Employee representation

In September/October 1997, the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs (Bundesministerium für Arbeit, Gesundheit und Soziales, BMAGS) published a report based on commissioned research undertaken by Birgit Buchinger, Ulrike Gschwandtner and others on the use and prevalence of performance-based

Four large Dutch trade unions, which already cooperate in the FNV confederation, have recently decided to merge. The merger is to be finalised in January 1998, resulting in a union with almost half a million members. For the first time, those receiving social benefits and older people will be

According to a recent survey, conducted in April 1997, the density of trade union membership amongst Greek workers appears to be falling. This finding has sparked fierce criticism of the unions, which are blamed by many media commentators for this process. Nevertheless, declining rates of union

In October 1997, six German trade unions took the decision to merge with one another, reducing the number of affiliates of the German Federation of Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB) from 15 to 11 unions. There were two large merger blocks, centred around the two major industrial unions

This is the latest in a series of articles examining the industrial relations systems of the Central and Eastern European countries which are due to start European Union accession negotiations in 1998 - see EU9708143F [1] and EU9709146F [2]. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork

The Organisation for Independent Enterprise (Organisatie voor Zelfstandig Ondernemen), the employers' organisation representing small and medium-sized businesses (SME s), takes part in the consultation process at national and sectoral levels as well as in tripartite decision-making channels. However

Although the transfer of responsibility for sickness policy to the individual employer under the terms of the Sickness Benefits Act (ZW) led to a reduction in sickness absence in the Netherlands in 1995 and 1996, it has not improved sickness absence policy within companies. According to an August

Attention in Spain has again focused on "downsizing" recently. There have been disputes in October 1997 at Radiotrónica and Sintel over the policy of subcontracting and "outsourcing". What is new is that this policy is now being applied by banks and high-technology companies working in information