fewer of them are joining LTO Nederland.
- 05 Aug 2003
Slovakia: Major job losses at Slovak Television<#PDF_LINK>Radical changes have taken place at Slovak Television (STV) since a new director was appointed in January 2003. To deal with long-term financial problems, production of TV programmes has been cut and over 1,100 employees (60% of the STV workforce) have been made redundant despite trade union opposition.
- 04 Aug 2003
Greece: Industrial action over electricity deregulation<#PDF_LINK>A draft bill on further liberalisation of the electrical power market, issued by the Greek Ministry of Development in June 2003, has provoked strong reactions from the industry's workers, who held protest strikes in June and July.
- 04 Aug 2003
Greece: Union opposes merger of Hellenic Petroleum and Petrola<#PDF_LINK>In May 2003, as part of the demationalisation of Hellenic Petroleum, an agreement was signed to merge it with the Greek private sector oil company, Petrola. The POEPDHV petrochemical workers' trade union opposes the merger on the grounds that it is economically infeasible and furthermore claims that the merger procedure ignored commitments to social dialogue. It called a strike at Hellenic Petroleum in July.
- 04 Aug 2003
Luxembourg: Automotive parts manufacturers set up employers' organisation<#PDF_LINK>July 2003 saw the launch of the Luxembourg Automobile Parts Industry (ILEA), a new industry and employers' federation for the country's automotive parts industry. The new body brings together 15 enterprises in this growing sector, together employing over 8,000 workers.
- 04 Aug 2003
France: Thematic feature - posted workers<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the French situation, as of June 2003, with regard to: legislation and collective bargaining on the pay and conditions of posted workers (ie workers from one EU Member State posted by their employer to work in another); the number of such posted workers; and the views of the social partners and government on the issue.
- 04 Aug 2003
Ireland: Agreement signed for two new ESB power plants<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, the Irish state-owned electricity company, ESB, concluded a novelgreenfieldindustrial relations agreement with its trade unions, covering two new power generation plants which are set to come on stream in 2004. The deal introduces team-based working, an annual hours system and new reward mechanisms.
- 04 Aug 2003
Italy: Agreement promotes women's employment in Rome’s ICT companies<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, the municipality of Rome and the local employers' organisation, the Industrialists’ Union, signed an agreement to increase women’s presence in the city's information and communications technology (ICT) companies and improve the skills and qualifications of women already employed in the sector.
- 04 Aug 2003
Italy: National agreement signed for food sector<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, a new national collective agreement was signed for the 270,000 workers in the Italian food and beverages sector. As well as providing for a pay increase of 6.55% over two years, the agreement strengthens joint industrial relations structures, with a new joint body in charge of training, and introduces greater flexibility in working time and forms of employment.
- 04 Aug 2003
Austria: Number of 'minimally employed workers' continues to grow<#PDF_LINK>In mid-2003, there were some 220,000minimally employed workersin Austria, defined as those earning no more than EUR 309 per month. Most of those involved in this growing form of non-standard employment are women part-time workers. While labour law treats such minimally employed workers almost on the same terms asstandardemployees, their status is rather precarious in terms of both social insurance and income. The Chamber of Labour has highlighted the problems affecting this group.
- 04 Aug 2003
Finland: Disappointing results for 'job hunter' experiment<#PDF_LINK>Since 2002, the Finnish Ministry of Labour has been running a three-year experiment of using privatejob huntersto find work for long-term unemployed people By mid-2003, the results have been very modest compared with the targets and the experiment might be ended before its official term.
- 04 Aug 2003
Italy: National agreement signed for postal workers<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, a new national collective agreement for Italy's 200,000 postal workers was signed by Poste Italiane SpA and sectoral trade unions. The deal provides for a 7.5%. pay increase over two years, as well as introducing a new job classification system and greater flexibility in working time and forms of employment.
- 04 Aug 2003
United Kingdom: Government seeks views on EWCs ahead of review of Directive<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, the Department of Trade and Industry published a discussion paper on the UK experience of European Works Councils (EWCs). Its aim is to gather information and views to help the UK government prepare for the forthcoming EU-level discussions on the possibility of revising the EWCs Directive.
- 04 Aug 2003
Poland: Temporary agency work legislation approved<#PDF_LINK>In July 2003, the lower chamber of the Polish parliament passed a law regulating temporary agency work (approval by the upper house is to follow). Agency work has been growing in Poland in recent years, and its regulation has been debated for some time. The new legislation defines temporary agency work and lays down rules on its use and on the employment conditions of agency workers.
- 04 Aug 2003
Poland: Collective bargaining in 2002 examined<#PDF_LINK>According to figures issued by Poland's State Labour Inspection in mid-2003, 310 new single-establishment collective agreements were registered in 2002, covering some 118,000 employees (most Polish collective bargaining occurs at single-employer level). The agreements' provisions primarily covered remuneration, working time and leave. Terms more favourable to employees than the legal minima are becoming less frequent in collective agreements, while there is an increasing tendency for the parties to agreements to suspend application of all or some of their provisions.
- 04 Aug 2003
Romania: Social assistance programme for areas affected by collective redundancies<#PDF_LINK>In April 2003, Romania's National Agency for Labour Force Employment launched a Social Assistance Programme - consisting of active and passive labour market policy measures - for areas heavily affected by collective redundancies resulting from restructuring and privatisation. The aim is to achieve the redeployment/outplacement of at least 31,800 people through joint social partner actions.
- 01 Aug 2003
Slovakia: Tripartism examined<#PDF_LINK>In 2003, tripartite dialogue between trade unions, employers and the state has been operational in Slovakia for more than a decade. At national level, the main forum for tripartism is the Tripartite Economic and Social Concertation Council, whose main activity is issuing opinions on measures proposed by the government in the field of economic and social policy, and on occasion concludinggeneral agreementson such issues. There are also some efforts to support tripartism at regional level, while public labour market bodies have a tripartite structure. Although national-level tripartism is operational again after a two-year break during 1997-8, and was given a legal framework in 1999, the social partners and the government have not been able to reach on a new general agreement since 2000.
- 01 Aug 2003
Belgium: New anti-discrimination law under fire<#PDF_LINK>A new general anti-discrimination law was adopted in Belgium in February 2003. It bans discrimination on many grounds and in various contexts, including employment relationships. It was expected that the law would have a major positive impact on equality at work, but has come under criticism for being unclear and hard to apply. For example, the law's definition of the discrimination to be prohibited is thought by some experts to be at odds with recent EU Directives on the issue, while some of the provisions may create difficulties in the employment context.