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Employee representation

Employee representation may be defined as the right of employees to seek a union or individual to represent them for the purpose of negotiating with management on such issues as wages, hours, benefits and working conditions. In the workplace, workers may be represented by trade union and through works councils – or similar structures elected by all employees. EU law has established rights and obligations for employees and their representatives to be informed and consulted via a set of directives that provide for the information and consultation of the workers, at both national and international level.

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Eurofound expert(s)

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Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound and focuses on comparative industrial relations, social dialogue and collective bargaining...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (74)

Previous Eurofound research developed three complementary tools to examine the dynamics of industrial relations and compare how national industrial relations systems are faring in terms of quality and change over time.

05 December 2023

This working paper investigates the practical implementation of the European Works Council (EWC) Directive at company level. It explores the challenges faced by existing EWCs and provides examples of solutions identified and remaining issues from the point of view of both workers and management. In

25 October 2022

U okviru svojeg mandata, koji uključuje i obvezu promicanja dijaloga među socijalnim partnerima, Eurofound već dulje od 40 godina prati i analizira promjene u sustavima radnih odnosa na razini EU-a i njegovih država članica. Ovo se ključno izvješće temelji na radu Eurofounda u tom području tijekom

11 December 2020

Megatrends, such as digitalisation, globalisation, demographic change and climate change, are transforming the world of work, with knock-on effects for working conditions and job quality. Against this background, this report examines working conditions and job quality from a sectoral perspective

05 November 2020

The aim of this report is to add to the discussion on how Eurofound can contribute to supporting capacity building of social partners for effective social dialogue. The report includes a review by Eurofound aimed at identifying the capacity-building needs and initiatives of social partners in

10 September 2020

This study examines the interaction between social dialogue practices and human resources management (HRM) policies in European multinational companies (MNCs). It looks at the changing role of HRM and its interaction with European Works Councils (EWCs), which can act as a link between different

16 June 2020

In light of the limited action in many Member States to introduce or review gender pay transparency instruments as recommended, in November 2017 the European Commission announced the possible need for further targeted measures at EU level. This report reviews experiences in four Member States –

07 February 2018

This topical update looks at the issue of employee involvement and participation at work, specifically reviewing recent pieces of research at EU and national level, EU directives, changes in the legal framework, social partner initiatives and debates identified in EurWORK quarterly reports during

25 October 2016

This report maps, analyses and discusses key dimensions and indicators for a comparative framework of industrial relations. It then identifies and assesses existing data sources that can be used to measure the different dimensions of the comparative framework.

30 September 2016

Well-functioning social dialogue is a key component for the successful design and implementation of reforms needed to increase the competitiveness of Europe’s economies and create more jobs. It balances workers’ and employers’ interests and contributes to both economic competitiveness and social

06 September 2016

Online resources results (298)

Welfare benefits are replacing wages

Since 8 September 2009, when the Latvian cabinet adopted the social safety net strategy, state financing for social security has increased every year.

New public sector union elections claim first victims

The Act on the renewal of social dialogue in the public sector (in French) [1] adopted in July 2010 (*FR1009031I* [2]) profoundly changed the rules governing industrial relations and social dialogue in the public sector. Like the reform in the private sector, brought about by the 2008 Social

Intersectoral agreement on representativeness heals rift

The conclusion of an intersectoral agreement on 28 June 2011 marks a significant development in Italian industrial relations, following a split among trade union confederations after the General Confederation of Italian Workers (Cgil [1]) had refused to sign the January 2009 Framework Agreement on

Union derecognition in the spotlight

Where UK employers recognise a trade union for collective bargaining purposes, this is usually based on a voluntary agreement between the parties. However, since 2000, there has also been a statutory procedure through which a union can apply to the independent Central Arbitration Committee (CAC [1])

First assessment of representativeness reform

A report (in French) [1] published in February 2011, and commissioned by the Ministry of Work, Employment and Health [2], examines the impact of the reform of representativeness [3] in 2008 (*FR0808039I* [4]) on industrial relations in 12 French companies. [1] http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr

Trade union membership stable despite current crisis

According to the annual report published by the Registrar of Trade Unions on 30 September 2011, trade union membership in Malta increased by 483 in absolute terms between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2011. This represents an increase of 0.6% over the previous year. Based on the figure of 148,546 for the

Two new studies on unionisation and collective agreement coverage

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy (Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö [1]) has published two studies on the unionisation and the coverage of collective agreements in Finland. Both studies were undertaken by Lasse Ahtiainen. [1] http://www.tem.fi/

Unions and students act to help young workers

Young people in Poland face growing difficulties in the labour market. The magazine /Politkya/ has published an article (in Polish) [1] showing that a typical employee who earns less than the minimum wage of PLN 1,386 (€344 as at 1 August 2011) is a young female graduate with no professional

Union launches campaign to protect workers’ rights

The Coordinating Council of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB [1]) decided at its meeting on 12 April 2011 to launch a campaign to protect workers’ rights in the framework of its project ‘Security through the law, flexibility through collective bargaining’. [1] http:/

Football players join General Workers’ Union

Maltese football players can be professional or amateur. A player who is paid for participating in any activity connected with football is registered as a professional and can be full-time or part-time players. A full–time professional player is defined as one whose only, or principal, occupation is


Blogs results (1)
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Trade unions in many EU Member States face the issue of declining membership. This is a fundamental challenge for organised labour, but it is premature to speak about the redundancy unions: when it comes to important decisions affecting the workplace, restructuring being one, trade unions remain a

20 studenog 2019
Data results (1)
24 listopada 2023
Reference period:

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