Low inflation has seen the weekly cost of living increase awarded to all employees in Malta dropping to its lowest ever level.
The increase, known as the cost of living adjustment (COLA), was just €0.58. This low level was due to a low inflation rate, largely caused by the reduction in electricity tariffs which came into effect in March 2014.
This cost of living adjustment is a legal mechanism that establishes the statutory wage increase linked to inflation.
The metalworking sector is put in the spotlight each autumn as it is the first to begin negotiations for wage agreements.
The sector’s agreement plays an important role across the country as it is widely considered as important in setting the pattern for subsequent negotiations in other industries.
Social partners continued to discuss the renewal of the Agreement for Employment and Social Dialogue 2012–2014 right up to the end of 2014. The agreement had been expected to be signed before the end of the year.
A third of workers in Spain earn less than €645 per month, according to research.
Figures published by the Spanish Tax Agency in November 2014 revealed that 34% of Spanish workers – around 5.7 million salaried employees – earned €645 or less net per month in 2013.
In some quarters they are being referred to as the new ‘wage generation’, while some call them the ‘six hundred eurists’. They earn the minimum inter-professional salary, approximately €9,034 a year – €645 per month divided into 14 payments per year, with two extra months included for salary bonuses.
Employees at the Bank of Ireland are to get their first pay rise in six years. It’s one of a number of pay settlements in the banking and financial services sector.
Former banker and Health Service Executive (HSE) board member Dr Donal de Buitléir has been made Chair of Ireland’s new Low Pay Commission.
Ireland’s Minister for Business and Employment, Ged Nash, had called for interested parties to apply to join the commission, which is to look at issues around the national minimum wage (currently €8.65 per hour) and other issues around low pay.
Improvement are being made to regulations dealing with fixed-term contracts in Poland.
On 20 October 2014, draft legislation to amend the Labour Code was presented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. The government proposes that the maximum number of consecutive fixed-term employment contracts should be three and that their combined duration should not be longer than 33 months. A fixed-term contract which goes beyond that time will no longer be considered fixed term.
Moves are being made to give more protection to Thai berry pickers working in Finland.
The Ministry of Employment and the Economy and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs have signed a letter of intent (LOI) concerning the picking of wild berries with several berry industry companies. The aim is to harmonise operating methods that apply to people who arrive in Finland to pick berries – the majority coming from Thailand.
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 2003, the first edition of the survey.
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 2007, the second edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2003.
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 2012, the third 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 2005, the fourth 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 2010, the fifth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
This publication series explores scenarios for the future of manufacturing. The employment implications (number of jobs by sector, occupation, wage profile, and task content) under various possible scenarios are examined. The scenarios focus on various possible developments in global trade and energy policies and technological progress and run to 2030.
This report will map the existing regulations on telework in European Union Member States, including in legislation and collective agreements. It will present the most recent changes to these regulations and shed light on how the future of (tele)work could be regulated at both national and EU level, in order to improve working conditions in telework arrangements and reduce the risks associated with telework and with specific ways of working remotely.
As part of a process to collect information on essential services, the European Commission (DG EMPL) requested Eurofound to provide input on certain aspects of existing and planned measures in the Member States to improve access to essential services, in reference to Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The scope of the exercise included energy services, public transport and digital communications, and the focus was on people at risk of poverty or social exclusion (in practice, people on low incomes in most cases).
This report focuses on trends and developments in collective bargaining that were evident from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines potential new strategic approaches and priorities incorporated in negotiation agendas, as well as collective bargaining practices and coordination at sector and company levels in the private sector.
This report explores the association between skills use and skills strategies and establishment performance, and how other workplace practices, in terms of work organisation, human resources management and employee involvement, can impact on this. It looks at how skills shortages can be addressed, at least in part, by creating an environment in which employees are facilitated and motivated to make better use of the skills they already have. This further supports the business case for a more holistic approach to management.
This policy brief will provide an update on upward convergence in the economic, social and institutional dimensions of the European Union, as outlined in the European Pillar of Social Rights and its accompanying Social Scoreboard.
The financial services sector is pertinent for studying the impact of digitalisation, as the main ‘raw material’ of the sector is digitally stored and processed. Process automation in the sector is likely to lead to significant job losses over the next 10 years, as the high street bank presence declines and the online bank presence increasingly accounts for a higher share of overall activity. Such trends have already been identified in bank restructurings captured in Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the electricity 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 this Eurofound study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the electricity sector in the EU Member States.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the gas 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 this Eurofound’s study on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the gas sector in the EU Member States.
This report 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 identified solutions and remaining issues from the point of view of both workers and management. The report looks at the way that EWCs meet the requirements of the EWC Directive in terms of establishing processes of information and consultation.
The hospital sector has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals and their workers are on the frontline in the fight against the virus, and they face a number of significant challenges in terms of resources, work organisation and working conditions. This study will explore the role of social dialogue and collective bargaining in how the sector is adapting to the pandemic. What kinds of changes have been introduced, either through social dialogue or collective bargaining? Are the changes temporary or permanent?