This report reviews the present situation regarding the use of temporary agency work (TAW) in European Union Member States. It examines arrangements for social dialogue and collective bargaining at national level across the EU. It examines the role of collective bargaining in determining such
The objectives of the report are to investigate how companies in three sectors: the automobile industry, the banking business and road haulage experience EMU with regard to the practicalities of the introduction of the EURO, industrial relations, pay, employment, working conditions, restructuring of
This report, commissioned by the sectoral social dialogue committee on temporary agency work, is based on an EIRO comparative study of temporary agency work in the enlarged EU. The questionnaire survey gathered responses across 28 countries – the 25 EU Member States, as well as Norway and the
The way to EMU has deeply changed the macroeconomic conditions of the British economy. This report looks at the main features of industrial relations in the United Kingdom. It analyses the impact on three sectors: banking and finance, automotive and road haulage, which have undergone or are
Workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery on the east coast of Scotland staged a 48-hour strike in April 2008 over plans by the chemicals company INEOS [1] to change its pension scheme arrangements. The strike began in the early hours of Sunday 27 April and involved about 1,200 employees who are
In 2007, the Trades Union Congress (TUC [1]) established the Commission on Vulnerable Employment (CoVE [2]) (*UK0707019I* [3]). Its 16 members include academics and representatives of employer and civil society groups, as well as trade unionists. The commission aimed to investigate the problems
The remit of the Low Pay Commission (LPC [1]), which was established in 1997 (*UK9711177F* [2]), is to review the impact of the national minimum wage (NMW) and to make recommendations concerning its level and application. Its ninth report on the minimum wage (1.5Mb PDF) [3] was published in March
In March 2008, the Ford Motor Company announced the sale of its British luxury car marques Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors for approximately USD 2.3 billion (about €1.5 billion as at 28 April 2008). The US carmaker Ford bought Jaguar [1] in 1989 and Land Rover [2] in 2000, and the sale reflects
In March 2008, the National Union of Teachers (NUT [1]) balloted members over a one-day strike to take place in England and Wales on 24 April. Nearly 200,000 ballot papers were issued to trade union members, of which a third were returned. The resulting vote was three to one in favour of industrial
On 29 June 2007, up to 130,000 postal workers at Royal Mail [1] took part in a nationwide one-day strike. The representative trade union, the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU [2]), warned that the strike would be the first in ‘a continued series of postal strikes’, unless Royal Mail engaged in
On 18 April 2007, two UK general trade unions, Amicus and the Transport and General Workers’ Union (T&G [1]), announced plans to merge with the North American-based United Steelworkers (USW [2]) union. USW is the largest industrial trade union in North America with 850,000 members. With a total
In April 2007, the Trades Union Congress (TUC [1]) launched an information campaign, which targets small and medium-sized non-union enterprises. The aim of the campaign is to promote the business benefits of trade unions for such companies. It involved the distribution of 2,000 copies of a new
On 1 October 2006, the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 [1] came into force. Heralded as the biggest development in employment law for 30 years, the regulations potentially concern workers of any age; this reflects both the universal nature of age discrimination, and the scope of the
In November 2006, the results of a new survey on workplace bullying were published to mark the fourth annual ‘ban bullying at work day [1]’. The survey was commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD [2]), the UK’s leading professional body for those involved in the