The Government's new plan to create employment is known as the "Smet" Plan,
after the Federal Minister for Employment and Labour, Miet Smet. She has also
made a number of changes to the existing "Vandelanotte plan" to promote the
32-hour working week. The various measures were approved by the Council of
Ministers on 4 July 1997.
France's Minister for Transport, Housing and Public Infrastructure,
Jean-Claude Gayssot announced in July 1997 the creation of 2,000 new jobs at
the SNCF railway company, in exchange for a reduction in the state-owned
company's indebtedness. He also confirmed the separation to be made between
the management of infrastructure and the operation of the rail network.
Stork, the Dutch engineering company, aims to create a more flexible and
multiskilled workforce by establishing a new "mobility centre" - Mobile 2000.
This centre will work together with temporary employment agencies.
On 24 July 1997, GEOPA- the Employers' Group of the Committee of Agricultural
Organisations in the European Union (COPA) - and the European Federation of
Agricultural Workers' Trade Unions (EFA) - one of the European industry
committees of the European Trade Union Confederation- signed the first
European sectoral framework agreement of its kind in the presence of
CommissionerPadraig Flynn. The initiative builds on previous "agreements" on
working time concluded between the social partners in the sector in 1978,
1980 and 1981, as well as a joint declaration on employment in agriculture
presented to the "European social conference" held in Paris on 30 March 1995.
The aim of the National Workplace Development Programme is to boost
productivity and the quality of working life by making full use of, and
developing, staff know-how and innovative power in Finnish workplaces. This
is to be achieved by developing human resources and helping organisations to
reform their modes of operation. The programme:
The Government announced on 8 July 1997 that it is to end balloting over the
check-off system for trade union members, whereby members can have their
union subscriptions deducted directly from their wages by the employer, who
then passes them on to the union.
On 24 June 1997 the recent collective bargaining round at the leading German
motor company Volkswagen (VW) ended with the conclusion of a new company
agreement. Volkswagen is one of the very few large German corporations in the
metalworking sector which, traditionally, are not covered by branch-level
collective bargaining, but have always concluded their own company
agreements. The negotiations for the about 95,000 VW employees take place
between VW management and the regional office of the IG Metall metalworkers'
union in Lower Saxony, where most of the six west German VW plants are
located.
Transport is one of Italy's most strike-prone sectors, at the same time as
being covered by legislation regulating strikes in essential public services.
This article draws on recent statistical evidence to examine the nature of
industrial conflict in transport, highlighting the problem of the
"announcement effect", whereby a strike call can cause considerable
disruption, even though the strike itself is cancelled.
After a decade of their operation in Spain, active employment policies have
led to only limited results in promoting job creation. This feature examines
the variety of policies that have been introduced and the results of relevant
experiments, and looks at social partners' reactions.
The Socio-Economic Council of Flanders, the consultative body of the Flemish
employer and employee representatives, annually submits an advisory report on
the regional budget to the Flemish authorities. For 1998, according to the
report, there is a "freely disposable" margin of BEF 7.4 billion (out of a
total budget of BEF 570.4 billion). The Council has advised the Flemish
Government to use this budgetary margin as far as possible for job creation.
Budget surpluses in recent years have been used chiefly to reduce debt, but
now there is a call for a policy aimed at halving unemployment in the medium
term. Concrete measures to accomplish this will be worked out in the
tripartite autumn bargaining round, which is intended to result in a Flemish
Employment Act for 1998-9. The Socio-Economic Council has already expressed
the view that Flanders spends too little on training employees and
job-seekers in comparison with, for example, the Netherlands and Germany.
The European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) has reported on the employment impact of large-scale business restructuring since 2002. This publication series include the ERM reports, as well as blogs, articles and working papers on restructuring-related events in the EU27 and Norway.
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 European Working Conditions Telephone Survey (EWCTS) 2021, an extraordinary edition conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was first carried out in 1990.
This publication series gathers all overview reports on developments in working life, annual reviews in industrial relations and working conditions produced by Eurofound on the basis of national contributions from the Network of Eurofound Correspondents (NEC). Since 1997, these reports have provided overviews of the latest developments in industrial relations and working conditions across the EU and Norway. The series may include recent ad hoc articles written by members of the NEC.
Eurofound’s work on COVID-19 examines the far-reaching socioeconomic implications of the pandemic across Europe as they continue to impact living and working conditions. A key element of the research is the e-survey, launched in April 2020, with five rounds completed at different stages during 2020, 2021 and 2022. This is complemented by the inclusion of research into the ongoing effects of the pandemic in much of Eurofound’s other areas of work.
Eurofound's representativeness studies are designed to allow the European Commission to identify the ‘management and labour’ whom it must consult under article 154 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This series consists of studies of the representativeness of employer and worker organisations in various sectors.
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.
The European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) launched in 1990 and is carried out every five years, with the latest edition in 2015. It provides an overview of trends in working conditions and quality of employment for the last 30 years. It covers issues such as employment status, working time duration and organisation, work organisation, learning and training, physical and psychosocial risk factors, health and safety, work–life balance, worker participation, earnings and financial security, work and health, and most recently also the future of work.
Eurofound’s Flagship report series 'Challenges and prospects in the EU' comprise research reports that contain the key results of multiannual research activities and incorporate findings from different related research projects. Flagship reports are the major output of each of Eurofound’s strategic areas of intervention and have as their objective to contribute to current policy debates.
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 2019, the fourth edition of the survey. The survey was first carried out in 2004–2005 as the European Survey on Working Time and Work-Life Balance.
This series reports on and updates latest information on the involvement of national social partners in policymaking. The series analyses the involvement of national social partners in the implementation of policy reforms within the framework of social dialogue practices, including their involvement in elaborating the National Reform Programmes (NRPs).
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the professional football 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 professional football 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 extractive industries 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 extractive industries 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 woodworking 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 woodworking sector in the EU Member States.
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence, are rapidly evolving, and becoming increasingly powerful and pervasive. While the implications of digital technologies on ethics and working conditions should be explored as they emerge, it is also important to anticipate any unintended effects that raise new ethical challenges. Drawing on different research methods and building on previous research, this report examines the effects of digital technologies on fundamental rights, ethical principles and working conditions.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the construction 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 construction sector in the EU Member States.
This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in European sectoral social dialogue taking place at cross-sectoral level. 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 at cross-sectoral level 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 furniture 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 furniture sector in the EU Member States.
This report maps and analyses key dimensions and indicators of industrial relations in the EU. It expands on the four key indicators identified in Eurofound’s 2016 study: industry democracy, industrial competitiveness, job and employment equality, and social justice. With a key focus on industrial democracy, the report provides an in-depth analysis of divergence and convergence patterns across countries. The analysis also includes the development of a composite indicator and an integrated indicator for all four industrial relations dimensions.
The interaction between workers and machines has increased due to the rapid advancement of automation technologies. The new wave of robots can perform tasks with more flexibility, greater sophistication and in a way that protects workers’ physical safety. Drawing on case studies of advanced robotics, this report explores the benefits and risks that come with closer human–machine interaction, the organisational practices needed to deal with emerging issues and the real concerns and challenges.
The report describes trends in social and economic discontent across the EU between 2002 and 2020, highlighting in particular the turbulent times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report explores the evolution of social cohesion and its impact on economic and social discontent. It assesses the relationship between social cohesion and discontent during the pandemic, allowing for a comparison of the situation as it stands in 2023. The focus of the report is on regions where social cohesion is low, where a contrast is drawn with regions where social cohesion is much higher.
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