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The UK has been the main recipient of Toyota's European investment so far, at its plant in Derby. If the UK were to lose the new investment to France, it would be a huge blow to the Government which recently had to "rebuild some fences" after the company announced in February 1997 that it might

In November 1996, the UK Government failed in its attempt to have the 1993 Directive on certain aspects of the organisation of working time (93/104/EC) - which lays down specific requirements concerning weekly hours, holidays, shifts and other patterns of work - annulled by the ECJ. The DTI launched

At the beginning of March the first steps were taken towards the creation of the first "European super union". One of Britain's biggest trade unions, the General, Municipal and Boilermakers' Union (GMB), signed a joint membership agreement with the German chemical workers' union. The deal between

In recent years there has been increasing public concern over what is widely viewed as the spiralling remuneration of company directors. At a time when companies are keen to promote pay schemes based on performance, too often the links between directors' pay and performance are viewed as non

On 10 March, after 11 hours of talks, a "historic deal" was reached for public sector council workers. The agreement, covering 1.5 million workers, will harmonise conditions for manual worker s and white collar worker s in local government for the first time.

A demonstration took place in Rome on 22 March backed by the three biggest trade union confederations, CGIL, CISL, and UIL, in support of the enforcement of the "trilateral" agreement on employment signed in September 1996.

A "national agreement" between the Italian Government and trade unions, signed in March 1997, has established harmonised rules for almost all employment in the public and private sectors.

In an ongoing industrial dispute, trade unions have accused the public sector corporation, EPI (the Italian Postal Organisation), of not respecting collective agreements and commitments on employment.