An agreement was signed on 28 October 1997 by trade unions and the Italian
toy-manufacturing multinational, Artsana, which provides for the respect of
ILO conventions in the group's production plants abroad.
On Friday 17 October 1997, it became public knowledge that four of the trade
unions affiliated to the Federation of Norwegian Professional Associations
(Akademikernes Fellesorganiasjon, AF) were in the process of establishing a
new confederation for academically qualified workers, together with the
Norwegian Medical Association (Den norske lægeforening), previously
affiliated to AF (NO9710131N [1]). The four organisations concerned are
Norwegian Society of Chartered Engineers (Norske Sivilingeniørers Forening),
The Norwegian Federation of Business Economists (Norske Siviløkonomers
Forening), The Norwegian Dental Association (Den norske Tannlægeforening)
and the Association of Norwegian Lawyers (Norges Juristforbund). Since this
date, three additional AF-affiliated unions have expressed a wish to transfer
to the new confederation. These are the unions organising architects,
veterinarians and psychologists.
In Austria, there is a legal entitlement to early retirement when a person:
has drawn unemployment benefits for at least 12 of the last 15 months; is
aged over 55 years (women) or over 60 (men); and has accumulated at least 180
months (15 years) of contributions to the pension insurance scheme. At least
120 of the 180 months of contributions have to derive from actual employment,
while the remainder may derive from periods of child-rearing of up to 48
months per child. The pension entitlement lapses if new employment is entered
into.
The social partners in Finland's municipal government sector conducted a
survey in early November 1997 concerning estimates of possible cuts in
expenditure for the next year. Every fourth municipality is about to lay off
or dismiss employees or use local "savings agreements".
The board of directors of Aceralia, a steel-making group that is in the
process of being privatised, was constituted in November 1997. Its members
include the general secretaries of the metalworking federations of the UGT
and CC.OO union confederations, thereby making it the first private company
in Spain with union representatives on the board.
A study commissioned by the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions
(Landsorganisationen i Danmark, LO) and publicised in late 1997 shows that
home-based telework has increased by more than expected. Almost 15% of all
employees and approximately 7%, or 90,000, of LO's members make use of
home-based telework.
Since deregulation in 1986, the UK's system of pensions provision is seen by
some to have degenerated into something of a turmoil. Cases of bad practice
and bad advice by many financial companies have led the Government to order
compensation for thousands of individuals who were made worse off through
following advice to take out private pension schemes, rather than stick with
occupational pension s.
Private sector bus drivers demonstrated outside Luxembourg's Chamber of
Deputies on 14 October 1997 in support of their claim for a cut in duty time.
The Minister of Labour and Employment told them that a tripartite meeting
would take place in January.
After a 20-year wait, a trade union-employer joint committee was set up in
February 1996 in the Belgian social and cultural sector. It covers a very
broad and varied range of activities, and by late 1997 had already concluded
several collective agreements and considered six industrial disputes.
Six employers' organisations cooperating under the title of the Swedish
Federation of Trade, Commerce and Service (Svensk Handel och
Tjänsteföretagen) and two trade unions for salaried employees, the
Association of Graduate Engineers (Civilingenjörsförbundet, CF) and
Salaried Employees' Union (Handelstjänstemannaförbundet, HTF) were the
first to reach an agreement on pay for 1998. The agreement, which covers
around 80,000 workers, runs only until 30 June 1998. This means that,
according to their new procedural agreement (SE9709139N [1]), the parties
will have to begin negotiating again in April 1998 at the latest.
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.
The European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) launched in 1990 and is carried out every five years, with the latest edition in 2020. 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.
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 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, conducted in two rounds – in April and in July 2020. 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 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.
Eurofound's representativness 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 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.
The European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) is carried out every four to five years since its inception in 2003, with the latest edition in 2016. It examines both the objective circumstances of people's lives and how they feel about those circumstances and their lives in general. It covers issues around employment, income, education, housing, family, health and work–life balance. It also looks at subjective topics, such as people's levels of happiness and life satisfaction, and perceptions of the quality of society.
How can working conditions be improved to make work more sustainable over the life course? This question has been the guiding principle for analysis of the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey data during the period of Eurofound’s work programme for 2017–2020. This flagship report brings together the different research strands from this work and gives a comprehensive answer to the question. It includes an analysis of trends in working conditions, examining whether these are the same for all workers or whether inequalities between different groups of workers are increasing.
Access to key social services, especially education and healthcare, as well as stable family life and decent housing are necessary for the well-being and development of children. Ensuring that all children have these resources is an EU priority; the European Commission is currently undertaking to recommend a Child Guarantee to address the situations of children in need. Service provision has been complicated by the COVID-19 outbreak, however, and the pandemic has put psychological and material strains on families.
This report analyses the involvement of the national social partners in the implementation of policy reforms within the framework of social dialogue practices, and their involvement in elaborating the National Reform Programmes (NRPs) and other key policy documents of the European Semester cycle.
This report builds on Eurofound's existing research on social mobility, assessing the distribution and transmission of wealth in Member States. It examines the roles of inheritance and household debt in explaining the transmission of advantage or disadvantage between the generations across Member States. The analysis is based on Eurosystem's Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS).
This report will focus on assessing the employment impact of the COVID-19 crisis, including its effects across sectors and for different categories of workers. It will also be looking at measures implemented to limit negative effects following the Coronavirus outbreak in Europe.
This report examines the contribution of social and employment services in EU Member States to the inclusion of people with disabilities, specifically in relation to the impact these have on labour market integration – in line with the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The report includes a discussion of the costs and benefits of different approaches.
This report examines people's optimism about the future, for themselves and for others, and the extent to which it varies depending on one's social situation and perceptions of the quality of society. The study includes an analysis of the relationships between people’s perceptions of fairness and objective indicators of their social and economic situation and living standards.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the civil aviation (flight crew) 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.
The European Green Deal is at the very top of Member State agendas across the EU. This topical update maps the national discussions – in policy, public and research debates – on the potential, ongoing or already felt impact on work and employment of the transition to a low-carbon economy. It attempts to identify the most active actors involved in these discussions (governments, social partners, NGOs and so on) and their perspectives.
This report will draw from case studies of establishments across the EU that have introduced advanced digital technologies in the workplace. The technologies in focus are the Internet of Things, 3D printing and virtual and augmented reality. Each case study – illustrated in the report - will explore the approach or strategy taken by the establishment to manage the digital transition and the impact of the deployment of the technology on the work organisation and job quality.
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