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Labour and social regulation

Labour and social regulation covers the legal framework and fundamental social rights that regulates industrial relations, employment and social policies across Europe. It includes national, EU and international legislation.  Union labour law has a direct or indirect impact on the normative and functional frameworks of individual and collective labour law systems of the Member States in a relationship of mutual interference and interaction.  Increasingly Union labour laws are also shaped by agreements that the parties voluntarily enter into and by soft law mechanisms.  The reform or modernising of labour law is currently high on the agenda in several Member States.

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Regulatory responses to algorithmic management in the EU

Since 2013, Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legislation has been documenting regulatory developments in the Member States of the European Union and Norway. The most recent update to the database...

Article
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Der Begriff „hybride Arbeit“ wurde mit dem Anstieg der Telearbeit während der COVID-19-Pandemie populär, als Unternehmen und Beschäftigte begannen, über Möglichkeiten der Arbeitsorganisation nach der Krise zu diskutieren. Der Begriff...

25 Mai 2023
Publication
Research report

Eurofound research

Eurofound has monitored legislative developments in industrial relations, working conditions and restructuring in Europe over time and from a comparative perspective across the Member States. The Agency’s work in this area seeks to assist decision-makers to better understand the legal framework for creating policy. It has also put resources in place to assist audiences in understanding the sometimes complex and difficult terminology used.

EU context

This topic covers the legal framework that regulates industrial relations and employment across Europe, including EU legislation and the fundamental labour standards that need to be taken into account.

Legislation is crucial in shaping how Europeans work and live. It is the basis for ensuring better working conditions, equitable labour relations, and equal opportunities for all citizens.

Publications results (81)

This report explores EU Member States’ legislation around the right to disconnect and assesses the impact of company policies in this area on employees’ hours of connection, working time, work–life balance, health and well-being, and overall workplace satisfaction.

30 November 2023

Der Begriff „hybride Arbeit“ wurde mit dem Anstieg der Telearbeit während der COVID-19-Pandemie populär, als Unternehmen und Beschäftigte begannen, über Möglichkeiten der Arbeitsorganisation nach der Krise zu diskutieren. Der Begriff wird zunehmend für Situationen verwendet, in denen (in Telearbeit

25 May 2023

In diesem Bericht werden die Forschungsarbeiten von Eurofound zur Telearbeit während der COVID-19-Pandemie in den Jahren 2020 und 2021 vorgestellt. Untersucht werden Veränderungen in Bezug auf Telearbeit, Arbeitsbedingungen für Arbeitnehmer, die von zu Hause aus arbeiten, und Änderungen der

08 December 2022

Dieser Bericht wird im Rahmen des dreijährigen Pilotprojekts (2021-2023) „Die Rolle des Mindestlohns bei der Einführung der allgemeinen Garantie für Arbeitende“ erstellt, mit dem Eurofound von der Europäischen Kommission beauftragt wurde. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf Modul 3 des Projekts, in dem

30 November 2022

In diesem Bericht sollen die Rechtsvorschriften und Tarifverhandlungen zur Telearbeit in den 27 Mitgliedstaaten und Norwegen erfasst und analysiert werden. Darin werden die wichtigsten länderspezifischen Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten in Bezug auf die Rechtsvorschriften zur Telearbeit und die

01 September 2022

Nach den vorsichtigen Mindestlohnerhöhungen im Jahr 2021 stiegen die Nominalsätze 2022 nun signifikant an, da sich die negativen Folgen der Pandemie abschwächten und sich die Lage in den Volkswirtschaften und auf den Arbeitsmärkten besserte. Vor diesem Hintergrund haben 20 der 21 EU-Mitgliedstaaten

15 June 2022

Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns. Recently, the policy debate surrounding these concerns has become more prominent and has

30 May 2022

This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2021 for 28 countries – the 27 EU Member States and Norway. The country reports summarise evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on working life based on national research and survey results during 2021. They

19 May 2022

Dieser Bericht bietet eine Zusammenfassung, wie in dem von der COVID-19-Pandemie gekennzeichneten Jahr 2020 die Mindestlohnsätze für 2021 festgelegt wurden. Es werden die Schwierigkeiten beleuchtet, denen sich nationale Entscheidungsträger gegenübersahen, und es wird untersucht, wie sie auf die

10 June 2021

In diesem Bericht werden die politischen Entwicklungen in den EU-Mitgliedstaaten zur Förderung der Eingliederung von Menschen mit Behinderungen in den offenen Arbeitsmarkt unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der drei Phasen – Eintritt ins Erwerbsleben, Verbleib auf dem Arbeitsmarkt und Rückkehr an den

19 April 2021

Online resources results (794)

Italy: Streamlining of social safety nets in new Jobs Act

Unions in Italy are divided over reforms in the new Jobs Act regarding welfare payments for workers who are temporarily unemployed. Employer organisations, however, have generally welcomed the way the act has streamlined certain measures.

Cyprus: Amendment of law on minimum guaranteed income

In August 2015, legal amendments came into force allowing more people in Cyprus to receive a minimum guaranteed income. The government estimates the move will cost €11 million. Approximately 20,000 households had been approved for GMI benefit by November 2015, two months before the application

France: Government launches major reform of the labour market

On 4 November, the government presented the outline of its bill, 'A labour code for the 21st century' ,aimed at reforming the French labour code.

Spain: A first assessment of the 2012 labour market reform

The impacts of the 2012 labour market reform have been mixed and not necessarily clear cut. Employers’ representatives have generally welcomed the changes, but suggested flexibility should be further encouraged. Trade unions claim the quality of employment has deteriorated and labour precariousness

EU level: ECJ rules that travel time is treated as working time

Unions have welcomed a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that travel time for mobile workers should be treated as working time. Employer organisations have not commented, but the UK's umbrella national employer organisation, the CBI, has said it is vital the UK’s opt-out from the EU

Norway: Reaction to new Working Environment Act

The hotly debated changes to Norway’s Working Environment Act came into force on 1 July 2015. They affect temporary employment, working time, age limits, maximum penalties and the collective right to sue. Protests over the changes led to the first general strike since 1998. Opposition parties have

EU level: European Accessibility Act proposed by the European Commission

On 2 December, the European Commission proposed a Directive on European Accessibility, aimed at ensuring the appropriate requirements of key products and services for people with disabilities.

France: Dispute about wearing Islamic headscarf referred to EU Court of Justice

A dispute over a French IT worker being dismissed for refusing to take off her hijab has been referred to the EU Court of Justice. The woman had been asked to remove the headscarf after one of her employer’s customers said it made staff uncomfortable. The CJEU must decide whether a customer’s wishes

Ireland: New law welcomed on collective bargaining

A law giving employees the right to bargain collectively has been passed in Ireland after a great deal of debate. Until now, under the constitution, a worker’s right to join a union has effectively been cancelled out by an employer’s right not to recognise a union for bargaining purposes. However


Blogs results (12)
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The European Platform Tackling Undeclared Work last year documented the case of a Dutch temporary work agency that hired workers of various nationalities to work for a construction company in Belgium. The wages were suspiciously low, and the Belgian Labour Inspectorate believed that EU law

17 Juli 2019
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The European Union (EU) has strong legislation in place that protects workers from being exploited and also enables businesses to engage in fair competition. Workers are mobile and can move freely within the EU single market across borders – without being dependent upon traffickers. Yet, the latest

3 Mai 2016

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