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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.

Topic

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Regulatory responses to algorithmic management in the EU

Since 2013, Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legislation has been documenting regulatory developments in the Member States of the European Union and Norway. The most recent update to the database...

Article
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Sąvoka „mišrus darbas“ išpopuliarėjo COVID-19 pandemijos metu išplitus nuotoliniam darbui, kai įmonės ir darbuotojai pradėjo diskutuoti apie darbo organizavimo būdus po krizės. Šis terminas vis dažniau vartojamas kalbant apie tuos...

25 Gegužė 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)

This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of individual employment relations in the EU during the third quarter of 2014. Moves to limit the use of fixed-term contracts and proposals to increase the flexibility of temporary employment are the main focus of

18 February 2015

This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of dispute resolution in the EU between the first and third quarters of 2014. Changes in the EU Member States’ collective and individual dispute resolution mechanisms are the main focus. The section on 'Extensions of

18 February 2015

This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of collective employment relations in the EU during the second quarter of 2014. Industrial relations reforms, actual and proposed changes to the labour codes in certain countries, and changes in the union rights of

18 February 2015

This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of actors and institutions in the EU and Norway in the EU during the first quarter of 2014. Government shifts, institutional and legislative change, membership of social partner organisations and activities of trade

18 February 2015

This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of individual employment relations in the EU during the third quarter of 2014. Measures to combat undeclared work such as increased monitoring, closer supervision of revenue collection and pre-paid service vouchers

18 February 2015

This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of individual employment relations in the EU during the third quarter of 2014. Measures to combat the growing problem of youth unemployment and prevent the misuse of traineeships and internships are the main focus of

18 February 2015

In the recent past, the policy debate around wage setting – both at European and the national level – has reflected the view that wages should better reflect differences in productivity developments. This article provides an overview of related debates in a number of Member States in 2014. By and

18 February 2015

Non-standard employment and, more particularly, part-time work has been increasing worldwide for the past two decades. This trend has been especially strong in Europe, where the issue of different working time arrangements is an important part of the discussion among policymakers and social partners

27 October 2011

This report examines the extent of the phenomenon of the posting of workers, the roles played both by European and national-level legislation in determining the employment and working conditions of posted workers and the roles played by legislation and collective bargaining – and how these two

07 October 2010

Cases of bankruptcy generally have more serious consequences for the workers who lose their jobs as a result since, unlike other cases of restructuring, the company concerned might have little or no possibility of providing support, either financial or practical. The number of bankruptcy cases has

08 December 2009

Online resources results (794)

Croatia: New provisions in the case of employer insolvency adopted

The Amendment to the 2008 Act on Guarantees of Rights of Employees has been adopted, ensuring employee rights in cases of employer insolvency and where the employer’s account is frozen.

Slovenia: Guarded praise for effects of reform on youth employment

The number of young people with permanent employment contracts has risen following labour market reforms in 2013. The social partners have given the news a guarded welcome but say the reforms have not gone far enough; unions want greater protection of workers’ rights, while employers want lower

Cyprus: Draft legislation to prevent industrial action in essential services

In response to increasing industrial action in the public sector, the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation has filed draft legislation to declare specific services 'essential' in order to prevent or prohibit a strike that may harm the public interest.

United Kingdom: Employment rights may influence outcome of EU membership referendum

The Conservative government wants to renegotiate the UK’s EU membership before holding a referendum on whether to stay in or leave the EU. The Trades Union Congress has warned that if the protections offered by EU employment law are removed, working people will be more likely to vote in favour of

Spain: Social partners' role reduced in vocational training reform

The Spanish government has introduced reforms limiting the social partners’ role in managing continuous vocational training. The changes have been made because of a potential conflict of interests, and the emergence of some cases of fraud. The social partners, who had previously been in charge of

EU level: Social partner views on the 'better regulation' package

Social partners have given their reactions to the Better Regulation Agenda, adopted by the European Commission as a way of boosting openness in the EU decision-making process. It also aims to improve the quality of new laws through better impact assessments of draft legislation and amendments, and

Lithuania: Unions wary of proposed new model of labour relations

The Lithuanian government has outlined improvements to labour law, employment and social security regulation in an effort to increase employment, improve labour relations, and promote investment. However unions are wary of liberalising labour laws and despite a year of public discussion, no

Romania: New labour law provisions for temporary-agency workers

New legislation introduced in Romania at the start of 2015 grants temporary agency workers the same pay and conditions as permanent employees of client companies they work in.

Romania: New legal provisions adopted to protect mothers in the workplace

The Romanian Parliament has adopted new legal provisions that aim to better protect pregnant women and mothers in the workplace. The new law provides more obligations for the employer in the area of risk prevention in terms of health and safety.


Blogs results (12)
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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 Rugsėjis 2022
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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 Gegužė 2022
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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 Kovas 2022
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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 Birželis 2021
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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 Gegužė 2021
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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 Gruodis 2020
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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 Lapkritis 2020
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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 Gegužė 2020
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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 Balandis 2020

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