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On 5 November 2013, Malta’s budget for 2014 was presented to the Parliament
of Malta [1]. It was the first budget presented by the Maltese Labour Party
(Partit Laburista [2]) after its victory in the general election held in
March 2013. The budget included a number of employment and labour market
measures which by and large were welcomed by all the social partners.
[1] http://www.parlament.mt/home
[2] http://www.partitlaburista.org/
The board of the Czech National Bank (ČNB [1]) has intervened in the
country’s monetary policy. At its meeting on 7 November 2013, the board
stepped in to devalue the country’s currency, the Crown, against the euro.
[1] http://www.cnb.cz
New legislation is being introduced in Belgium which allows employers to use
the hiring of temporary agency workers as a legitimate route to full-time
employment. Belgium already has one of the most carefully regulated labour
markets offering a high level of protection to temporary workers.
The Estonian financial sector is strongly intertwined with the Scandinavian
model, where trade unions are an important part of the sector. When the
Scandinavian banks expanded to Estonia in the 1990s, unsuccessful attempts
were made to form trade unions for workers in the sector. Employers now say
that Estonia’s working culture more closely resembles the Scandinavian
model, and this is believed to be one of the reasons why a new trade union,
the Union of Estonian Financial Sector Employees (EFL), was formed on 11
September 2013.
The European Commission (EC [1]) has published a report, Women and men in
leadership positions in the European Union 2013 (1.26 MB PDF) [2]. Drawing on
data up to the end of June 2013, it reviews the current situation and reports
on recent progress.
[1] http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/gender_balance_decision_making/131011_women_men_leadership_en.pdf
Poland’s unemployment rate has been rising since 2008, reaching 13% in November 2013. Yet significant cuts to the public employment service were introduced in the 2011 budget and, to reduce the country’s deficit, the Ministry of Finance froze the labour fund. The fund, financed largely by employers’ contributions, had been intended to support training and occupational counselling. As a result of social partners’ criticism, part of the fund was unfrozen in July 2012 by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy which then put forward its proposals for the reform of the public employment services.
The mining company OKD [1], which has around 13,000 staff, faces economic
difficulties (CZ1307029I [2]). In May 2013, it announced job and wage cuts
the sale of part of its property.
[1] http://www.okd.cz/
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/mining-company-okd-announces-job-cuts
In Austria’s retail sector, more than half a million white-collar
employees, mostly women, will be covered by a new, innovative two-year
collective agreement concluded between the social partners on 13 November
2013.
Austria’s annual main bargaining round takes place in the autumn and
traditionally starts with the strong and influential metalworking industry.
For the second time in a row, the Federal Economic Chamber’s (WKO [1]) six
subsectoral employer organisations conducted separate negotiations, having,
in 2012, left the bargaining community to which they had belonged for 40
years (*AT1212011I* [2]). The unions strongly opposed this step, having
adopted a resolution in September to maintain a communal collective
agreement. They also condemned employers’ aspirations to move important
decision-making away from collective to company level.
[1] http://www.wko.at/
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/industrial-relations-undefined-working-conditions/employers-forge-ahead-in-metalwork-wage-bargaining
This report presents the findings of a research project exploring the involvement of new partners – in particular, the social partners, civil society and people in vulnerable situations – in social innovation. The research was carried out at EU level – focusing especially on the role of the European Social Fund (ESF) in social innovation – and in six Member States: Austria, Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Sweden. It examined the innovation and social partnership culture in each country, and analysed to what extent national-level policies have been triggered by EU policy.
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