Weber, Tina
Commission adopts guidelines for Member State employment policies
27 October 1997
In the run-up to the special Jobs Summit [1] to be held in Luxembourg on 20
and 21 November 1997, the European Commission, on 1 October 1997, adopted a
package of three documents:
[1] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/home.htm
OECD Labour and Social Affairs Ministers discuss measures to combat unemployment
27 October 1997
Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs from the 29 Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries met in Paris on 14-15 October
1997 to discuss the implementation and monitoring of the OECD's /Jobs
Strategy/ put forward in 1994. The meeting [1] came in the run-up to the EU
special Jobs Summit [2] held on 20-21 November 1997 and the G8 Conferences in
Kobe and London in February 1998, at which the crisis of unemployment and the
maintenance of global competitiveness will also be at the top of the agenda.
[1] http://www.oecd.org/news_and_events/release/nw97-89a.htm
[2] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/home.htm
Eurostat registers fall in EU unemployment
27 October 1997
According to statistics released by the Statistical Office of the European
Communities (Eurostat) in late September 1997, the average level of
unemployment across the EU fell during both June and July 1997. Seasonally
adjusted unemployment rates were down to 10.7% in June and 10.6% (some 18
million people) in July after having remained static at 10.8% for the
previous five months. Unemployment stood at 5.0% in the USA and 3.4% in Japan
in June 1997.
Scandinavia and UK leaders on training for adult workers, says Eurostat
27 September 1997
A report released by the Statistical Office of the European Communities
(Eurostat) in early September 1997 seeks to examine the extent of adult
training in the Member States of the European Union. The data collected forms
part of the European labour force survey undertaken in the spring of 1996.
The findings of the survey show that for the EU has a whole, over 8 million
individuals aged 30 and over said that they received education and training
in the four weeks immediately preceding the interview. Of these, 6.3 million
were employed, 0.5 million were unemployed and 1.3 million were economically
inactive (retired people, students etc).
UNICE outlines demands for British Presidency
27 September 1997
The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, met François Perigot, president of
the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE) and
Sir Colin Marshall, president of the UK employers' confederation, the CBI, in
London on 4 September 1997. The employers presented their priorities for the
UK Council Presidency, which will follow the Luxembourg Presidency in the
first six months of 1998.
Social partners in the textiles industry sign first European Code of Conduct
27 September 1997
The European Trade Union Committee: Textiles, Clothing and Leather (ETUC:TCL)
and EURATEX, the European employers' organisation for textiles and clothing,
signed the first "European Code of Conduct" on 22 September 1997 in the
presence of Allan Larsson, director general of the the European Commission's
Directorate General V for employment, industrial relations and social
affairs. The signing of the Code of Conduct marks the successful outcome of
over a year of sometimes strenuous negotiations as part of the sectoral
social dialogue at European level.
Luxembourg Presidency outlines objectives of Employment Summit
27 September 1997
The Prime Minister of Luxembourg,Jean-Claude Juncker, whose Government
currently holds the Presidency of the European Council, told members of the
European Parliament's economic affairs committee on 4 September 1997 that the
purpose of the Employment Summit [1], to be held on 20-21 November, is to
decide on concrete action to alleviate the problem of unemployment in Europe.
He argued that "if this summit like earlier summits only results in
declarations, but few concrete measures, then it is a failure". Mr Juncker
emphasised that he did not want to see the meeting turn into a "deregulation
summit" with the prime objective of achieving greater labour market
flexibility. Instead, he wanted the summit to lead to the adoption of clear
guidelines for European employment policy, which should form an integral part
of the overall economic guidelines. Mr Juncker argued that these guidelines
had to be sufficiently clear and detailed to allow an annual assessment of
their achievement (or the causes of non-attainment).
[1] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/home.htm
Framework agreement in agriculture: a milestone in the European sectoral social dialogue
27 September 1997
The conclusion in July 1997 (EU9707141N [1]) of the recommendation framework
agreement on the improvement of paid employment in agriculture stands at the
end of a long process of negotiation between the European social partners in
the sector. The partners are GEOPA- the Employers' Group of theCommittee of
Agricultural Organisations in the European Union (COPA) - which represents
those agricultural undertakings in Europe which employ paid staff, and the
European Federation of Agricultural Workers' Unions (EFA), - one of the
European industry committees of the European Trade Union Confederation
(ETUC).
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/european-agriculture-social-partners-sign-first-sectoral-framework-agreement
Eurocadres urges Luxembourg Presidency to push for new employment initiatives
27 September 1997
A delegation from Eurocadres- the Council of European Professional and
Managerial Staff affiliated to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
- met with Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jacques Poos and other representatives
of the Luxembourg Council Presidency on 3 September 1997 to highlight the
case for urgent action on employment at the European level. The delegation
emphasised that the special European Council Employment Summit [1], planned
for 21-22 November 1997 must live up to its expectations and produce concrete
results and initiatives. Eurocadres warned that "the creation of a single
currency and the establishment of Economic and Monetary Union would be
endangered, if it was done at the expense of employment."
[1] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/home.htm
Part-time work Directive and employee representation are priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency
27 August 1997
Luxembourg, which took over the Presidency of the European Council from the
Dutch Government in July 1997, has listed the following measures and
activities as among its priorities: