Strike activity across the EU dropped in 2014 following a crisis-related peak in 2010. However, evidence from EurWORK correspondents suggests that the more highly unionised public sector has been a focus of industrial action recently. In general, strikes have been triggered by pay freezes and cuts
The sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) presents the diverse picture of Europe at work over time across countries, occupations, gender and age groups. The findings underline the complex reality with which Europe’s policymakers are confronted as they seek to build a fair and competitive
In light of the recent economic and financial crisis and its detrimental effects on EU labour markets, both academics and policymakers are paying increasing attention to the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in job creation.
Collective bargaining systems in the EU have undergone a steady change since the end of the 1990s. But as businesses across Europe struggle to respond to intensifying global competition, pressure from employers for greater flexibility in collective bargaining is increasing, especially since the 2008
Developments in Working Life in Europe is part of a series of annual reviews published by Eurofound and provides an overview of the latest developments in industrial relations and working conditions across the European Union and Norway
Occupation is a critical factor in determining the type of working conditions a person will experience during their professional life. This report explores the working conditions of workers – particularly medium-to-low skilled and unskilled – in occupations that are found to have low levels of job
Since the beginning of 2015 a number of major collective agreements at national, sectoral and cross-sectoral level have been renewed, renegotiated, or under discussion. Several of the examples presented here are from the countries that have been hit hardest during the crisis and/or in which
This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of public sector pay and collective bargaining in the EU during the third quarter of 2015. Its main focus is a growing trend of restored pay levels in public sector agreements. It also deals with the broadening scope
As the average age of the European population and of the European workforce rises, more people of working age will have to combine employment with the provision of care, especially to elderly relatives. There are many actors and institutions involved in organising such care, and many institutional
Economic anxiety has resurfaced during the summer months and threatens to undermine the emergent European recovery. All of the things that should be helping to boost growth – ECB quantitative easing, the weak euro, low interest rates, cheap oil – appear to be having limited effect in the face of a