Publications

In November 2003, a working group set up on the initiative of the Federation
of Norwegian Construction Industries (Byggenæringens Landsforening, BNL) in
cooperation with, among others, the Norwegian United Federation of Trade
Unions (Fellesforbundet), published its first report. The working group has
representation from all the relevant actors in the industry as well as public
regulatory bodies and the police. The report outlines possible measures to
combat substandard practices and illegal activities in the building sector.
Preliminary findings from a project commissioned by Fellesforbundet confirm
the general impression that illegitimate employment and tax practices are a
serious problem in this part of the Norwegian economy.

The large number of collective redundancies announced during 2003 (FI0311203T
[1]) have raised worries and anger among Finnish employees. The reasons
behind the job losses vary. During the past few years of slow economic
growth, firms avoided workforce reductions and some 'labour hoarding' took
place while firms were waiting for the economic recovery. However, as
economic growth has remained slower than expected, it has finally led to
redundancies and lay-offs. Economic globalisation and the so-called 'China
phenomenon' have also led to reductions of production and staff in Finland,
with firms moving production abroad to countries where costs are lower
(FI0311202F [2]).

[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/thematic-feature-redundancies-and-redundancy-costs-4
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/finnish-firms-foreign-investment-and-employment-abroad-examined

Since the 1990s, the German system of sector-level collective bargaining has
seen a continuous process of transformation towards more company-level
bargaining. This transformation has taken various forms:

A national 'conference for employment' convened by Belgian government in
September 2003 brought together representatives of the various levels of
government and of the social partners, with the aim of developing a series of
structural measures to boost employment. The conference resulted in agreement
on a number of initiatives which, it is hoped, will create 60,000 jobs. The
reactions of the various participants were mixed.

The Danish Work Environment Cohort Study from the National Institute of
Occupational Health (NIOH) shows that the work environment and working
conditions have generally improved from 1990-2000. However, these
developments are largely explained by a changing labour force rather than by
interventions in the work environment and in the occupational health
system.The results of the study reveal that working conditions vary
significantly across sectors and in relation to different job categories. For
instance, the majority of jobs with a high degree of exposure to various work
environment risks are found among unskilled workers in crafts and
manufacturing.

A recently published essay ‘Ungdomars inträde i arbetslivet - följder
för individen och arbetsmarknaden’ (‘Young peoples’ entry into the
labour market - effects on the individual and the labour market’) in Work
life in transition 2003:8 [1] /(in Swedish; pdf file)/ discusses the
participation of young people in the labour market. Temporary and part-time
employment have become more prevalent, and they experience relatively high
levels of unemployment. An increasing number are neither working nor looking
for a job.

[1] http://ebib.arbetslivsinstitutet.se/aio/2003/aio2003_08.pdf

In 2003, for the third consecutive year, the Dutch economy continues to lag
behind the EU as a whole. Attention is increasingly turning to improved
labour productivity as a solution, especially as continuing wage moderation
does not seem to be having the desired effect. A wave of relocations of
high-quality production and research and development from the Netherlands to
other countries has fuelled the debate, which has been prominent during 2003.
The social partners and government alike see improving the Dutch 'climate of
innovation' as one of the most important factors in the drive to raise
productivity. However, policy on innovation has yet to crystallise.

A report by Spain's Economic and Social Council, published in October 2003,
finds that provisions on equality between men and women are beginning to gain
ground in collective agreements at sector and company level. In the opinion
of the CES, the situation is 'modest but hopeful'.

Gender equality in its contemporary, internationally recognised meaning is a
relatively new concept for Estonia. While issues related to gender equality
were addressed to a wider audience at a'conference of Estonian women' as
early as 1989, they have not become a clearly developed field in Estonia. The
relevant legislation is widely regarded as insufficient at present, and there
is a lack of institutions with concrete and specific functions in this area,
while experts and relevant knowledge are largely lacking. However, over time,
it appears that the public has become more willing to discuss the respective
rights and responsibilities of men and women.

The Spanish Parliament approved the reform of the legal framework on the
prevention of risks in the workplace [1] /(pdf file)/ (Reforma del marco
normativo de la prevención de riesgos laborales) on 27 November 2003. The
reform aims to reduce the rates of work-related accidents across all
industrial sectors. Changes have also been approved to the law on infractions
and sanctions in the social order [2] (Ley de infracciones y sanciones en el
orden social, 2000), relating to industrial relations infringements.

[1] http://www.congreso.es/public_oficiales/L7/CONG/BOCG/A/A_167-07.PDF
[2] http://www.igsap.map.es/cia/dispo/19157.htm