Labour law

In March 2002, new rules were introduced in Portugal on the employment of young people who have not completed compulsory schooling or do not possess any vocational qualifications, providing new flexibility in recruitment for companies but obliging them to provide training. The new legislation comes

In 2001-2, trade unions in the Catalonia region of Spain have taken a number of initiatives aimed at examining and criticising the level of unstable employment. CC.OO's Catalan organisation has drawn up a 'blacklist' of the 200 most unstable companies in the region, using a 'barometer of employment

Over 2001 and 2002, a number of industrial tribunal rulings have highlighted the 'abusive' use of temporary agency work in the French automobile industry. The use of agency workers is widespread in this sector, and tribunals have found that in some cases this has exceeded the bounds of the law.

Austrian labour law provides elaborate provisions for extending collective agreements to cover employers and employees not affiliated to the signatory bargaining parties. In practice, however, extension provisions are less important than the system of obligatory membership of employer associations

November 2001 saw the adoption in France of a new law to prevent discrimination at the workplace. The legislation adds new prohibited grounds of discrimination (including age and sexual orientation), adjusts the burden of proof in discrimination cases and makes it easier to bring court cases.

On 23 October 2001, the Austrian social partners presented a compromise proposal on the reform of the statutory severance pay (Abfertigung) system which will, if adopted by parliament, abolish most current restrictions and extend entitlement to an additional 800,000 employees.

The Norwegian Supreme Court (Høyesterett) issued an important ruling [1] on 9 November 2001 on closed-shop arrangements in collective agreements. The Court stated that closed-shop arrangements, whereby employment is conditional upon employees' or job applicants' trade union affiliation, are in

In October 2001, the Greek parliament passed a new law on employment services, which includes provisions regulating temporary agency work and the operation of temporary employment agencies. The new legislation for the first time lays down specific rules on the establishment, operation and