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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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Υβριδική εργασία στην Ευρώπη: η έννοια και η εφαρμογή στην πράξη

Ο όρος "υβριδική εργασία" έγινε ευρύτερα γνωστός με την αύξηση της τηλεργασίας κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας COVID-19, καθώς οι επιχειρήσεις και οι εργαζόμενοι ξεκίνησαν συζητήσεις σχετικά με τους τρόπους...

25 Μάιος 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)

Το δικαίωμα στην αποσύνδεση από την εργασία: εφαρμογή και αντίκτυπος σε επίπεδο επιχειρήσεων

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
Publication
Research report
Χρόνος εργασίας
Ισορροπία μεταξύ επαγγελματικής και προσωπικής ζωής
Συνθήκες εργασίας και βιώσιμη εργασία
Τηλεργασία
Working conditions
Agreements
Labour and social regulation
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Υβριδική εργασία στην Ευρώπη: η έννοια και η εφαρμογή στην πράξη

Ο όρος "υβριδική εργασία" έγινε ευρύτερα γνωστός με την αύξηση της τηλεργασίας κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας COVID-19, καθώς οι επιχειρήσεις και οι εργαζόμενοι ξεκίνησαν συζητήσεις σχετικά με τους τρόπους οργάνωσης της εργασίας μετά την κρίση. Ο όρος χρησιμοποιείται ολοένα και περισσότερο για να

25 May 2023
Publication
Research report
Συνθήκες εργασίας και βιώσιμη εργασία
Τηλεργασία
Work organisation
Labour and social regulation
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Αύξηση της τηλεργασίας: ο αντίκτυπος στις συνθήκες εργασίας και στους κανονισμούς

Η παρούσα έκθεση παρουσιάζει την έρευνα του Eurofound σχετικά με την τηλεργασία κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας COVID-19 το 2020 και το 2021. Διερευνά τις αλλαγές στη συχνότητα της τηλεργασίας, τις συνθήκες εργασίας των υπαλλήλων που εργάζονται από το σπίτι και τις αλλαγές στους κανονισμούς για την

08 December 2022
Publication
Research report
Νέες μορφές απασχόλησης
Συνθήκες εργασίας και βιώσιμη εργασία
Working conditions
Τηλεργασία
Employment relationship
COVID-19
Η ψηφιακή εποχή: ευκαιρίες και προκλήσεις για την εργασία και την απασχόληση
Labour and social regulation
Χρόνος εργασίας
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Ρύθμιση των κατώτατων μισθών και των λοιπών αμοιβών για τους αυτοαπασχολουμένους

Η παρούσα έκθεση εκπονείται στο πλαίσιο του τριετούς πιλοτικού έργου (2021-2023), με τίτλο «Ο ρόλος του κατώτατου μισθού στη θέσπιση της παγκόσμιας εγγύησης εργασίας», το οποίο ανατέθηκε στο Eurofound κατόπιν εντολής της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής. Εστιάζει στην ενότητα 3 του έργου, η οποία διερευνά τους

30 November 2022
Publication
Research report
Αμοιβή και εισόδημα
Κατώτατες αποδοχές
Agreements
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Εργασιακές σχέσεις και κοινωνικός διάλογος
Εργασιακές σχέσεις
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Η τηλεργασία στην ΕΕ: Ρυθμιστικά πλαίσια και πρόσφατες επικαιροποιήσεις

Η παρούσα έκθεση αποσκοπεί στη χαρτογράφηση και την ανάλυση της νομοθεσίας και των συλλογικών διαπραγματεύσεων για την τηλεργασία στα 27 κράτη μέλη και στη Νορβηγία. Επισημαίνει τις κύριες διαφορές και ομοιότητες μεταξύ των χωρών σε ό,τι αφορά τη νομοθεσία για την τηλεργασία καθώς και τις πρόσφατες

01 September 2022
Publication
Research report
Χρόνος εργασίας
Working conditions
Τηλεργασία
Ισορροπία μεταξύ επαγγελματικής και προσωπικής ζωής
Work organisation
Agreements
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Εργασιακές σχέσεις και κοινωνικός διάλογος
Εργασιακές σχέσεις
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Οι κατώτατοι μισθοί το 2022: Ετήσια αναθεώρηση

Μετά από έναν κύκλο συντηρητικών παρεμβάσεων όσον αφορά τον καθορισμό των κατώτατων μισθών για το 2021, οι ονομαστικές τιμές των μισθών αυξήθηκαν σημαντικά για το 2022 και, παράλληλα, οι αρνητικές συνέπειες της πανδημίας μειώθηκαν και οι οικονομίες και οι αγορές εργασίας παρουσίασαν σημάδια

15 June 2022
Publication
Research report
Κοινωνικός διάλογος
Social partners
Αμοιβή και εισόδημα
Κατώτατες αποδοχές
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Εργασιακές σχέσεις και κοινωνικός διάλογος
Εργασιακές σχέσεις
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Ethics in the digital workplace

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
Publication
Research report
Social dialogue
Social policies
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Digitalisation
Labour and social regulation
Job quality
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Working life in the COVID-19 pandemic 2021

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
Publication
Other
Social dialogue
Social partners
Pay and income
Working time
Working conditions
COVID-19
Industrial action
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue
Industrial relations
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Οι κατώτατοι μισθοί το 2021: Ετήσια αναθεώρηση

Η παρούσα έκθεση συνοψίζει τον τρόπο καθορισμού των κατώτατων μισθών για το 2021 κατά τη διάρκεια του 2020, ενός έτους που σηματοδοτήθηκε από την πανδημία της νόσου COVID-19. Εξετάζει τις δυσκολίες που αντιμετώπισαν οι εθνικοί φορείς λήψης αποφάσεων και τον τρόπο με τον οποίο αντέδρασαν στις

10 June 2021
Publication
Research report
Κοινωνικός διάλογος
Social partners
Αμοιβή και εισόδημα
Working poor
Κατώτατες αποδοχές
European Pillar of Social Rights
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Εργασιακές σχέσεις και κοινωνικός διάλογος
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Αναπηρία και ένταξη στην αγορά εργασίας: Τάσεις πολιτικής και στήριξη στα κράτη μέλη της ΕΕ

Στην παρούσα έκθεση εξετάζονται οι εξελίξεις στις πολιτικές που ασκούν τα κράτη μέλη της ΕΕ με σκοπό να υποστηρίξουν την ένταξη των ατόμων με αναπηρία στην ανοιχτή αγορά εργασίας, με έμφαση στα στάδια της πρόσληψης, της παραμονής στην εργασίας και της επιστροφής στην εργασία μετά από ασθένεια. Στην

19 April 2021
Publication
Research report
Social policies
Δημόσιες υπηρεσίες
Working conditions
European Pillar of Social Rights
COVID-19
Disability and chronic disease
Labour market policies
Labour market participation
Συνθήκες διαβίωσης και ποιότητα ζωής
Labour and social regulation
Online resources results (793)

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

5 Φεβρουάριος 2016
Article
Minimum wage
Social protection
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Social policies
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

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.

21 Ιανουάριος 2016
Article
Collective bargaining
Social dialogue
Labour law
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue

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

23 Δεκέμβριος 2015
Article
Labour market policies
Employment and labour markets
Labour and social regulation

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

22 Δεκέμβριος 2015
Article
Labour law
Labour and social regulation

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

22 Δεκέμβριος 2015
Article
Labour law
Labour and social regulation

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.

16 Δεκέμβριος 2015
Article
Disability and chronic disease
Working conditions
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work

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

16 Δεκέμβριος 2015
Article
Labour law
Labour and social regulation

Bulgaria: One-day labour contracts introduced

Farmers now have the option to offer one-day contracts for harvest work.

14 Δεκέμβριος 2015
Article
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

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

4 Δεκέμβριος 2015
Article
Collective bargaining
Employee representation
Social partners
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Czech Republic: Short-time work introduced in Employment Act

30 Νοέμβριος 2015
Article
Working time
Working conditions
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Blogs results (12)
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Regulating platform work in Europe: A work in progress

The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising. Yet, in

27 Σεπτέμβριος 2022
Dragoș Adăscăliței
Blog
Platform work
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Digitalisation
Labour and social regulation
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Resumed EU Semester calls for better involvement of the social partners in implementing recovery and resilience plans

With the arrival of the month of May, the 2022 European Semester Spring Package is anticipated soon. After a transformative year in 2021, which saw the launch of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) under NextGenerationEU, the European Semester cycle has resumed its role as the reference

3 Μάιος 2022
Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras
Blog
Social partners
European Pillar of Social Rights
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue
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Platform cooperatives ensure caring in the sharing economy

Whether it is couch surfing, baby-sitting, pizza delivery or getting Ikea furniture assembled by somebody who can do it better, platforms can mediate all kinds of voluntary or professional services. Platform work is at the heart of the ‘sharing economy’. But while this may sound like a new form of

31 Μάρτιος 2022
Beate Steurer
Blog
New forms of employment
Employment relationship
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Digitalisation
Labour and social regulation
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Gender pay transparency: Advancing the cause through a truly European proposal

With its proposed directive on gender pay transparency, the European Commission has significantly bolstered the set of tools for delivering its objectives compared to those presented in its 2014 Recommendation. The proposed portfolio of measures addresses many shortcomings of the instruments that

18 Ιούνιος 2021
Christine Aumayr-Pintar
Blog
Pay and income
Working conditions and sustainable work
Gender equality
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue
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As Member States take different approaches to regulating telework, will the EU bring them into line?

The massive and rapid adoption of telework in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 lockdowns exposed gaps in the legislation governing telework arrangements across the EU Member States. In some cases, there was no regulation in place; in others, it was too restrictive. Governments scrambled to put

31 Μάιος 2021
Federica De Blasio
Blog
Working conditions and sustainable work
Teleworking
Digitalisation
Labour and social regulation
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Does the new telework generation need a right to disconnect?

Whatever the benefits of telework – and there are many, including more flexible working time, increased productivity and less commuting – there are drawbacks, as many of the one-third of Europeans who were exclusively working from home during the pandemic will attest. Primary among these is the ‘alw

3 Δεκέμβριος 2020
Oscar Vargas Llave
Blog
Working conditions and sustainable work
Work-life balance
Collective bargaining
Agreements
Digitalisation
Teleworking
Labour and social regulation
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
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Are simple statistics enough? On the benefits of gender pay reports and audits

Following a sluggish response by many Member States to introduce or modify gender pay transparency measures, as it recommended in 2014, the European Commission intends to table a proposal for EU-level legislation on pay transparency later in 2020. In this context, a new Eurofound study investigated

6 Νοέμβριος 2020
Christine Aumayr-Pintar
Blog
Pay and income
Gender equality
Discrimination at work
Labour and social regulation
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Racial discrimination is not a thing of the past in the EU

25 Ιούνιος 2020
Anna Gallinat
Blog
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Discrimination at work
Inclusive labour markets
Migration and mobility
Labour and social regulation
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Can short-time working save jobs during the COVID-19 crisis?

On 2 April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new fund of up to €100 billion to support EU Member States to introduce short-time working or similar schemes, including for the self-employed, in an effort to safeguard jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Known as SURE

5 Μάιος 2020
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
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Economic downturns expose the vulnerability of a growing number of precarious workers

Up to the start of 2020, recent EU economic and labour market trends were often discussed in terms of the periods before and after the Great Recession. It now appears likely that, in the short- to medium-term, the repercussions of that economic crisis will be dwarfed by the unfolding impact of the

21 Απρίλιος 2020
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Non-standard employment
Employment status
Labour and social regulation
Employment and labour markets

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