In May 2003, Confindustria, Italy’s main employers’ association, held its
annual assembly. Its president, Antonio D’Amato, addressed some key issues
in his address, including the reform of the pension system, Italy’s
economic recovery, the tax burden, welfare reform, labour market reform, the
public administration, the resources to be allocated to research, and
Southern Italy.
A package of major revisions of labour law has been coming into force
gradually in Poland since its adoption in 2002. From 1 July 2003, new rules
will apply to many aspects of collective redundancies, including their
definition and severance pay entitlements. Furthermore, the special
protection against dismissal and detrimental treatment provided to trade
union activists is to be subject to new limitations.
The Trade Unions’ Cooperation Forum (Szakszervezetek Együttműködési
Fóruma, SZEF [1]), the dominant trade union organisation in the public
service and civil administration sector - and arguably the biggest Hungarian
trade union confederation with approximately 300,000 active members
(HU0206102N [2]) - held its third congress on 25-26 May 2003 in Budapest.
In February 2003, trade unions and employers' organisations in the Polish
construction sector reached agreement on a minimum wage rate for 2003, which
is 50% above the national statutory minimum wage. The deal is seen as an
important development in industrial relations in the industry.
/Industrial restructuring is a striking feature of Europe's economic
landscape today. There is wide agreement among employees, social partner
organisations and policymakers at all levels that the way industrial
restructuring is managed can, and must be improved. A rich body of policy
initiatives, conceptual material and practical experience is available,
identifying the main issues and challenges governing industrial
restructuring. This EMCC dossier aims at presenting a selection of relevant
data sources in a systematic way. It reveals the principles of, and various
approaches to, corporate restructuring. A series of links provide access to a
wide variety of relevant information sources./
Following several draft versions and a series of consultations, the coalition
government of the Hungarian Socialist Party (Magyar Szocialista Párt, MSZP
[1]) and the liberal Alliance of Free Democrats (Szabad Demokraták
Szövetsége, SZDSZ [2]) submitted a bill on 'healthcare service providers
and organisation of public health service' to parliament in March 2003.
In spring 2003, Alstom, the French-based engineering multinational, announced
a major Europe-wide restructuring plan which includes stringent cuts in its
activities. The group may be selling off its shipbuilding division and
announced job losses in its power and transport infrastructure divisions at
various works council meetings in April, May and June. There have been fierce
reactions from trade unions in France, while the Alstom European Works
Council has brought a court case.
In a judgment issued in late May 2003, a Greek court ruled the dismissals of
many workers at Athenian Paper Mills SA (Softex) to be illegal, as redundancy
legislation had not been observed. It stated that the workers are thus
entitled to retroactive compensation for lost pay from the date they were
made redundant in 2002 up to the date of the court ruling.
A number of Greek court rulings issued in April-June 2003 have focused on the
issue of workers who are employed to meet the standing needs of employers for
long periods under successive fixed-term employment contracts. The courts
have upheld these workers' cases and converted their fixed-term contracts
into open-ended contracts, in the light of the 1999 EU fixed-term work
Directive.
Information sheets set out a brief overview of each project, forming a useful introduction point. They answer key questions as to: What is the project about? Why is the research being carried out? What are the findings/objectives and whom do they concern? When will the project be completed? How might the findings be translated into action? This information sheet provides a brief overview of a forthcoming report on the subject of economically dependent workers. Their situation has been widely debated in most countries throughout Europe. The comparative study looks at how the emergence of this new category has called into question the existing regulatory framework and highlighted possible shortcomings in the current system of labour protection. It also examines how the growth of new forms of employment has had an impact on the national industrial relations systems of certain countries, leading to changes in the structure of representation and/or the content of collective bargaining.
The European Restructuring Monitor has reported on the employment impact of large-scale business restructuring since 2002. This series includes its restructuring-related databases (events, support instruments and legislation) as well as case studies and publications.
The European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) launched in 1990 and is carried out every five years, with the latest edition in 2020. 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 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, conducted in two rounds – in April and in July 2020. 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 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.
Eurofound's representativness 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 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 series reports on the new forms of employment emerging across Europe that are driven by societal, economic and technological developments and are different from traditional standard or non-standard employment in a number of ways. This series explores what characterises these new employment forms and what implications they have for working conditions and the labour market.
The European Company Survey (ECS) is carried out every four to five years since its inception in 2004–2005, with the latest edition in 2019. The survey is designed to provide information on workplace practices to develop and evaluate socioeconomic policy in the EU. It covers issues around work organisation, working time arrangements and work–life balance, flexibility, workplace innovation, employee involvement, human resource management, social dialogue, and most recently also skills use, skills strategies and digitalisation.
The European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) is carried out every four to five years since its inception in 2003, with the latest edition in 2016. It examines both the objective circumstances of people's lives and how they feel about those circumstances and their lives in general. It covers issues around employment, income, education, housing, family, health and work–life balance. It also looks at subjective topics, such as people's levels of happiness and life satisfaction, and perceptions of the quality of society.
How can working conditions be improved to make work more sustainable over the life course? This question has been the guiding principle for analysis of the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey data during the period of Eurofound’s work programme for 2017–2020. This flagship report brings together the different research strands from this work and gives a comprehensive answer to the question. It includes an analysis of trends in working conditions, examining whether these are the same for all workers or whether inequalities between different groups of workers are increasing.
Access to key social services, especially education and healthcare, as well as stable family life and decent housing are necessary for the well-being and development of children. Ensuring that all children have these resources is an EU priority; the European Commission is currently undertaking to recommend a Child Guarantee to address the situations of children in need. Service provision has been complicated by the COVID-19 outbreak, however, and the pandemic has put psychological and material strains on families.
This report builds on Eurofound's existing research on social mobility, assessing the distribution and transmission of wealth in Member States. It examines the roles of inheritance and household debt in explaining the transmission of advantage or disadvantage between the generations across Member States. The analysis is based on Eurosystem's Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS).
This report analyses the involvement of the national social partners in the implementation of policy reforms within the framework of social dialogue practices, and their involvement in elaborating the National Reform Programmes (NRPs) and other key policy documents of the European Semester cycle.
This report will focus on assessing the employment impact of the COVID-19 crisis, including its effects across sectors and for different categories of workers. It will also be looking at measures implemented to limit negative effects following the Coronavirus outbreak in Europe.
This report examines the contribution of social and employment services in EU Member States to the inclusion of people with disabilities, specifically in relation to the impact these have on labour market integration – in line with the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The report includes a discussion of the costs and benefits of different approaches.
This report examines people's optimism about the future, for themselves and for others, and the extent to which it varies depending on one's social situation and perceptions of the quality of society. The study includes an analysis of the relationships between people’s perceptions of fairness and objective indicators of their social and economic situation and living standards.
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 (flight 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 European Green Deal is at the very top of Member State agendas across the EU. This topical update maps the national discussions – in policy, public and research debates – on the potential, ongoing or already felt impact on work and employment of the transition to a low-carbon economy. It attempts to identify the most active actors involved in these discussions (governments, social partners, NGOs and so on) and their perspectives.
This report will draw from case studies of establishments across the EU that have introduced advanced digital technologies in the workplace. The technologies in focus are the Internet of Things, 3D printing and virtual and augmented reality. Each case study – illustrated in the report - will explore the approach or strategy taken by the establishment to manage the digital transition and the impact of the deployment of the technology on the work organisation and job quality.
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