In July 1999, during negotiations over the renewal of company agreements at
the Meridiana airline, pilots and flight attendants staged Italy's first
"virtual strike". During the four-hour "virtual strike", the employees worked
as usual but without being paid, while Meridiana undertook to donate the
receipts from the flights involved to humanitarian organisations. However,
this use of such alternative forms of industrial action, as provided for by a
December 1998 agreement for the transport sector, raises a series of
technical problems. In the Meridiana case, the Minister of Transport will
have to issue an arbitration award to define the obligations of the two
sides, particularly as regards the sum to be paid by the company.
Danish companies have access to one of Europe's most favourable selections of
courses, guidance and educational planning schemes, which are paid for by the
state. This includes adult vocational training schools (AMU centres), which
spend somewhere in the region of DKK 2 billion a year on offering highly
specialised courses designed to meet companies' needs. Trade and industry
still has considerable influence on which courses these schools offer.
In September 1999, the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs opened the door to
allowing individuals seeking asylum in the Netherlands to participate in the
labour market, and the State Secretary of Justice is to present a plan for an
adapted collective agreement to cover asylum-seekers. Small and medium-sized
employers and the temporary agency work sector supported this idea, pointing
to current labour shortages. The central employers' organisation, VNO-NCW,
and the liberal VVD party, which is a member of the governing coalition, are
opposed to asylum-seekers participating fully in the labour market.
August 1999 saw the publication of legislation that will bring about sweeping
changes in the system of penalties imposed in cases of violations of
Portugal's labour law. The new system divides violations into categories
according to their seriousness, and fines will vary according to whether
there is gross neglect or intent, and the size of the enterprise.
The Council of Economic and Financial Affairs Ministers reached agreement on
8 October 1999 on a Directive amending Directive 77/388/EEC on tax
harmonisation [1], enabling Member States, on an experimental basis, to apply
a reduced rate of value-added tax (VAT) on certain labour-intensive services.
The new Directive was to be formally adopted at a subsequent Council meeting.
At its first summer conference, held in early September 1999, France's MEDEF
employers' organisation examined the major questions facing French society
and restated its opposition to legislation implementing the 35-hour working
week.
On 10-11 September 1999, in the German city of Haltern, more than 60 leading
representatives of trade unions from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the
Netherlands held their third joint annual meeting. They evaluated the 1999
collective bargaining rounds in the countries involved and discussed future
trade union bargaining strategies.
In view of the powerful earthquake that struck Athens on 7 September 1999,
the Athens Labour Centre (EKA) has asked the government to take immediate
steps to provide relief for victims' families as well as the homeless.
The pay stability which has served to underpin Ireland's various national
programmes since 1987 could unravel if recent public sector pay disputes
involving nurses, the police and transport employees are not resolved within
the confines of the current three-year Partnership 2000 [1] (P2000) national
agreement (IE9702103F [2]).
This series brings together publications and other outputs of the European Jobs Monitor (EJM), which tracks structural change in European labour markets. The EJM analyses shifts in the employment structure in the EU in terms of occupation and sector and gives a qualitative assessment of these shifts using various proxies of job quality – wages, skill-levels, etc.
Eurofound's European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) examines both the objective circumstances of European citizens' lives and how they feel about those circumstances and their lives in general. This series consists of outputs from the EQLS 2016, the fourth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2003.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 2015, the sixth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
This series reports on developments in minimum wage rates across the EU, including how they are set and how they have developed over time in nominal and real terms. The series explores where there are statutory minimum wages or collectively agreed minimum wages in the Member States, as well as minimum wage coverage rates by gender.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 1996, the second edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 2001, which was an extension of the EWCS 2000 to cover the then 12 acceding and candidate countries. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) paints a wide-ranging picture of Europe at work across countries, occupations, sectors and age groups. This series consists of findings from the EWCS 2000, the third edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
Eurofound’s European Company Survey (ECS) maps and analyses company policies and practices which can have an impact on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. This series consists of outputs from the first edition of the survey carried out in 2004–2005 under the name European Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
Eurofound’s European Company Survey (ECS) maps and analyses company policies and practices which can have an impact on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. This series consists of outputs from the ECS 2009, the second edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
Eurofound’s European Company Survey (ECS) maps and analyses company policies and practices which can have an impact on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. This series consists of outputs from the ECS 2013, the third edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Establishment Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the live performance sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of Eurofound’s studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the field of industrial relations in the EU Member States.
This report investigates the convergence of Member States in various dimensions of living conditions. Indicators are drawn from the European Quality of Life Surveys and other surveys. The analysis pays special attention to particular subgroups such as young people and women. The analysis also investigates the key drivers of convergence in living conditions.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the overlaps between different parts of the public sector, especially with regard to social services. Firstly, the overlaps in terms of employment structures are analysed; secondly, the overlaps of all national sector-related organisations are assessed; and thirdly, the overlaps of the European social partner organisation are considered. The conclusions of this report should help decision-making regarding which ESSDC social services activities fit best in.
The European Jobs Monitor biannual report comprises two sections: one providing a jobs-based analysis of labour market developments, while the other has a thematic focus on shifts in the employment structure from both a gender and an age perspective. The age-based analysis examines how the age profile of employment has evolved since the crisis and explores whether employment continues to be more resilient in jobs with an older age profile. The gender analysis reassesses the findings of the jobs approach using more gender-disaggregated job-ranking data, based on both wage and education.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the civil aviation (groundcrew and air traffic control crew) sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements.
The objective of this study is to examine the quality and effectiveness of the tripartite social dialogue practices involving national social partners aimed at addressing relevant reforms and particularly those adocpted as CSRs in the context of the European Semester. It also analyses the structural, political or operational reasons limiting or shaping the effective involvement of the social partners in these processes.
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