Hall, Mark
Industrial relations developments in Europe 2007
28 August 2008
Industrial relations developments in Europe 2007 highlights the most significant industrial relations developments over the past year – both at national and EU level. It first outlines the main political and legislative initiatives taken in the Member States over the past year and goes on to examine the key issues covered by collective bargaining – pay, working time, occupational pensions and training. It focuses in particular on initiatives taken regarding temporary agency work, efforts to close the gender pay gap and action in the area of migration.
Transatlantic agreement creates first ‘global union’
07 August 2008
On 2 July 2008, Unite [1], the UK’s largest trade union, and the United
Steelworkers (USW [2]), North America’s largest private sector union,
finalised an agreement creating a new international organisation which they
describe as ‘the world’s first global union’. The agreement was signed
at USW’s constitutional convention in Las Vegas and represents the
culmination of discussions that have been underway for some years
(*UK0706039I* [3]). The new organisation, known as Workers Uniting [4], will
represent some three million members in the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada and
the Caribbean, covering workers from ‘virtually every sector of the global
economy, including manufacturing, services, mining and transportation’.
[1] http://www.unitetheunion.org.uk/
[2] http://www.usw.org/
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/first-steps-in-creation-of-transatlantic-super-union
[4] http://www.workersuniting.org/
Government and social partners agree on equal treatment for agency workers in EU directive
02 Juli 2008
On 20 May 2008, the UK government announced that it had reached an agreement
with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI [1]) and the Trades Union
Congress (TUC [2]) on the implementation of equal treatment [3] for temporary
agency workers in the context of the long-running EU-level negotiations over
the proposed directive on the issue. The move paved the way for political
agreement on the directive at the EU’s Employment, Social Policy, Health
and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO [4]) meeting on 9 June.
[1] http://www.cbi.org.uk/ndbs/staticpages.nsf/StaticPages/home.html/?OpenDocument
[2] http://www.tuc.org.uk/
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/equal-treatment
[4] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?id=411&lang=en
Review of flexible working legislation paves way for its extension
02 Juli 2008
On 15 May 2008, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
(BERR [1]) published an independent review (137Kb PDF) [2] of the UK’s
legislation enabling employees with young children or carers of adults to
request flexible working arrangements from their employer. The review found
that the legislation is working well and recommended its extension to cover
parents of children aged up to 16 years. The government has accepted this
recommendation and will consult on implementing legislation to be introduced
in the next session of parliament, which is due to begin in the autumn of
2008 (*UK0806019I* [3]).
[1] http://www.berr.gov.uk/
[2] http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46092.pdf
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/draft-legislative-programme-heralds-extension-of-workers-rights
Draft legislative programme heralds extension of workers’ rights
02 Juli 2008
On 14 May 2008, the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, made a statement to the
House of Commons outlining the government’s draft legislative programme
(428Kb PDF) [1] for the next session of parliament beginning in November.
Prime Minister Brown highlighted that the legislative programme aimed to make
Britain ‘a fairer, more prosperous society’. Proposals for new employment
rights featured prominently in the programme.
[1] http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm73/7372/7372.pdf
Employment advice and conciliation body deemed cost effective
16 März 2008
In November 2007, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research
(NIESR [1]) published an independent evaluation (446Kb PDF) [2] of the
economic impact of the employment relations services provided by the
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas [3]). The report was
commissioned by Acas, against the background of cuts to its budget and
resulting job losses in the period since 2003–2004.
[1] http://www.niesr.ac.uk/about/about.php
[2] http://www.niesr.ac.uk/pdf/141107_91327.pdf
[3] http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=301
Report assesses companies’ responses to information and consultation law
13 Januar 2008
In October 2007, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory
Reform (BERR [1]) published a report (1.27Mb PDF) [2] outlining initial
findings from a research project examining the implementation of the UK’s
Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations 2004 [3]
(UK0502103N [4]). The research is being undertaken by academics at the
University of Warwick [5] and the University of the West of England (UWE
[6]), and is co-sponsored by BERR, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration
Service (ACAS [7]) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
(CIPD [8]).
[1] http://www.berr.gov.uk
[2] http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file41647.pdf
[3] http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2004/20043426.htm
[4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/employee-consultation-legislation-finalised
[5] http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/
[6] http://www.uwe.ac.uk/
[7] http://www.acas.org.uk/
[8] http://www.cipd.co.uk/default.cipd
Employers worried about threats to flexibility
17 Dezember 2007
In September 2007, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI [1]) published
the results of its tenth annual Employment trends survey ‘Fit for
business’ (2Mb PDF) [2], conducted in conjunction with the Jobs Pertemps
recruitment agency. The survey, carried out in May 2007, records the
responses of over 500 employers across all sectors of the economy, including
19% of public sector employers. This article gives an overview of the
report’s main findings in the industrial relations sphere.
[1] http://www.cbi.org.uk/
[2] http://www.skillsnortheast.co.uk/lib/liDownload/12026/Employment Trends Survey 2007.pdf?CFID=7065596&CFTOKEN=53144318
Trade unions call for vote on EU reform treaty
09 Dezember 2007
The annual conference of the Trades Union Congress (TUC [1]), held on 10–13
September 2007, adopted a resolution calling for a UK referendum on the EU
Draft Reform Treaty [2]. Union leaders also urged the UK government to drop
the ‘opt-out [3]’ it has secured from legal enforceability of the Charter
of Fundamental Rights, which is to be granted under the reform treaty
(*UK0707049I* [4]). The ‘solidarity’ chapter of the charter guarantees a
range of rights for trade unions and employees.
[1] http://www.tuc.org.uk/
[2] http://europa.eu/reform_treaty/index_en.htm
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/opt-out
[4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/mixed-reaction-to-opt-out-from-eu-charter-of-fundamental-rights
Unions criticise opposition party’s deregulation proposals
08 Oktober 2007
On 17 August 2007, the opposition Conservative Party’s economic
competitiveness policy review group published a wide-ranging report entitled
Freeing Britain to compete [1]; among other things, the report proposes
extensive measures to cut business regulation.
[1] http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=138067