Gilman, Mark
Negotiating European Works Councils: an analysis of agreements under Article 13
26 August 2012
This reports analyses 386 agreements which had been signed when the Directive came into force on 22 September 1996, and Article 13 ceased as an option for the establishment of a European Works Council.
1999 Annual Review for the United Kingdom
27 Dezember 1999
1999 saw GDP growth decrease to 1.2%, from 2.2% in 1998 and 3.5% in 1997.
However, inflation slowed, to 1.3% compared with 3.2% in 1998 and 2.8% in
1997. The unemployment rate decreased slightly from 6.4% (1,804,000 people)
in 1998 to 6.3% (1,778,000) in 1999, continuing the decline which has been
witnessed since 1993, when the rate stood at 10.7% (2,996,000). Public debt
as a percentage of GDP fell from 41.4% in 1998 to 39% in 1999, continuing a
decline from the recent high-point of 44.2% recorded in 1996.
EU social affairs Council decision fuels junior doctors' grievances over working hours
27 Juni 1999
Dissatisfaction on the part of junior doctors in the UK over out-of-hours pay
and excessive workload has been fuelled by the outcome of the meeting of the
EU's Council of Labour and Social Affairs Ministers on 25 May 1999 concerning
proposals for extending the 1993 EU Directive on certain aspects of the
organisation of working time (93/104/EC) [1] (EU9906178F [2]). The Council
reached political agreement on a common position on the proposed "horizontal"
Directive extending the provisions of the original Directive to non-mobile
workers in previously excluded sectors. The Council proposed a nine-year
transition period before the standard 48-hour limit on average weekly working
hours would apply to doctors in training: a maximum average working week of
60 hours would apply for the first three years; a 56-hour limit would apply
for the following three years; and a 52-hour limit would apply for a further
three years. Taking account of the proposed four-year timetable for national
transposition of the Directive, the limit on the weekly working hours of
doctors in training would be brought down to 48 hours over a total of 13
years after the adoption of the Directive.
[1] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=31993L0104&model=guichett
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-working-conditions/council-agrees-to-extend-working-time-directive-to-excluded-sectors
1998 Annual Review for the United Kingdom
27 Dezember 1998
In the third quarter of 1998, the UK's GDP was 2.5% higher than a year
earlier. Balance of trade in goods was in deficit by GBP 3.9 billion,
compared with GBP 2.6 billion a year earlier. In December 1998, the all-items
retail prices index (RPI) inflation rate stood at 2.8%, down from 3.0% in
November.
Working time Directive implemented in the UK
27 Oktober 1998
From 1 October 1998, the UK is covered, for the first time, by a set of
general statutory rules for the regulation of working time - the Working Time
Regulations 1998 [1] (UK9810154F [2]). The Regulations represent mainly the
UK's implementation of the 1993 EU Directive on certain aspects of the
organisation of working time (93/104/EC) [3]. Among other issues, the new
Regulations thus stipulate the following rights:
[1] http://www.dti.gov.uk/ER/WTR/
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-working-conditions/new-working-time-regulations-take-effect
[3] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=31993L0104&model=guichett
Alcohol and drug misuse examined
27 Oktober 1998
Delegates at a joint conference, organised by theTrades Union Congress (TUC),
Alcohol Concern and the Institute for the Study of Drug Dependency (ISDD) on
12 October 1998, heard that alcohol and drug misuse is estimated to cost
employers nearly GBP 3 billion per year - GBP 2 billion for alcohol misuse
and GBP 800 million for drug misuse. While it is estimated that 14 million
working days are lost through alcohol misuse each year, very little is known
about the impact of drug misuse so the true cost may be higher than
estimated. Delegates were told that one in four workplace accidents involve
workers who have been drinking alcohol. Furthermore, three out of four people
with alcohol problems and one in four seeking help with drug problems are
estimated to be in employment.
CBI and TUC surveys highlight the costs of employee sickness
27 September 1998
A survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), published in
September 1998, indicates that sickness and other forms of absence cost
British firms an estimated GBP 11 billion in total in 1997. Some 197 million
days of work were lost, and the cost worked out at GBP 478 per employee for
the year. The figures show that the costs to business remained broadly
unchanged from those of the previous year. Minor illness was the main cause
of absence, followed by serious ill-health, family responsibilities, personal
problems and work pressure. The survey also found that workers in the public
sector took more time off than those in the private sector. The CBI reported
that stress-related illness was not among the most significant causes of
absence, despite other surveys indicating that long hours and pressure at
work affect the health of employees.
Focus on pay at 1998 Trades Union Congress
27 September 1998
The annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) was held in Blackpool on 14-17
September 1998. In his opening address, the TUC president, John Edmonds,
launched a widely-reported attack on some UK company directors, calling them
"greedy bastards" and advocating government action against directors who take
excessive pay increases (UK9808146N [1]). He also called for higher tax
levels for top earners, saying that "executive pay is now the politics of the
pig trough. We have little chance of creating a fair society unless we insist
that people with great power act with a similar level of responsibility."
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/fat-cat-directors-pay-back-in-the-headlines
Government consults on draft regulations for National Minimum Wage
27 September 1998
The introduction of the UK's first statutory National Minimum Wage (NMW) came
one step closer on 11 September 1998, when the Department of Trade and
Industry launched a public consultation on draft regulations implementing the
NMW. The NMW was one of the key commitments of the Labour Government when it
came to power in May 1997 (UK9704125F [1]), and the new proposals by and
large put into effect the proposals of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) set up to
recommend the level of the NMW, which published its report in June 1998
(UK9807135F [2]). The draft regulations would:
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-labour-market/the-industrial-relations-consequences-of-the-new-labour-government
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/the-national-minimum-wage-report-of-the-low-pay-commission
Fat cat directors' pay back in the headlines
27 August 1998
At the end of July 1998, the Government backed away from the idea of
controlling the salaries of companies directors in the utilities. After
leaked rumours of plans to prevent large pay rises for directors by linking
them to customers' bills, Margaret Beckett of the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) commented that "it is not the government's job to set the pay
of utility company executives."