In early 1998, the Portuguese Government proposed a relaunch of the
"strategic concertation" process with the social partners, with the aim of
drawing up a strategy for the coming EU single currency, the euro.
In February 1998, both the Christian Democrats and the left-wing Groenlinks
party formulated new legislative proposals to give employees a right to work
part time. The latter party's initial bill on this issue had been blocked by
the Christian Democrats in late 1997.
Since 1 January 1998, the law has permitted collective agreements to make
exceptions from the general ban on the night-time employment of women
(AT9802163F [1]), though gender-neutral regulations will have to be enacted
by 1 January 2001. On 16 March 1998, the Union of Metals, Mining and Energy
Workers (Gewerkschaft Metall-Bergbau-Energie, GMBE) and the Federal
Industrial Section of the Austrian Chamber of the Economy (Wirtschaftskammer
Österreich, WKÖ) concluded such a collective agreement for manual workers
in industrial enterprises in the metalworking sector. The following points
were agreed:
Finland's national programme for older workers started in March 1998,
bringing together various Ministries, municipalities, expert organisations
and the social partners. The programme focuses on people over 45 years of age
and aims to change the attitudes of employers and employees by spreading the
latest, research-based information on the factors that influence older
workers' employability, ability to work and working conditions.
A dispute broke out recently at the Aldi chain of department stores over the
workload of shop assistants. According to the trade unions, the number of
workers scheduled to work each week was systematically too low. Management,
by contrast, insisted on the precision of its staffing calculations. In the
dispute, lightning strikes were held in various stores and the employees'
organisations had threatened an all-out strike. However, a conciliation
meeting organised at the Ministry of Employment and Labour led to a
last-minute proposal from management.
The study committee set up to assess Italy's major tripartite central
agreement of 23 July 1993 - which covers incomes policy and collective
bargaining structure - submitted its final report to the Government in
December 1997, with some proposals for change.
Over the early months of 1998, the industrial dispute at Ryanair, Ireland's
independent airline (IE9802141F [1]), has given rise to fears that the
three-year /Partnership 2000/ agreement, negotiated between employers, trade
unions and government in January 1997 (IE9702103F [2]) might be put in
jeopardy over the issue of trade union recognition. Previously, observers and
industrial relations professionals had focused on other pressures which might
imperil the agreement or damage the prospects of another central agreement
when the current deal expires.
In Germany, collective bargaining is relatively centralised and takes place
mainly in form of regional industry-level bargaining, but is - in certain
industries - also quite frequent at national or company level. Trade unions
may conclude collective contracts with employers' associations (association-
or industry-level agreements [1], Verbandstarifverträge), or individual
employers (company agreements [2], Firmentarifverträge). There are three
main types of collective contracts: pay agreements [3], general agreements on
pay grades [4] and framework agreements on employment conditions [5]. In
addition, hybrid forms and agreements concerning special issues exist. The
decisions about the issues, duration and level of negotiation are left to the
social partners. Collective agreements are binding for all members of the
negotiating parties. During the agreed period a peace obligation [6] is
imposed on the parties. Each year, around 8,000 new collective agreements are
concluded.
In early March 1998, a working group from the Institute of Labour of the
Greek General Confederation of Labour (INE-GSEE) submitted to the GSEE a
report containing proposals on the independence of trade unions from state
intervention. The GSEE executive will examine the report, which is of a
purely advisory nature, and decide whether or not to adopt any of its
proposals.
On 19 March 1998, The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), one of UK's
main trade unions in the motor manufacturing industry, warned that the
long-term future of the Vauxhall (General Motors) plant in Luton (south-east
Midlands), which employs about 4,500 workers, could be at risk. The TGWU
national secretary for the industry, Tony Woodley, stated that: "The company
has informed that there is a threat to the long-term future of the Luton
plant. Most other European plants owned by General Motors have had the
allocation of new models confirmed but as things stand there is no product
earmarked to replace the Vectra at Luton."
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 2009, the second edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
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 2013, the third edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) examines both the objective circumstances of European citizens' lives and how they feel about those circumstances and their lives in general. This series consists of outputs from the EQLS 2003, the first edition of the survey.
Eurofound's European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) examines both the objective circumstances of European citizens' lives and how they feel about those circumstances and their lives in general. This series consists of outputs from the EQLS 2007, the second edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2003.
Eurofound's European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) examines both the objective circumstances of European citizens' lives and how they feel about those circumstances and their lives in general. This series consists of outputs from the EQLS 2012, the third edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2003.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 2005, the fourth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 2010, the fifth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
This publication series explores scenarios for the future of manufacturing. The employment implications (number of jobs by sector, occupation, wage profile, and task content) under various possible scenarios are examined. The scenarios focus on various possible developments in global trade and energy policies and technological progress and run to 2030.
This paper provides an analytical summary of state of the art academic and policy literature on the impact of climate change and policies to manage transitions to a carbon neutral economy on employment, working conditions, social dialogue and living conditions. It maps the key empirical findings around the impact of climate change and the green transitions on jobs, sectors, regions and countries in Europe, identifying the opportunities and risks that climate change policies bring to European labour markets.
As part of its response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, the EU swiftly activated its Temporary Protection Directive for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine – enabling displaced persons to settle in the EU and have access to the labour market and basic public services. This policy brief highlights the main barriers encountered by these refugees (over 5 million people to date) when seeking a job and provides suggestions on how to facilitate their integration.
With the expansion of telework and different forms of hybrid work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for policymakers to consider both the opportunities and the negative consequences that may result. This report will explore potential scenarios for such work. In doing so, it will identify trends and drivers, and predict how they might interact to create particular outcomes and how they are likely to affect workers and businesses. Policy pointers will outline what could be done to facilitate desirable outcomes and to avoid undesirable ones.
Living and working in Europe, Eurofound’s 2022 yearbook, provides a snapshot of the latest developments in the work and lives of Europeans as explored in the Agency’s research activities over the course of 2022. Eurofound’s research on working and living conditions in Europe provides a bedrock of evidence for input into social policymaking and achieving the Agency’s vision ‘to be Europe’s leading knowledge source for better life and work’.
The term ‘hybrid work’ became popular due to the upsurge of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic. The term has been increasingly used to refer to situations in which (teleworkable) work is performed both from the usual place of work (normally the employer’s premises) and from home (as experienced during the pandemic) or other locations. However, the concept of hybrid work is still blurry, and various meanings are in use. This topical update brings clarity to this concept by exploring available information from recent literature and the Network of Eurofound Correspondents.
Housing affordability is a matter of great concern across the EU. Poor housing affordability leads to housing evictions, housing insecurity, problematic housing costs and housing inadequacy. These problems negatively affect health and well-being, create unequal living conditions and opportunities, and come with healthcare costs, reduced productivity and environmental damage. Private market tenants face particularly large increases in the cost of housing.
Eurofound's annual review of minimum wages reports on the development of statutory and collectively agreed minimum wages across the EU and the processes through which they were set. The focus of this year’s report is on the impact of high inflation on the setting of minimum wage rates. In addition, new figures on the net value of minimum wages are presented, along with the latest policy-relevant research in the EU Member States and Norway.
Building on previous work by Eurofound, this report will investigate intergenerational dynamics over time. During the 2008 double-dip recession, worrying intergenerational divides appeared in many Member States, and while some of the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is universal, early data suggests disparities across demographic cohorts. Eurofound will examine how different age groups may have been affected in terms of their health, labour market participation, quality of life and financial needs, both in the short term and in the long term.
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an extraordinary level of provision of social services across the EU. Healthcare and care providers carried much of the burden and, together with essential services, played a crucial role in getting citizens through the crisis. This report explores how public services adapted to the new reality and what role was played by the digital transformation of services. The aim is to contribute to the documentation and analysis of changes in funding, delivery and use of healthcare and social services during the pandemic.
Are the policies required to meet the commitments outlined under the EU’s plan for a green transition, the Fit-for-55 package, and the associated budgetary commitments – the Green New Deal – likely to lead to positive or negative employment outcomes by 2030? What types of jobs will be created or destroyed? Will shifts in employment be skewed towards the bottom, middle or top of the job–wage distribution? This report aims to provide answers to these questions, using macro-modelled estimates of the likely impacts of these policies on the structure of employment.
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