Broughton, Andrea
Commission rejects proposed agreement in hairdressing sector
18 november 2013
In April 2012 the social partners in the EU hairdressing sector, the
employers’ organisation Coiffure EU [1] and employees’ union UNI Hair &
Beauty [2], signed a framework agreement on health and safety in hairdressing
(4.6MB PDF) [3] (*EU1205031I* [4]). The social partners asked the European
Commission, under Article 155 [5] of the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union, to make the agreement legally binding in all EU Member
States, by issuing an EU Directive.
[1] http://www.coiffure.eu
[2] http://www.uniglobalunion.org/sectors/hair-beauty/news
[3] http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=7697&langId=en
[4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/industrial-relations-undefined/hairdressing-sector-devises-health-and-safety-pact
[5] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/european-social-dialogue-via-articles-154-155-tfeu
Ageing population could impede growth in EU job market
05 november 2013
A European Commission working paper, ‘Growth potential of EU human
resources and policy implications for future economic growth’ [1], analyses
the impact of demographic ageing. The findings indicate that demographic
trends and, more specifically, the ageing of the EU’s population, represent
a key challenge in their impact on the size and structure of the European
workforce.
[1] http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=7662&type=2&furtherPubs=yes
European Commission pushes social dimension of EMU
05 november 2013
In its report to the European Parliament and Council, ‘Strengthening the
Social Dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union’ (188KB PDF) [1], the
European Commission makes a further contribution to the debate on deepening
Economic and Monetary Union (EMU [2]), stating that the general social agenda
is relevant to all 28 EU Member States.
[1] http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/news/archives/2013/10/pdf/20131002_1-emu_en.pdf
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/euro/emu/
Social council makes progress on key issues
05 september 2013
The Council of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO
[1]) met on 20 and 21 June 2013 in Luxembourg. The council meets around four
times a year, and is composed of employment, social protection, consumer
protection, health and equal opportunities ministers.
[1] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/policies/council-configurations/employment,-social-policy,-health-and-consumer-affairs.aspx?lang=en
‘Fitness check’ for information and consultation directives
05 september 2013
The European Commission (EC [1]) issued the results of a so-called ‘fitness
check (348KB PDF) [2]’ of EU law on the provision of information to and
consultation of workers on 26 July 2013.
[1] http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=10415&langId=en
New social dialogue committee in port sector
05 september 2013
The new social dialogue committee for the port sector is made up of
representatives of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO [1]) and the
European Federation of Private Port Terminal Operators (FEPORT [2]) on the
employer side, and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF [3]) and
the International Dockers Coordination Europe, which represent dockers and
port workers in European ports. The committee held its inaugural meeting in
Brussels on 19 June 2013.
[1] http://www.espo.be/
[2] http://www.feport.be/underconstruction.html
[3] http://www.itfglobal.org/etf/
Commission launches consultation on undeclared work
27 augusti 2013
The European Commission has launched a formal consultation (87 KB PDF) [1]
among EU social partners on the subject of undeclared work [2]. The
Commission wants to promote further EU cooperation between authorities in
Member States to prevent and deter undeclared workers. The consultation comes
under Article 154 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union [3]
(TFEU).
[1] http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=10345&langId=en
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/undeclared-work
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/treaty-on-the-functioning-of-the-european-union
Commission launches alliance to combat youth unemployment
04 augusti 2013
The European Alliance for Apprenticeships [1] was launched at the 2013
WorldSkills competition [2] in Leipzig, Germany. The scheme was unveiled by
the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth,
Androulla Vassiliou, and the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and
Inclusion, László Andor.
[1] http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=6786&lang=en
[2] http://www.worldskills.org/
Survey looks at work and family life
30 juni 2013
The European Company Survey on Reconciliation of Work and Family Life 2010
(1.36Mb PDF) [1] has provided a detailed description and analysis of
family-friendly policies implemented by companies in six European countries
– Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Sweden and Poland.
[1] http://www.bosch-stiftung.de/content/language2/downloads/Endfassung_Unternehmensmonitor_Familienfreundlichkeit-ENGLISCH.pdf
Directive protects workers from electromagnetic fields
19 juni 2013
Directive 2004/40/EC [1], agreed in April 2004, set out the minimum health
and safety requirements for workers exposed to electromagnetic fields,
particularly the very large electromagnetic fields found in workplaces where
a considerable amount of power is consumed.
[1] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:02004L0040-20081211:EN:NOT