In January 1998, the Italian Government passed a decree law which grants ITL
800,000 per month to cover the accommodation expenses of young people willing
to move from the South to the North in order to participate in employment
schemes.
On 1 January 1998, responsibility for the National Institute of Employment in
these regions was transferred to the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Xunta
of Galicia. This marked the beginning of a new model for the administration
of employment services in Spain, whose main challenge is the effective
coordination of the different authorities working in the sphere of job
placement. Trade unions have objected to some aspects of the transfer in
Catalonia.
A High-Level Group on the controversial issue of trade union recognition [1]
has advocated that the problem should be tackled within the context of
Ireland's voluntary collective bargaining system. If accepted, this would
mean a mediation role on recognition for the Advisory Service of the Labour
Relations Commission [2] and a non-binding recommendation from the Labour
Court [3] if mediation were to fail. As matters currently stand, the Labour
Court already issues recommendations on issues concerning trade union
recognition, invariably upholding the right of workers to union
representation.
On 20 February 1998, representatives of decision-making bodies, businesses,
trade unions and non -governmental organisations from the USA and the
European Union met in Brussels to exchange views on codes of conduct aimed at
safeguarding basic labour standards and protecting human rights. The meeting
highlighted the recent adoption of such standards in several sectors on both
sides of the Atlantic. The symposium was part of a wider transatlantic agenda
of action which aims to promote the development of codes of conduct
concerning working conditions.
In February 1998, the debate on dealing with breaches of labour law in
Portugal, which has been underway for some time, entered its final phase.
Changes are proposed to the penalties applied for non-compliance with labour
legislation.
According to a recent analysis by the Institute for Economics and Social
Science (Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut, WSI),
collectively agreed basic wages and salaries in *western Germany* rose on
average by about 1.4% in 1997. Since the inflation rate was 1.8% in 1997,
employees had to accept an average decrease in real wages of about 0.4
percentage points. Furthermore, the 1997 growth in wages and salaries was
much below the year's "margin of distribution" (Verteilungsspielraum) of 5.2%
- calculated by adding the 1.8% increase in inflation to a 3.4% increase in
productivity. Collectively agreed pay increases were thus the result of a
very moderate wage policy, of which the current trend of not exhausting the
"margin of distribution" is seen as a continuation. (DE9709232N [1]).
Since early January 1998, the Greek shipping industry has been facing serious
problems, with workers mobilising strongly and making numerous demands, while
at the same time being divided over several issues. A key factor in the
current difficulties is the ending of the system of "cabotage", whereby the
country's own ships have a protected market position in Greek coastal
traffic.
In February 1998, the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament approved the new
Works Councils Act. A few days earlier, a research report had revealed that
many small companies fail to comply with the requirements either to establish
a works council or to hold regular meetings of staff.
The firefighters' strike, which had lasted for over three months, ended in
February 1998 after both parties approved a conciliation proposal from the
state conciliator. The strike is generally considered not to have achieved
any special benefits for the strikers.
The 12th congress of Italy's Uil trade union confederation was held in
Bologna on 4-6 February 1998. The key issues under discussion were the
introduction of the 35-hour working week and union unity.
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.
This report investigates the practical implementation of the European Works Council (EWC) Directive at company level. It explores the challenges faced by existing EWCs and provides examples of identified solutions and remaining issues from the point of view of both workers and management. The report looks at the way that EWCs meet the requirements of the EWC Directive in terms of establishing processes of information and consultation.
The hospital sector has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals and their workers are on the frontline in the fight against the virus, and they face a number of significant challenges in terms of resources, work organisation and working conditions. This study will explore the role of social dialogue and collective bargaining in how the sector is adapting to the pandemic. What kinds of changes have been introduced, either through social dialogue or collective bargaining? Are the changes temporary or permanent?
Given that compliance with lockdown measures is a first line of defence against COVID-19, maintaining trust in institutions is vital to ensure a coordinated, comprehensive and effective response to the pandemic. This report investigates developments in institutional and interpersonal trust across time, with a particular emphasis on the COVID-19 pandemic period and its impact. It examines the link between trust and discontent and investigates the effect of multidimensional inequalities as a driver of distrust.
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.
Lockdown measures and the economic shift following the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a widening of the gender divide between men and women, putting at risk some of the gender equality gains that had been made in previous years. This report analyses changes in the distribution of paid and unpaid work, along with care and domestic responsibilities, among men and women during the crisis. It also explores the impact of the pandemic on the well-being of women and men.
The report provides an overview of the scale of teleworking before and during the COVID-19 crisis and gives an indication of ‘teleworkability’ across sectors and occupations. Building on previous Eurofound research on remote work, the report investigates the way businesses introduced and supported teleworking during the pandemic, as well as the experience of workers who were working from home during the crisis. The report also looks at developments in regulations related to telework in Member States and provides a review of stakeholders’ positions.
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have varied across sectors, occupations and categories of worker (for instance, according to gender, age or employment status). Hours worked have declined the most in sectors such as accommodation services and food and beverage services, and in occupations heavily reliant on in-person interaction, such as sales work. At the same time, it’s in these sectors that labour shortages have become increasingly evident as labour markets have begun to normalise.
The COVID-19 crisis has increased inequality between social groups in health, housing, employment, income and well-being. While a small part of society was able to hold on to or increase its wealth, other groups such as women, young people, older people, people with disabilities, low- and middle-income earners and those with young children were acutely affected by the pandemic. Drawing on current research on how to best measure multidimensional inequality, this report highlights recent trends in inequality in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.
The financial services sector is pertinent for studying the impact of digitalisation, as the main ‘raw material’ of the sector is digitally stored and processed. Process automation in the sector is likely to lead to significant job losses over the next 10 years, as the high street bank presence declines and the online bank presence increasingly accounts for a higher share of overall activity. Such trends have already been identified in bank restructurings captured in Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the textiles and clothing sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements.
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