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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.

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Begreppet hybridarbete blev allmänt känt i samband med den snabba ökningen av distansarbete under covid-19-pandemin, när företag och anställda började diskutera hur arbetet skulle organiseras efter pandemin. Det har i...

25 maj 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)

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

Begreppet hybridarbete blev allmänt känt i samband med den snabba ökningen av distansarbete under covid-19-pandemin, när företag och anställda började diskutera hur arbetet skulle organiseras efter pandemin. Det har i allt större utsträckning använts för att hänvisa till situationer där arbete (som

25 May 2023

I denna rapport presenteras Eurofounds forskning om distansarbete under covid-19-pandemin 2020 och 2021. I rapporten undersöks förändringar i omfattningen av distansarbete, arbetsvillkoren för anställda som arbetar hemifrån och ändringar av bestämmelser som tar itu med frågor som rör denna

08 December 2022

Denna rapport genomförs inom ramen för det treåriga pilotprojektet (2021–2023) ”Minimilönens roll vid inrättandet av en allmän arbetsgaranti” som Europeiska kommissionen har gett Eurofound i uppdrag att genomföra. Fokus ligger på modul 3 i projektet, där man undersöker minimilöner och andra

30 November 2022

Denna rapport syftar till att kartlägga och analysera lagstiftning och kollektivförhandlingar om distansarbete i de 27 medlemsstaterna och Norge. Den belyser de största skillnaderna och likheterna mellan länderna när det gäller lagstiftning om distansarbete och de senaste förändringarna av denna

01 September 2022

Efter att återhållsamhet iakttagits vid förhandlingarna om minimilöner för 2021 ökade de nominella minimilönerna för 2022 markant i takt med att de negativa följderna av pandemin minskade och ekonomin och arbetsmarknadssituationen förbättrades. I samband med detta höjdes minimilönerna i 20 av de 21

15 June 2022

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

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

Rapporten sammanfattar hur minimilöner för 2021 fastställdes under 2020 – året som präglades av covid-19-pandemin. I rapporten granskas de svårigheter som nationella beslutsfattare upplevde och hur de vid beslutsfattande om minimilönen reagerade på utmaningarna till följd av pandemins ekonomiska och

10 June 2021

I denna rapport undersöks utvecklingen av medlemsstaternas politik för att inkludera personer med funktionsnedsättning på den öppna arbetsmarknaden. Särskilt fokus ligger på tre stadier, dvs. möjligheterna att ta sig in på, stanna kvar på och återvända till arbetsmarknaden efter en tids frånvaro. I

19 April 2021

Online resources results (793)

Greece: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

The first evaluation of the economic reform program, the reform of the social security system, pension issues, rulings on liability for occupational accidents and the growing refugee crisis are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in

Poland: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

The re-emergence of conflict in the coal-mining sector, noticeable pay pressure, significant changes to labour law and the new child benefit are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Poland in the first quarter of 2016.

Slovakia: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

Nurses handing in their notices in a protest over wages, teachers protesting about wages and changes in the education system, the Constitutional Court’s decision on the law on extending collective agreements, law reforms to protect workers’ health, and research on undeclared work are the main topics

United Kingdom: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

The forthcoming referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union and the UK’s productivity gap are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in the UK in the first quarter of 2016.

Czech Republic: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

Positive trends in economic performance (raising the issue of an imbalance between cheap labour and productivity), measures to deal with disadvantaged groups on the labour market, and equal pay are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in

Sweden: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

An intense bargaining round, proposals to improve protection for whistle-blowers and a continued focus on labour market integration are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Sweden in the first quarter of 2016.

Romania: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

Increasing confrontation in industrial relations and government efforts to tackle undeclared work are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Romania in the first quarter of 2016.

Lithuania: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

The strike in the education sector, the approval of the Action Plan for social dialogue and the findings on wages and work-life balance of three surveys are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Lithuania in the first

Italy: New Stability Law extends range of tax-exempt benefits

Italy’s 2016 Stability Law supports the uptake of private welfare measures by extending the types of tax-exempt benefits offered by employers to include those agreed through collective bargaining.

Norway: Employer confederations seek minimum wage for refugees and immigrants

There is no national statutory minimum wage in Norway. However, several employer confederations have taken an initiative to introduce a minimum wage in relation to the current refugee situation.


Blogs results (12)
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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 september 2022
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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

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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 mars 2022
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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

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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 maj 2021
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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 december 2020
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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 november 2020
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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 maj 2020
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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 april 2020

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