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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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Munca hibridă în Europa: concept și practică

Termenul de „muncă hibridă” a fost popularizat odată cu intensificarea telemuncii în timpul pandemiei de COVID-19, când întreprinderile și angajații au început să discute despre modalitățile de organizare a muncii...

25 Mai 2023
Publication
Research report

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)

Dreptul la deconectare: punerea în aplicare și impactul la nivel de întreprindere

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
Timpul de lucru
Echilibrul dintre viața profesională și cea privată
Condițiile de muncă și munca durabilă
Telemunca
Working conditions
Agreements
Labour and social regulation
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Munca hibridă în Europa: concept și practică

Termenul de „muncă hibridă” a fost popularizat odată cu intensificarea telemuncii în timpul pandemiei de COVID-19, când întreprinderile și angajații au început să discute despre modalitățile de organizare a muncii după criză. Termenul se folosește din ce în ce mai mult în legătură cu situații în

25 May 2023
Publication
Research report
Condițiile de muncă și munca durabilă
Telemunca
Work organisation
Labour and social regulation
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Utilizarea la scară tot mai largă a telemuncii: Impactul asupra condițiilor de muncă și asupra reglementărilor

Raportul de față prezintă cercetările Eurofound privind telemunca în timpul pandemiei de COVID-19 din 2020 și 2021. Raportul analizează schimbările legate de incidența telemuncii, condițiile de muncă ale angajaților care lucrează de la domiciliu și modificările aduse reglementărilor care abordează

08 December 2022
Publication
Research report
Noi forme de ocupare a forței de muncă
Condițiile de muncă și munca durabilă
Working conditions
Telemunca
Employment relationship
COVID-19
Era digitală: Oportunități și provocări pentru muncă și pentru ocuparea forței de muncă
Labour and social regulation
Timpul de lucru
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Reglementarea salariilor minime și a altor forme de remunerare pentru lucrătorii independenți

Acest raport este realizat în contextul proiectului-pilot desfășurat pe o perioadă de trei ani (2021-2023), intitulat „Rolul salariului minim în stabilirea garanției universale pentru lucrători”, delegat agenției Eurofound de către Comisia Europeană. Elementul său central este modulul 3 al

30 November 2022
Publication
Research report
Salarii și venituri
Salariul minim
Agreements
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Relațiile de muncă și dialogul social
Relațiile de muncă
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Telemunca în UE: Cadre de reglementare și actualizări recente

Prezentul raport își propune să coreleze și să analizeze legislația și negocierea colectivă privind telemunca în cele 27 de state membre și în Norvegia. Acesta evidențiază principalele diferențe și asemănări între țări în ceea ce privește legislația privind telemunca și modificările recente aduse

01 September 2022
Publication
Research report
Timpul de lucru
Working conditions
Telemunca
Echilibrul dintre viața profesională și cea privată
Work organisation
Agreements
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Relațiile de muncă și dialogul social
Relațiile de muncă
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Salariile minime în 2022: Revizuire anuală

După o rundă precaută de stabilire a salariului minim pentru 2021, cotele nominale au crescut semnificativ pentru 2022, pe măsură ce consecințele negative ale pandemiei s-au atenuat, iar economiile și piețele muncii s-au redresat. În acest context, 20 din cele 21 de state membre ale UE cu salarii

15 June 2022
Publication
Research report
Dialogul social
Social partners
Salarii și venituri
Salariul minim
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Relațiile de muncă și dialogul social
Relațiile de muncă
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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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Salariile minime în 2021: Revizuire anuală

Prezentul raport sintetizează modul în care nivelurile salariilor minime pentru 2021 au fost stabilite în cursul anului 2020 – anul marcat de pandemia de COVID-19. Raportul analizează dificultățile cu care se confruntă factorii de decizie de la nivel național și modul în care au reacționat la

10 June 2021
Publication
Research report
Dialogul social
Social partners
Salarii și venituri
Working poor
Salariul minim
European Pillar of Social Rights
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Relațiile de muncă și dialogul social
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Handicapul și integrarea pe piața muncii: tendințe în materie de politică și sprijinul oferit în statele membre ale UE

Prezentul raport analizează evoluțiile din statele membre ale UE în materie de politici de sprijinire a incluziunii persoanelor cu handicap pe piața liberă a muncii, punând un accent deosebit pe cele trei etape reprezentate de angajare, rămânerea la locul de muncă și revenirea la muncă după o

19 April 2021
Publication
Research report
Social policies
Serviciile publice
Working conditions
European Pillar of Social Rights
COVID-19
Disability and chronic disease
Labour market policies
Labour market participation
Condițiile de viață și calitatea vieții
Labour and social regulation
Online resources results (793)

United Kingdom: Latest working life developments – Q3 2016

The Prime Minister’s statements on Brexit at the Conservative Party conference, labour market developments and the latest developments in the junior doctors’ dispute are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in the United

21 Octombrie 2016
Article
Working time
Industrial action
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Czech Republic: Latest working life developments - Q3 2016

Significant wage increases in many sectors, positive results from public opinion surveys, amendment of the Labour Code and easier rules on employing low-qualified Ukrainian workers are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life

21 Octombrie 2016
Article
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Sweden: Latest working life developments – Q3 2016

A proposal to change the state pension age, suggested changes to requirements for public procurement contracts and an increase in the use of permanent employment contracts are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in

21 Octombrie 2016
Article
Migration and mobility
Retirement
Skills and training
Non-standard employment
Collective bargaining
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Spain: Latest working life developments – Q3 2016

A slight fall in unemployment and trade union concerns over labour precariousness, and the need for social partners to reach agreement on a new salary pact are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Spain in the third

19 Octombrie 2016
Article
Pay and income
Job creation
Non-standard employment
Unemployment
Collective bargaining
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

France: Latest working life developments – Q3 2016

Adoption of a major labour law reform, problems over negotiations on the national collective agreement on unemployment insurance and the continuing fight against the illegal posting of workers are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in

18 Octombrie 2016
Article
Working time
Retirement
Labour law
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Sweden: Work-related diseases more often caused by social factors

Work-related diseases due to organisational and social factors are increasing in Sweden, according to the Swedish Environment Authority. Since 2011, diseases due to these factors have increased by 77%. This, plus a recent spike in sick leave, has sparked a debate on how best to combat ill-health in

20 Septembrie 2016
Article
Health and well-being at work
Labour and social regulation
Leave
Psychosocial risks
Living conditions and quality of life
Work-life balance
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Norway: Equal treatment of temporary agency workers

An evaluation of the implementation of Norwegian regulations transposing the directive on temporary agency work concluded that the ‘equal treatment’ principle had led to more equality, in practice, but that challenges remained in smaller temporary work agencies and where agencies were hiring out

14 Septembrie 2016
Article
Gender equality
Industrial relations
Employment and labour markets
Labour and social regulation
Non-standard employment
Living conditions and quality of life
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Greece: Public opinion and social dialogue on labour market reforms

Ahead of further negotiations on the terms of the Greek bailout, two recent surveys are directly linked to the issues under negotiation and reflect the views of public opinion. The government has also organised tripartite meetings with social partners in an attempt to seek mutually acceptable

14 Septembrie 2016
Article
Minimum wage
Collective bargaining
Social dialogue
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Norway: New legislation on temporary layoffs

New regulations on temporary layoffs have been introduced by the Norwegian Government at the request of the social partners. The new legislation extends the maximum duration of temporary layoffs, aiming to avoid unnecessary direct layoffs in a time of rising unemployment.

31 August 2016
Article
Unemployment
Collective bargaining
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Belgium: Latest working life developments – Q2 2016

Strikes over the government’s austerity measures, agreements providing better conditions for prison guards and more stability for temporary workers, and the end of the ‘wage index jump’ are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working

29 August 2016
Article
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue
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 Septembrie 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 Mai 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 Martie 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 Iunie 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 Mai 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 Decembrie 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 Noiembrie 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 Iunie 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 Mai 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 Aprilie 2020
Tina Weber
Blog
COVID-19
Non-standard employment
Employment status
Labour and social regulation
Employment and labour markets

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