EU Level developments
- 17 May 2012
EU Level: Commission presents proposals for a job-rich recoveryIn mid-April 2012, the European Commission presented an employment package designed to boost job creation across the EU, in response to the damaging effects of the economic crisis on Europe’s labour market. The package presents ideas for ways in which Member States can encourage recruitment, such as cutting taxes on labour or supporting business start-ups. It also identifies areas with the greatest employment potential including the green economy, health services and ICT.
- 23 Apr 2012
EU Level: Commission publishes White Paper on sustainable pensionsIn February 2012, the European Commission published a White Paper looking at how to create adequate, safe and sustainable pensions in the European Union. The White Paper contains a range of hard and soft initiatives intended to help create conditions that will enable a balance between time spent working and time in retirement, to ensure that those who move to another country can keep their pension rights, and to help people obtain adequate pensions once they are retired.
- 23 Apr 2012
EU Level: New social dialogue committee for food and drink industryOn 23 January 2012, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions and the employer organisation FoodDrinkEurope signed a joint agreement to launch social dialogue in the European food and drink industry, under the auspices of the European Commission. The sector was the last of Europe’s large manufacturing sectors to form a social dialogue committee and its first task is to address ways of making the sector more attractive to younger workers.
- 05 Apr 2012
EU Level: Commission to consult on boardroom gender imbalanceThe European Commission has been working on redressing the gender imbalance in company decision-making for some time, although progress has been slow. On 5 March 2012 it launched a consultation of stakeholders on the issue, which will run until 28 May 2012. It will feed into an assessment of possible EU-level measures to enhance female participation in economic decision-making, and will help the Commission decide whether to propose action and what form such action might take.
- 05 Apr 2012
EU Level: New agreement on working time in inland waterwaysOn 15 February 2012, the EU-level social partners in the inland waterways sector signed an agreement setting out specific rules governing working time for workers on passenger or cargo transport ships in inland waterways across the EU. The agreement, which was amicably reached by the partners, covers weekly working time, night working, holidays and daily and weekly rest periods. The agreement means that the Working Time Directive will no longer apply to this sector.
- 30 Mar 2012
EU Level: Commission issues 2012 work programmeThe European Commission issued its 2012 work programme in mid-November 2011, in which it sets out its priorities in the employment and social affairs field for 2012. Key issues it will focus on include restructuring, flexicurity and the labour market, in the context of an ongoing challenging economic environment. The Commission makes it clear that youth unemployment remains one of the most pressing challenges the Union faces and aims to address this with various actions.
- 21 Mar 2012
EU Level: European Commission launches new consultation on restructuringThe European Commission has launched a Europe-wide public debate on corporate restructuring and anticipating change that will run until 30 March 2012. This initiative is something of a surprise as the President of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso, stressed in October 2010 the need for a European framework on this matter. However, instead of launching a formal second consultation with social partners, the Commission has proceeded with a broader Green Paper instead.
- 14 Mar 2012
EU Level: Commission launches Youth Opportunities InitiativeThe European Commission Youth Opportunities Initiative, launched on 20 December 2011, is aimed at tackling youth unemployment in the European Union. It supports helping unemployed and inactive young people into stable work or training by encouraging better targeting of funds; boosting apprenticeships and traineeships and promoting youth mobility. This supports schemes to ensure young people are in work, education or training within four months of leaving school.
- 21 Feb 2012
EU Level: Danish Presidency sets out social and employment objectivesThe Danish government, which holds the Presidency of the European Council for the first six months of 2012, has set out its main priorities in the field of employment and social affairs, and good progress is expected. They include strengthening the enforcement of the posted workers directive, progression of the proposal for a directive on equal treatment outside the workplace and the proposal to amend the directive on electromagnetic waves to protect specific workers.
- 03 Feb 2012
EU Level: Social partners in audiovisual sector promote gender equalityThe social partners represented in the sectoral social dialogue committee for the audiovisual sector have adopted a Framework of Actions on Gender Equality. At its plenary meeting on 27 October 2011, the committee acknowledged the influence the sector has on the lives of all Europeans and drew up an agreement that covers both gender portrayal in the sector’s output and furthering equality on issues such as pay, decision-making, and work–life balance in its own workplaces.
- 30 Jan 2012
EU Level: Social partners launch review of Working Time DirectiveOn 14 November 2011, the EU-level social partners agreed to start negotiations to revise the Working Time Directive. This follows the Commission’s second stage of social partner consultation on this issue, launched in December 2010. The key issues under discussion by social partners representing Europe’s employers and trade unions include on-call working, the opt-out clause for the 48-hour week, and interpretations of European Court of Justice’s rulings on the Directive.
- 09 Jan 2012
EU Level: AXA signs European framework agreement on structural changeFrench global insurance group AXA has concluded a European framework agreement on anticipating change in the industry. The group-level framework agreement is to help guide the group’s European companies. This accord has also been used by the group’s subsidiary, AXA Assistance, as the basis of another agreement dealing with major changes in its business model. The agreements, signed on 14 and 30 September respectively, were approved by the social partners on 23 November 2011.
- 04 Jan 2012
EU Level: ETUC marks 50 years of the European Social CharterA list of improvements to the lives and working conditions of people in Europe was published in October 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of the European Social Charter (ESC). The European Trade Union Confederation adopted a resolution describing how the ESC has protected fundamental workers' rights since its adoption on 18 October 1961 by the Council of Europe, and calling on Member States to abide by the charter’s standards, especially in the current economic crisis.