Labour law

Legislative decree no. 196 of 23 May 2000 has introduced significant changes to Italy's system of "equality advisors", who are responsible for promoting female employment and enforcing sex equality law at the workplace. The decree boosts the advisors' functions, allocating an annual fund of ITL 20

A series of intersectoral agreements on employment promotion signed by the Spanish social partners in April 1997 are due to expire in May 2001. The social partners started negotiations over a new version of these agreements in summer 2000 but, in view of their failure to reach a consensus, in March

The redundant employees of the Fujitsu Siemens plant located in Kilo, Finland, which was closed in 2000, brought legal proceedings against the company in February 2001. The employees are demanding compensation totalling some FIM 50 million for possible violation of the Finnish Cooperation Act's

In February 2000, France's five main trade union confederations agreed to enter talks on the MEDEF employers' confederation's plan to draw up a joint framework for the "overhaul" of the French industrial relations system, and redefine the rules in order to create "decentralised, independent

The social partners in Greece have repeatedly expressed the need to reorganise and modernise the Labour Inspectorate. The existing structure was limited and unable to meet current requirements for better monitoring, specialisation, flexibility and rapid action. Legislation adopted in 1998 created a

In January 2001, Spain's National Court ruled in favour of a trade union appeal against the freezing of civil servant's wages by the People's Party government in 1997. If this ruling is implemented, it could involve payments of at least ESP 500 billion. The trade unions have begun to mobilise civil

In January 2001, a new law was adopted on immigrant workers in Portugal. The legislation includes measures which will make it easier for immigrants in employment to gain residence rights and allow illegal immigrants to regularise their situation. Overall, the trade unions regard the law as positive

An agreement reforming France's jointly-managed UNEDIC unemployment insurance scheme was formally endorsed by the government, at the third time of asking, in December 2000. This followed 10 months of intense negotiations, which became a power struggle between the government and the employers'