Following the financial collapse of Allied Irish Banks (AIB [1]) in 2009, the
Irish government took control and now owns 99.8% of the bank. In early 2012,
AIB and the Irish Bank Officials Association (IBOA [2]) entered a mediation
process at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC [3]).
Young people in Europe have been particularly affected by the recession: by
mid-2013, the unemployment rate among people aged 24 and under was over 23%.
A large proportion of workers in this age group are employed on temporary
rather than permanent contracts (42% compared to just 10% of workers aged
25–64). While temporary or fixed-term contracts can be a stepping stone in
the transition from education into work, they can also trap young people in
insecure jobs. This report from the European Restructuring Monitor is based
on data from correspondents in 28 EU Member States and Norway. It examines
the reasons for the growth in temporary employment contracts across the EU
and explores the situation regarding access to social protection for young
people on such contracts. It reviews the measures put in place in various
countries to regulate the use of these contracts – often with a view to
encouraging the transition to standard contracts – and finally presents the
opinions of the social partners on the issue.
The results of Spain’s latest Quarterly Survey on Labour Costs (in Spanish)
[1] have been released. The Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE
[2]) published the figures for the second quarter of 2013 in September.
A report, Health and Work Safety in Romanian Food Industry (1.7MB PDF, in
Romanian) [1] published by Romania’s National Federation of Food Industry
Trade Unions (Sindalimenta [2]), examines how companies and workers in the
sector have adapted to EU directives on occupational health and safety.
Malta has seen an influx of displaced immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa and
the Middle East over the past decade, substantially increasing the number of
vulnerable workers and some employers are willing to take advantage of their
plight.
Spain’s coal industry employs 4,894 workers. Of these, 3,407 work directly
for 15 extractive coal companies and a further 1,487 are employed through
subcontracting companies.
A long-running dispute in Slovakia has centred on the extension of
multi-employer collective agreements, which is regulated by Act No. 2/1991
(in Slovakian, 164 KB PDF) [1] on collective bargaining. The subject has
caused friction between representatives of employers and the trade unions.
On 30 October 2013, partners in Germany’s Pact on Apprenticeships released
the latest figures on newly concluded vocational training contracts. During
the vocational guidance year 2012/2013, 482,400 newly concluded contracts
were registered.
The term ‘blue-collar worker’ was introduced at the very beginning of the
20th century to describe manual workers. Two decades later, the term
‘white-collar worker’ appeared, describing employees who were engaged in
work requiring predominantly mental, rather than physical, effort. During the
last 20 years, establishing equality between these two statuses has been key
to Belgian industrial relations. In recent years, technological developments
and the evolution of job functions have ‘blurred’ the distinction between
blue- and white-collar workers that had previously been clearly defined.
Ten forms of precarious work in Bulgaria and the extent of their regulation
by national labour legislation have been analysed in a joint study by experts
from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB [1])
and the Confederation of Labour Podkrepa (CL Podkrepa [2]).
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.
Automation and digitisation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), are undergoing a rapid evolution. This impacts working conditions in a variety of ways and raises a host of new ethical concerns. In recent times, the policy debate surrounding these concerns has become more prominent and has increasingly focused on AI. Key EU policy developments, especially in relation to AI, have shaped the policy debate in many EU Member States, and in some instances they have led to the adoption of new policy initiatives that address these concerns in the context of work and employment.
Every year, Eurofound compiles a report summarising the key developments in minimum wages across EU countries. The report explains how minimum wages are set and describes the role of social partners, covering the evolution of statutory rates, collectively agreed wages and the national debates on these issues.
As part of a process to collect information on essential services, the European Commission (DG EMPL) requested Eurofound to provide input on certain aspects of existing and planned measures in the Member States to improve access to essential services, in reference to Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The scope of the exercise included energy services, public transport and digital communications, and the focus was on people at risk of poverty or social exclusion (in practice, people on low incomes in most cases).
The civil aviation sector has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is one of the most severe crises the sector has ever experienced, giving rise to a number of significant challenges for companies and workers alike. 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?
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.
This report will map the existing regulations on telework in European Union Member States, including in legislation and collective agreements. It will present the most recent changes to these regulations and shed light on how the future of (tele)work could be regulated at both national and EU level, in order to improve working conditions in telework arrangements and reduce the risks associated with telework and with specific ways of working remotely.
This report explores the association between skills use and skills strategies and establishment performance, and how other workplace practices, in terms of work organisation, human resources management and employee involvement, can impact on this. It looks at how skills shortages can be addressed, at least in part, by creating an environment in which employees are facilitated and motivated to make better use of the skills they already have. This further supports the business case for a more holistic approach to management.
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.
This report focuses on trends and developments in collective bargaining that were evident from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines potential new strategic approaches and priorities incorporated in negotiation agendas, as well as collective bargaining practices and coordination at sector and company levels in the private sector.
This policy brief will provide an update on upward convergence in the economic, social and institutional dimensions of the European Union, as outlined in the European Pillar of Social Rights and its accompanying Social Scoreboard.
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