Publications

The objective of the ERM is to monitor restructuring activities in the EU Member States plus Norway. The employment impact of restructuring events is measured on the basis of announcements reported in the daily and business press in each Member State since 2002. Read more on the ERM web pages.

The minimum wage level comes into effect on 1 January each year and is valid
for the full calendar year. It applies to all employees, branches of industry
and regions. In 2013, the minimum wage was set at €337.70 per month and
€1.94 per hour. Since 1 January 2013, the minimum wage has also applied to
workers who perform work externally for employers by agreement.

When Malta’s Labour Party, the Partit Laburista [1], took power after the
March 2013 general election, the chairs of the country’s Industrial
Tribunal [2] panel were asked to resign by the Ministry for Social Dialogue
[3]. The Minister, Helena Dalli, stressed that the request for the
resignations was standard practice whenever there was change in government.

[1] http://www.partitlaburista.org/home
[2] http://www.industrialrelations.gov.mt/industryportal/industrial_relations/industrial_tribunal/service_trib.aspx
[3] https://gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20of%20Malta/Ministries%20and%20Entities/Pages/Soc-Dialogue,-Cons-Affairs,-Civil-liberties-portfolio.aspx

Spa-based medical treatment is a long-standing tradition in the Czech
Republic. There are hundreds of natural hot and mineral springs across the
country. More than 30 spas have been established and developed in different
regions.

For the third time since Portugal was bailed out by the Troika – the
International Monetary Fund (IMF [1]), the European Commission (EC [2]) and
the European Central Bank (ECB [3]) – a government austerity bill has been
rejected by the country’s Constitutional Court [4].

[1] http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
[3] http://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html
[4] http://www.tribunalconstitucional.pt/tc/home.html

The Trades Union Congress (TUC [1]) has lodged a complaint with the European
Commission, arguing that the UK government has failed to properly implement
Directive 2008/104/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of
November 2008 on temporary agency work (64KB PDF) [2]. The TUC presented
evidence showing that agency workers receive up to GBP 135 (€159.07 as at
10 October 2013) less per week than permanent staff in the same job, and it
suggests that improper implementation of the directive is to blame.

[1] http://www.tuc.org.uk/
[2] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:327:0009:0014:EN:PDF

A new report, /Young people in precarious transitions: Work, everyday life
and future/ examines the problems young people face when they move into the
labour market in Portugal. One of its chapters, ‘Occupational structure,
labour relations and precariousness’, analyses the difficulties experienced
by young people even when they find employment.

The reform of pension systems is arguably one of the key challenges for
social policy in Europe in the context of demographic change. In recent
years, the issue has been very high on the policy agenda across all EU Member
States and in Norway. While several countries have introduced pension reforms
over a decade ago, the economic crisis and the ensuing debt crisis have
prompted a further wave of reform. These have largely concentrated on the
sustainability of public pensions and on increasing the effective retirement
age, with some changes proving very controversial. This report provides an
overview of the involvement of social partners in pension reforms adopted
since 2008 across the EU27, as well as in Norway. It focuses particularly on
the influences of the social partners on the outcomes of reform processes.
This report distinguishes between reforms of statutory ‘pay-as-you go’
pensions and other funded schemes (such as statutory funded schemes,
occupational pensions and other private schemes).

Disclaimer: This information is made available as a service to the public but has not been edited by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. The content is the responsibility of the authors.

Disclaimer: This information is made available as a service to the public but has not been edited by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. The content is the responsibility of the authors.