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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

Recent updates

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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

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)

Het recht om offline te zijn: implementatie en impact op bedrijfsniveau

This report explores EU Member States’ legislation around the right to disconnect and assesses the impact of company policies in this area on employees’ hours of connection, working time, work–life balance, health and well-being, and overall workplace satisfaction.

30 November 2023
Publication
Research report
Arbeidstijd
Evenwicht tussen werk en privéleven
Arbeidsomstandigheden en duurzaam werk
Telewerken
Working conditions
Agreements
Labour and social regulation
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Hybride werken in Europa: wat houdt het in en hoe werkt het in de praktijk?

De term “hybride werken” werd algemeen bekend door de plotselinge toename van telewerken tijdens de COVID-19-pandemie, toen bedrijven en werknemers begonnen te bespreken op welke manieren het werk na de crisis kon worden georganiseerd. De term wordt steeds vaker gebruikt om situaties aan te duiden

25 May 2023
Publication
Research report
Arbeidsomstandigheden en duurzaam werk
Telewerken
Work organisation
Labour and social regulation
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De opkomst van telewerken: gevolgen voor arbeidsomstandigheden en regelgeving

In dit verslag presenteert Eurofound zijn onderzoek naar telewerken tijdens de COVID-19-pandemie in 2020 en 2021. Er wordt gekeken naar veranderingen in het aantal telewerkers, de werkomstandigheden van thuiswerkende werknemers en veranderingen in de regelgeving met betrekking tot deze werkregeling

08 December 2022
Publication
Research report
Nieuwe vormen van werk
Arbeidsomstandigheden en duurzaam werk
Working conditions
Telewerken
Employment relationship
COVID-19
Het digitale tijdperk: kansen en uitdagingen op het gebied van werk en werkgelegenheid
Labour and social regulation
Arbeidstijd
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Regelgeving inzake minimumlonen en andere vormen van beloning voor zelfstandigen

Dit verslag werd opgesteld in het kader van het driejarig (2021-2023) proefproject “De rol van het minimuminkomen bij de vaststelling van de universele arbeidsgarantie”, dat door de Europese Commissie in opdracht is gegeven aan Eurofound. Het verslag is gericht op de derde module van het project

30 November 2022
Publication
Research report
Salaris en inkomen
Minimumloon
Agreements
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Arbeidsverhoudingen en sociale dialoog
Arbeidsverhoudingen
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Telewerken in de EU: regelgevingskaders en recente ontwikkelingen

In dit verslag worden de wetgeving en de collectieve onderhandelingen over telewerk in de 27 lidstaten en Noorwegen in kaart gebracht en onder de loep genomen. Onder andere wordt ingegaan op de belangrijkste verschillen en overeenkomsten tussen de landen wat betreft de wetgeving inzake telewerk en

01 September 2022
Publication
Research report
Arbeidstijd
Working conditions
Telewerken
Evenwicht tussen werk en privéleven
Work organisation
Agreements
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Arbeidsverhoudingen en sociale dialoog
Arbeidsverhoudingen
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Minimumloon in 2022: Jaarlijkse evaluatie

Na een voorzichtige loonronde voor 2021 zijn de nominale minimumlonen voor 2022 aanzienlijk gestegen naarmate de negatieve gevolgen van de pandemie afnamen en de economieën en arbeidsmarkten verbeterden. In dit verband hebben 20 van de 21 EU-lidstaten met wettelijke minimumlonen hun tarieven

15 June 2022
Publication
Research report
Sociale dialoog
Social partners
Salaris en inkomen
Minimumloon
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Arbeidsverhoudingen en sociale dialoog
Arbeidsverhoudingen
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Ethics in the digital workplace

Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns. Recently, the policy debate surrounding these concerns has become more prominent and has

30 May 2022
Publication
Research report
Social dialogue
Social policies
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Digitalisation
Labour and social regulation
Job quality
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Working life in the COVID-19 pandemic 2021

This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2021 for 28 countries – the 27 EU Member States and Norway. The country reports summarise evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on working life based on national research and survey results during 2021. They

19 May 2022
Publication
Other
Social dialogue
Social partners
Pay and income
Working time
Working conditions
COVID-19
Industrial action
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue
Industrial relations
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Minimumloon in 2021: Jaarlijkse evaluatie

In dit verslag wordt samengevat hoe de minimumlonen voor 2021 werden vastgesteld in 2020 – het jaar dat gekenmerkt werd door de COVID-19-pandemie. Het geeft een beeld van de moeilijkheden waarmee nationale beleidsmakers zich geconfronteerd zagen en van de wijze waarop zij bij hun besluitvorming over

10 June 2021
Publication
Research report
Sociale dialoog
Social partners
Salaris en inkomen
Working poor
Minimumloon
European Pillar of Social Rights
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Arbeidsverhoudingen en sociale dialoog
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Handicaps en integratie op de arbeidsmarkt: beleidstrends en ondersteuning in de EU-lidstaten

In dit verslag worden de beleidsontwikkelingen in de EU-lidstaten onderzocht die gericht zijn op de bevordering van de inclusie van personen met een handicap op de open arbeidsmarkt. Daarbij wordt met name aandacht besteed aan de drie stadia van de indiensttreding, het behoud van de baan en de

19 April 2021
Publication
Research report
Social policies
Openbare diensten
Working conditions
European Pillar of Social Rights
COVID-19
Disability and chronic disease
Labour market policies
Labour market participation
Levensomstandigheden en kwaliteit van het bestaan
Labour and social regulation
Online resources results (794)

Spain: New employment and social dialogue agreement marks a turning point

4 september 2015
Article
Pay and income
Collective bargaining
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Estonia: New measure to fight in-work poverty

Parliament approves an annual tax refund for low-wage earners as a new measure to fight in-work poverty.

4 september 2015
Article
Labour and social regulation
Living conditions and quality of life
Social policies
Working conditions
Working poor
Working conditions and sustainable work

France: Social partners give mixed response to Macron Law on labour disputes

Reforms to the law on labour disputes have been criticised by the social partners as rushed, and as an attempt to destabilise the joint nature of the Labour Court. The changes have been included in the Macron Law, adopted on 9 June 2015 by parliament, which also includes several measures to

4 september 2015
Article
Industrial action
Labour law
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Lithuania: Unions protest at new draft social model law

The draft legislation on a new social model has prompted widespread protest from trade unions who fear that the new law will undermine social guarantees and have negative effects on working conditions.

4 september 2015
Article
Social dialogue
Labour law
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Hungary: New act restricts worker representation in the law enforcement sector

Unions have criticised the new act governing law enforcement services as undermining the activity of interest representation organisations.

4 september 2015
Article
Employee representation
Labour law
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue

France: New bill on social dialogue should bolster employee representation

Rules to modernise social dialogue are being introduced in France after a new bill was adopted by parliament in July 2015. It heralds many changes for consultation bodies and collective bargaining at company level. The bill was launched by the government after social partners at national level

3 september 2015
Article
Social dialogue
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Spain: State of play regarding work–life balance and working time in companies

The economic crisis and recent labour reforms in Spain have hindered the development of policies to help employees have a better work–life balance, according to a report released in March 2015. The report, backed by the CCOO union federation, examines existing rights concerning work–life balance and

2 september 2015
Article
Gender equality
Leave
Work-life balance
Working time
Collective bargaining
Labour law
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

UK: Newly elected conservative government proposes changes to strike balloting

The newly elected UK government changes strike ballot legislation as part of the controversial Trade Union Bill.

31 augustus 2015
Article
Industrial action
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Netherlands: Unexpected problems with Work and Security Act

There have been unexpected problems following the introduction of the new Act on Work and Security in the Netherlands. The act, which changes employment and dismissal law, came into force on 1 July and aims to create a new balance between ‘insiders’, permanent employees who have high levels of

31 augustus 2015
Article
Non-standard employment
Employment relationship
Labour law
Employment and labour markets
Labour and social regulation

Spain: Working mothers to receive pension supplement

4 augustus 2015
Article
Gender equality
Retirement
Working conditions
Labour and social regulation
Social policies
Working conditions and sustainable work
Blogs results (12)
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Regulating platform work in Europe: A work in progress

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 september 2022
Dragoș Adăscăliței
Blog
Platform work
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Digitalisation
Labour and social regulation
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Resumed EU Semester calls for better involvement of the social partners in implementing recovery and resilience plans

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 mei 2022
Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras
Blog
Social partners
European Pillar of Social Rights
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue
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Platform cooperatives ensure caring in the sharing economy

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 maart 2022
Beate Steurer
Blog
New forms of employment
Employment relationship
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Digitalisation
Labour and social regulation
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Gender pay transparency: Advancing the cause through a truly European proposal

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 juni 2021
Christine Aumayr-Pintar
Blog
Pay and income
Working conditions and sustainable work
Gender equality
Labour and social regulation
Industrial relations and social dialogue
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As Member States take different approaches to regulating telework, will the EU bring them into line?

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 mei 2021
Federica De Blasio
Blog
Working conditions and sustainable work
Teleworking
Digitalisation
Labour and social regulation
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Does the new telework generation need a right to disconnect?

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 december 2020
Oscar Vargas Llave
Blog
Working conditions and sustainable work
Work-life balance
Collective bargaining
Agreements
Digitalisation
Teleworking
Labour and social regulation
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
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Are simple statistics enough? On the benefits of gender pay reports and audits

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 november 2020
Christine Aumayr-Pintar
Blog
Pay and income
Gender equality
Discrimination at work
Labour and social regulation
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Racial discrimination is not a thing of the past in the EU

25 juni 2020
Anna Gallinat
Blog
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Discrimination at work
Inclusive labour markets
Migration and mobility
Labour and social regulation
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Can short-time working save jobs during the COVID-19 crisis?

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 mei 2020
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Labour market policies
Labour and social regulation
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Economic downturns expose the vulnerability of a growing number of precarious workers

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 april 2020
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Non-standard employment
Employment status
Labour and social regulation
Employment and labour markets

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