Publications

A bill banning exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts was introduced to parliament in July 2014 (although the government has resisted calls for an outright ban on such contracts). Exclusivity clauses stop workers from seeking work with other employers, even when no amount of work is set out in the employment contract.

The Italian government has agreed to favourable taxation of performance-related pay in companies that have signed decentralised collective agreements. The favourable rates will apply to up to €3,000 gross of performance-related pay for employees in the private sector, provided their 2013 income did not exceed €40,000, and has been extended for a further year.

In Cyprus, a draft bill to establish a guaranteed minimum income (GMI) benefit was voted on by the House of Representatives in July 2014. The GMI is seen as the cornerstone of current reform of the social security system, simplifying benefits and giving assistance to those most in need.

The Netherlands’ new Act on Work and Security will change employment and dismissal law. The aim is to create a new balance between ‘insiders’ – permanent employees who have high levels of protection – and ‘outsiders’, flexible workers who have little or no protection. The act was passed in July 2014 and comes into force in 2015.

In April 2014, social partners in Norway’s export industries, which set the trend for wage bargaining, concluded a new collective agreement for 2014–2016. The pay increase for all employees covered by it is estimated at 3.3%, but this will not be confirmed until 2015 when company negotiations are concluded.

After the troika intervention ended in Portugal in May 2014, important changes were made to employment rules. These allow companies to dismiss workers for ‘unsuitability’, and companies in crisis to suspend collective agreements. They also reduce the period for which expired collective agreements remain valid, and extend exceptional measures that undermine collective agreements on overtime pay.

Undeclared work has been a major issue in Romania for many years. One of the latest laws to try to tackle it has reduced social security contributions by five percentage points. Social partners cannot agree whether this will have the desired effect; some suggest that reducing VAT may have been a better solution.

Vacation vouchers, which public sector employees had been expected to get in 2014, will now be available from 2015. The vouchers can be used to purchase domestic holidays worth up to RON 5,400 per fiscal year (€1,219 as at December 3, 2014). The social partners see these vouchers as useful in developing Romanian tourism.

The Government of Croatia announced a proposal to outsource non-core services to the private sector. After strong resistance by trade unions and others, the government then suggested the creation of a spin-off publicly owned company to take on the employees and deliver the services. In the face of continued opposition, the government finally withdrew both proposals.

Certain French companies have traditionally allowed employees to donate some of their leave to colleagues with seriously ill children. This tradition is sometimes implemented informally and sometimes enshrined in a company-level labour agreement. The French National Assembly has now passed a law providing a framework for companies to manage this practice.