Evropská nadace pro zlepšování životních a pracovních podmínek
Nadace Eurofound je tripartitní agenturou Evropské unie, která poskytuje přehled poznatků s cílem přispívat k rozvoji lepších sociálních, zaměstnaneckých a pracovních politik
Nadace Eurofound je tripartitní agenturou Evropské unie, která poskytuje přehled poznatků s cílem přispívat k rozvoji lepších sociálních, zaměstnaneckých a pracovních politik
A study conducted by the Censis research centre, published in September 1999,
suggests that Italian employers may be abandoning the idea of traditional,
full-time open-ended employment contracts. "Atypical" workers represent, at
present, the only growth area of employment in Italy.
On 13 October 1999, the European Commission adopted a draft Communication
(COM (1999) 476 final) [1] to the EU Member States on a new
anti-discrimination initiative - EQUAL. The initiative aims to combat labour
market discrimination based on gender, race, ethnic origin, disability, age,
sexual orientation and low qualifications, and has been launched within the
framework of the European employment strategy, which is assessed by the
Commission each year (EU9909187F [2]).
In late October 1999, the Dutch FNV trade union confederation announced a
demand for a 3% pay increase in forthcoming wage negotiations. FNV's target,
endorsed by the CNV confederation, met with a chorus of disapproval from its
affiliated unions, which are seeking higher increases. The unions have been
under government pressure to reduce wage demands, in the light of tax
reductions contained in a new fiscal plan. The largest employers'
association, VNO-NCW, has adopted the same stance.
In September 1999, France's consultative Economic and Social Council was
renewed for five years. It elected Jacques Dermagne of the MEDEF employers'
confederation as its new chair.
In October 1999, the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs issued a
proposal to change the Equal Status Act (Likestillingsloven), the 1978
legislation relating to equal status between the sexes. The proposal, which
is intended to improve gender equality in Norway, is now being considered by
the relevant bodies, and they have until spring 2000 to give their opinions.
The difference between the minimum wage and unemployment benefits can be so
slight that unemployed workers are not motivated to accept a low-paid job. In
order to avoid such an "employment trap", the social partners, together with
the previousDehaene government and the current Verhofstadt administration,
have looked into the question of how to increase take-home pay for people
earning low pay. At first, during the most recent round of intersectoral
negotiations, which led to the conclusion of the 1999-2000 intersectoral
agreement in December 1998 (BE9901161F [1]), the social partners had
suggested enhancing the value of the minimum wage through tax relief, by
granting a monthly tax credit to the targeted group. This solution was
endorsed by the National Labour Council [2] (Conseil National du
Travail/Nationale Arbeidsraad) and the Central Economic Council [3] (Conseil
Central de l'Economie/Centrale Raad voor het Bedrijfsleven). It satisfied
both the trade union organisations, which refused further reductions of
social security contributions, and the employers, which refused an increase
in the minimum wage.
September and October 1999 have been marked by a number of protest actions
against expenditure cuts in some areas of the Danish public sector. These
have notably included actions by parents in Copenhagen and some other
municipalities against cutbacks in the area of daycare for children, and by
primary school teachers in several municipalities against cutbacks in their
area, related to the adoption of municipal budgets for 2000. These budgets
must, by law, be settled by 15 October 1999 and objections could thus occur
up until this point.
The results of the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey [1] (WERS 98),
published in September 1999, show that job security guarantees are
significantly more widespread in the financial services sector than in almost
every other part of the economy. Staff in almost 40% of workplaces in
financial services are covered by a job security or no-compulsory redundancy
policy. This compares with just 8% of all private sector workplaces, and 21%
of establishments in the public sector.
The privatisation of the Italian electric utility, Enel, began at the end of
October 1999. On 30 September 1999, the Ministry of Industry and trade unions
signed an agreement setting out binding employment and industrial relations
criteria for the privatisation of the company, which may set an example for
future privatisations and liberalisation in Italy.
On 2-3 September 1999, the European Trade Union Federation - Textiles
Clothing and Leather (ETUF-TCL) adopted guidelines on collective bargaining
coordination, in the form of an internal sectoral protocol. The guidelines
constitute the latest step towards the promotion of social dialogue and the
coordination of collective bargaining policy in the sectors covered by
ETUF-TCL. European-level social dialogue in these sectors has so far resulted
in developments such as a code of conduct on minimum human rights at work
(EU9709150N [1]) and a charter on child labour (EU9810131F [2]).
Eurofound’s work on COVID-19 examines the far-reaching socioeconomic implications of the pandemic across Europe as they continue to impact living and working conditions. A key element of the research is the e-survey, launched in April 2020, with five rounds completed at different stages during 2020, 2021 and 2022. This is complemented by the inclusion of research into the ongoing effects of the pandemic in much of Eurofound’s other areas of work.
Eurofound's representativeness studies are designed to allow the European Commission to identify the ‘management and labour’ whom it must consult under article 154 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This series consists of studies of the representativeness of employer and worker organisations in various sectors.
This series reports on developments in minimum wage rates across the EU, including how they are set and how they have developed over time in nominal and real terms. The series explores where there are statutory minimum wages or collectively agreed minimum wages in the Member States, as well as minimum wage coverage rates by gender.
The European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) launched in 1990 and is carried out every five years, with the latest edition in 2015. It provides an overview of trends in working conditions and quality of employment for the last 30 years. It covers issues such as employment status, working time duration and organisation, work organisation, learning and training, physical and psychosocial risk factors, health and safety, work–life balance, worker participation, earnings and financial security, work and health, and most recently also the future of work.
The European Restructuring Monitor has reported on the employment impact of large-scale business restructuring since 2002. This series includes its restructuring-related databases (events, support instruments and legislation) as well as case studies and publications.
Eurofound’s Flagship report series 'Challenges and prospects in the EU' comprise research reports that contain the key results of multiannual research activities and incorporate findings from different related research projects. Flagship reports are the major output of each of Eurofound’s strategic areas of intervention and have as their objective to contribute to current policy debates.
Eurofound’s European Company Survey (ECS) maps and analyses company policies and practices which can have an impact on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. This series consists of outputs from the ECS 2019, the fourth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
This series reports on and updates latest information on the involvement of national social partners in policymaking. The series analyses the involvement of national social partners in the implementation of policy reforms within the framework of social dialogue practices, including their involvement in elaborating the National Reform Programmes (NRPs).
This series reports on the new forms of employment emerging across Europe that are driven by societal, economic and technological developments and are different from traditional standard or non-standard employment in a number of ways. This series explores what characterises these new employment forms and what implications they have for working conditions and the labour market.
The European Company Survey (ECS) is carried out every four to five years since its inception in 2004–2005, with the latest edition in 2019. The survey is designed to provide information on workplace practices to develop and evaluate socioeconomic policy in the EU. It covers issues around work organisation, working time arrangements and work–life balance, flexibility, workplace innovation, employee involvement, human resource management, social dialogue, and most recently also skills use, skills strategies and digitalisation.