bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regulation of strikes and the European social model
Authors: Treu Tiziano
Published: January 2010

Regulation of conflict is not currently part of the European social model. This contribution suggests methods for underpinning the European social model with a robust system of industrial relations. One important issue is that of transnational strikes. The author sets out a number of hypotheses for what might constitute legitimate strike action in European terms. Dispute prevention and settlement procedures should be an important part of a European industrial relations system. Italian legislation on public-service strikes, with its focus on users as well as strikers, is discussed. The Italian model provides useful pointers for a European system, balancing as it does the collective and individual interests of the workers and users involved in labour conflicts.
The regulation of conflicts in the German industrial relations system: legal and extralegal institutions and procedures
Authors: Kocher Eva
Published: January 2010

The German law of conflict resolution in labour law distinguishes between legal disputes and regulatory disputes or conflicts of interest. The industrial tribunals have exclusive competence in the resolution of legal disputes; regulatory disputes can be tackled by various out-of-court mechanisms, especially collective disputes at plant level. It would contravene the constitutional principle of free collective bargaining legally to prescribe compulsory conciliation or arbitration in collective bargaining disputes. The fact that individual disputes are referred to the tribunals or courts does not mean, however, that they will necessarily be treated in a legal way and decided and result in a judgment. The tribunals work as active conciliators as well. It is an open political question how mechanisms at plant level can contribute to resolving these kinds of disputes.
Social protection and enlargement: challenges for the candidate countries and the European Union
Authors: Lourdelle Henri
Published: January 2010

The central and eastern European countries have undergone radical change, both political and social, since the start of the 1990s. Social protection systems have not been immune to the upheavals. But how should these countries go about establishing pension and healthcare schemes which reconcile the need both for reform and solidarity? How can they resist the temptation to privatise their social security systems, while seeking to keep costs under control and rationalise resources? This article takes stock of the reforms undertaken by these countries in the field of both pensions and health systems, exploring the motivations behind them and their compatibility with the models currently existing within the European Union.
From Budapest to Maastricht. Perspectives and problems of the eastward enlargement of the euro area
Authors: Andor László
Published: January 2010

In 2004 the European Union will be enlarged to include ten new Member States, eight of them from the former Soviet bloc. These countries have made outstanding progress in terms of macroeconomic development in recent years, but there remain a number of specific problems which raise doubts as to the future monetary integration of these countries. Hungary is a case in point that illustrates both the achievements and the difficulties of the transition process. In July 2003 the Hungarian government and the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) announced in a joint declaration that Hungary would introduce the euro as national currency on 1 January 2008. The political elite, the policy-makers and the wider public take for granted the benefits of replacing the forint with the euro, while repeated turbulence on the financial markets highlights the fragility of convergence and currency reform. This article discusses various aspects of this unusual period of monetary history.
Motherhood and wages
Authors: Wetzels Cécile
Published: January 2010

This article examines labour force participation rates and wage rates according to gender and parenthood in a selection of European countries. Since the ranking of European countries according to their labour force participation rates does not coincide with the ranking of countries according to gross and net hourly wages in purchasing power parities according to gender and parenthood, countries with low female participation rates may face selection into employment effects in women's wages. A review of mostly single-country studies on women's wages shows that for the Scandinavian countries it is still unclear whether care-related leave has consequences for human capital accumulation, whether these consequences are overcome later in a career or not, and whether leave affects wages by signalling. The effect of working part-time on women's wages has not been a focus of research in Scandinavian full-time economies but British studies make clear the negative effects of working part-time on British women's wages. No such clear effect is found in the Dutch part-time economy. There is still a child pay gap in the UK. No such effect is found in the Netherlands nor in Scandinavian countries.
The Danish model of ‘flexicurity’: experiences and lessons
Authors: Madsen Per Kongshøj
Published: January 2010

The success of the Danish economy in recent years has led to claims that the Danish employment system constitutes a unique model. Danish legislation provides for a low level of employment protection, allowing employers to dismiss workers with short notice. As a result, the Danish employment system has a level of numerical flexibility that is comparable to that of liberal labour markets like those of Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. At the same time, through its social security system and active labour market programmes, Denmark resembles other Nordic welfare states in providing a tightly knit safety net for its citizens. The Danish model thus illustrates a possible trade-off between a very flexible employment relation and a social protection system, which, combined with active labour market programmes, defends individuals from the potential costs of a low level of employment security. The model thus represents a genuine alternative to the widespread view that it is desirable to develop a high level of individual employment protection at the company level.
Corporate social responsibility within the European sectoral social dialogue
Authors: Nordestgaard Malene , Kirton-Darling Judith
Published: January 2010

This article considers how European sectoral social partners have tackled and promoted the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and to what extent their common actions have given CSR a tangible and practical form. After reviewing sectoral social dialogue and trade unions’ attitudes to CSR, the authors report on research into the activities of sectoral social dialogue committees. The research shows that many of the sectoral social dialogue committees, whether they consider themselves to be active or not on CSR, have been grappling with the core issues raised by the concept over a number of years. The development of the European institutional debate on CSR has clearly led to the ‘redefinition’ of activities carried out in the framework of the sectoral social dialogue, in some cases offering new impetus to common actions and broadening the scope of debate, while in other cases offering ‘old wine in new bottles'. This article further analyses the specific activities of the sectoral social dialogue committees in the sugar sector.
Pension fund management: a trade union commitment to greater corporate social responsibility
Authors: Lourdelle Henri
Published: January 2010

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), in association with sustainable development, has become a live issue over the past few years. Should companies be allowed to do whatever they like in the name of competitiveness, even at the risk of compromising the future of the planet? What means does the trade union movement currently have at its disposal to influence corporate conduct in the direction of sustainable development and social responsibility? Over and above traditional trade union activities, the unions have available to them a tool, namely the funds which they manage – or jointly manage – in connection with occupational pension or employee savings schemes. By having their say in the investment strategies of these funds, trade unions can make decisions that affect corporate conduct. This is what is now known as socially responsible investment (SRI).

This article sets out to explore the issue, demonstrating how we have moved on from what was initially a moral, ethical approach, geared mainly towards ‘exclusion', to a more incentive-based approach seeking to encourage companies whose conduct is more ‘responsible'. In other words, we shall show that occupational pension funds can in fact become a new weapon in the trade union armoury.
Unemployment, wages and collective bargaining in the European Union
Authors: Hein Eckhard , Schulten Thorsten
Published: January 2010

This article questions the predominant view on unemployment and wages in the European Union, according to which high unemployment is primarily caused by labour market rigidities, i.e. social institutions and regulations which prevent ‘market-clearing’ real wage levels and structures. The article shows that the foundations of that view coming either from neoclassical or New Keynesian theory are not convincing, neither theoretically nor empirically. Analysis of the developments in the EU during the last four decades shows that the claimed positive relationship between real wage growth and unemployment cannot be found. On the contrary, persistently high unemployment has had strong adverse effects on nominal wage growth and on the labour income share. Weakened union bargaining power and changing collective bargaining structures have contributed to this result. This article therefore concludes that the current EU economic and employment policies aiming at further wage restraint, wage differentiation and decentralisation of collective bargaining are deeply misguided and need to be replaced by an alternative wage policy as part of a growth- and employment-oriented coordination of macroeconomic policies.
The broken link – do trade unions represent the interests of the unemployed?: Evidence from the UK, Germany and Denmark within the framework of the European Employment Strategy
Authors: Albrechtsen Helge
Published: January 2010

According to the traditional view, the interests of the unemployed and the employed are supposed to follow a unifying logic, due to the threat of high unemployment to job security, wages and working conditions. However, due to labour markets becoming increasingly segmented and knowledge-based, it may be questioned to what extent the traditional link between the employed and the unemployed still holds, leading to a possible division of the labour force into a core group of those with basically secure jobs, and several peripheral groups subject to job insecurity and social exclusion. In this context, it seems relevant to analyse the relationship between the interests of the employed and unemployed, including the role of trade unions as having their own organisational interest. For this purpose, this paper includes an examination of new statistical evidence on the behaviour of employed and unemployed people with regard to trade union membership.
Workers' involvement in the European Company — the SE Guidelines of the European Metalworkers Federation
Authors: Triangle Luc
Published: January 2010

In June 2003 the Executive Committee of the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) adopted guidelines for negotiations on the introduction of a European Company (SE) under the European Company Statute. These guidelines are binding on EMF-affiliated trade unions. The guidelines set out a common understanding and political decisions reached within the EMF with regard to the European Company Statute, and, more specifically, the information, consultation and participation rights of workers in an SE. These rights involve the possible participation of workers' representatives and/or trade union representatives in the boards of directors or supervisory boards of SEs. The development of these guidelines was not an easy exercise for the EMF because of national differences on this issue, in particular with regard to participation rights. However, the process was necessary in order to be able to have a common European trade union position in any future negotiations with companies seeking to become an SE.
Unions as social capital: the impact of trade union youth programmes on young workers' political and community engagement
Authors: Johnson Nancy Brown , Jarley Paul
Published: January 2010

Jarley (2005) recently proposed a model of social capital unionism that contends that unions should strive to recreate the dense communities of the past by systematically creating social networks among workers. Underlying this approach is the notion that sustained personal contacts with members are necessary to generate the generalised reciprocity norms that mobilise workers in times of need and sustain unions in periods of relative calm. This paper describes one union's attempt at social capital building among their young members. We also report on survey results that suggest that building social capital is challenging but potentially rewarding as dense social networks are correlated with union knowledge which in turn is correlated with increased union participation as well as community and political engagement.
Business as usual? Employees' organisations' strategies in welfare legislation in Austria
Authors: Fritsch Clara
Published: January 2010

The influence and power of the Austrian employees' organisations within the legislative process is declining. Since the change of government in 2000, this trend has accelerated. The goals and demands of the employees' organisations are increasingly disregarded, as is exemplified by the recently enacted law on the childcare allowance which has had a powerful impact on the Austrian labour market. First indications show that, in spite of the employees' organisations' efforts to regain ground, they have been unable to curb this trend.
The Viking case
Authors: Blanke Thomas
Published: January 2010

The decision of 3 November 2005 of the Court of Appeal in London in the Viking case, which it referred to the European Court of Justice, is of crucial importance in terms of indicating a direction for the future of the European social model. The issue involved is whether, and to what extent, industrial action by unions in order to prevent the imposition of very low wage rates is permissible when ships are transferred to flags of convenience within Europe. The relationship between rights of economic freedom of movement under the EC Treaty and collective freedom of activity for workers within the framework of their freedom of association has not as yet been definitively settled. Guarantees of transnational economic activity were assigned a prominent role in the EC Treaty from the outset, while the fundamental social rights of workers have acquired increased recognition in the EU only in the past 20 years. The success of European integration is dependent on effective limits for economic freedom being able to be set.
Working time flexibility against time of life inflexibility
Authors: Lozares Carlos , Miguélez Faustino
Published: January 2010

The intentions of this article are, first, to clarify the reasons underlying new contradictions that are arising between the increasing flexibility of productive working time and the increasing inflexibility of domestic work and time off work; secondly, to ascertain what strategies are developed in practice by people who wish to overcome these contradictions. The authors develop their arguments on the basis of research carried out in the factory in Spain of one multinational company.
Inequalities in Europe's SMEs: the challenges for a trade union agenda
Authors: Kirton Gill , Read Ian
Published: January 2010

In the context of continuing gender and race/ethnic inequalities in labour markets throughout Europe, this article uses case study material gathered in eight countries to explore equality policies and practices in SMEs. Overall the findings indicate a limited and contingent approach to equality issues on the part of SME owners and managers and an ineffective trade union challenge to the status quo. The article offers some thoughts on possible ways forward, concluding that unions have a long way to go before their rhetorical commitment to representing SME workers effectively and to pursuing an equality agenda is translated into action and practices at workplace level.
Trade unions and local development networks
Authors: Crouch Colin
Published: January 2010

Local economic development is becoming an increasingly important policy arena as governments lose many of their former capacities for economic intervention. Governments can act to promote the competitiveness of firms by improving the ‘collective competition goods' that are available to firms. An important class of such goods operate at the local level. Examples include improving local infrastructure and policies for ‘place branding’. Unions are often left out of the key groups that formulate policies of this kind, but as this becomes a field of importance to workers, and where economic and social policy come together, unions have a major contribution to make. However, it is difficult for unions to make a significant contribution because of their past record of marginalisation and the difficulty they may have in acquiring competence in this area. The importance of the social issues involved and the democratic deficit of many of the arrangements for managing major urban agglomerations make it urgent that unions grasp this challenge.
Privatising public infrastructure within the EU: the interaction between supranational institutions, transnational forces and national governments
Authors: Bieling Hans-Jürgen , Deckwirth Christina
Published: January 2010

Building on research on ten European Union Member States, this article assesses the role of the EU as a driver of privatisation processes in five infrastructure sectors - telecommunications, postal services, railway transport, and energy and water services. Despite national path dependencies - such as economic structures, legal traditions and social forces - the EU is becoming increasingly influential in implementing a specific European regulatory model and thus is generating an emerging European infrastructure market. In spite of their success as global players, the new infrastructure transnational corporations have failed to deliver properly functioning services and to provide decent working conditions. Although political will on the European level to continue the liberalisation process stands firm, conflicts between national governments and the European Commission as well as an increasing Europeanisation of local and national social protests could undermine this consensus.
Teachers' unions and the transformation of employment relations in public education in Portugal
Authors: Stoleroff Alan , Pereira Irina
Published: January 2010

This article examines the ongoing transformation of employment relations within the Portuguese public education sector as it affects teachers. It focuses on the negotiation over the amendment of the Teachers' Career Statute, initiated in May 2006, and the subsequent phases of its implementation, highlighting the recent conflict over the application of the performance evaluation system and performance-related pay. It analyses the positions of the teachers' unions and the conflicts that have emerged within the education sector, as well as the interaction of these conflicts with those of the public sector unions with regard to the overall reform of public administration. The significant resistance of teachers and the unified position of their unions in opposition to the reform measures have produced a particular dynamic in their conflict with the government.
Private equity in the UK context
Authors: Morgan Glenn
Published: January 2010

This article concentrates on private equity (PE) in the UK. It argues that private equity is the latest of a series of ways in which finance and the City of London have dominated the UK economy. In a relatively short period, large PE deals became significant in the UK. They led to organisational restructurings which treated the workforce as expendable costs. The rise of private equity led eventually to political opposition and although this appeared briefly to be very powerful, in the end it achieved little because it was never strong enough to combat the allied forces of the City, the Treasury and the Bank of England. However, private equity has not been triumphant. On the contrary it is fully implicated in the current financial crisis and its structure means that its growth has ceased and its very survival is in question. In some European countries, this may mean that rising financialisation will be halted at least temporarily. However in the UK, where the City is powerfully entrenched, private equity may decline but it is doubtful whether the financial dominance of the UK economy will be fundamentally challenged.
Social dialogue in France and reactions to the financialisation of the economy
Authors: Chambost Isabelle , Hoarau Christian , Roturier Patrick
Published: January 2010

Although France, unlike the English-speaking countries, came late to the capital market economy, the phenomenon of financialisation of companies - or ‘private equity’ - has now gained considerable ground. Yet the fact that the procedures and choices governing its operation are confined within the managerial sphere makes it difficult to gain any clear idea of how the various dimensions of labour, and in particular the social dialogue, are affected by this new business model. The article sets out to gain deeper insight into this dialectic through a series of semi-directive interviews of worker representatives intended better to understand aspects that are difficult to quantify. Analysis of the interview findings reveals a shared awareness of changes in practices and in the underlying business model that determines corporate operations; the resulting changes in the rules of the game governing interaction between the two sides of industry prompt a serious reconsideration of the methods and purposes of trade union action.
Trade union representation of contingent workers in further education in the UK and Austria
Authors: Pernicka Susanne
Published: January 2010

The subject of this article is trade union strategies for contingent workers. On the assumption that trade unions’ strategic responses vary in accordance with their national institutional contexts, we compare Austria and the UK in the area of further education. In both countries, we found various trade union strategies for dealing with the growing heterogeneity of members and potential members of trade unions in further education. From a cross-country perspective, however, we found some evidence that the spread of contingent work might lead to a convergence of union strategies and a reduction of the influence on their behaviour of national institutions.
Local flexicurity: resolving the conflict between direct and representative participation
Authors: Hagen Inger Marie , Trygstad Sissel Charlotte
Published: January 2010

Norway is often praised for its flexible workforce and flexible workers, which contribute to the adaptive capacity and competitiveness of the economy. At national level, the interplay between strong welfare arrangements, active labour market policies and generous protection in the event of lay-offs also contributes to labour mobility: being laid off does not entail personal catastrophe, as unemployment benefits are universal and generous, and access to new employment is likely to come quickly, due to an active employment and labour market policy. At company level, flexible employees are characterised by their ability and willingness to combine different tasks, take on new responsibilities and use their skills in the best interests of the company. At the same time, laws and agreements secure employees against arbitrary and unfair treatment from management and colleagues. What sort of mechanisms provide for this combination of security and flexibility at company level? We argue that this security and flexibility can be attributed to the manner in which representative and individual participation interact at company level in Norway. We call it ‘local flexicurity’.
From the Vredeling Directive to the European Works Council Directive . some historical remarks
Authors: Danis Jean-Jacques , Hoffmann Reiner
Published: January 2010

In September 1994, after over twenty years of debate and controversy, the Council of Ministers adopted the Directive on the Establishment of a European Works Council or a procedure in Community-scale undertakings and Community-scale groups of undertakings for the purposes of informing and consulting employees. For a long time it had looked as though an EU directive on employee information and consultation rights in multinational groups of undertakings stood no chance of ever being carried through, and it was not until the Treaty of Maastricht was ratified that new prospects emerged. The "Protocol on social policy" is part of the Maastricht Treaty, and attached to it is an agreement on social policy signed by the eleven Member States without the United Kingdom. On that basis it was possible for the directive to be adopted by eleven Member States by a simple majority in the Council of Ministers. The following article describes several of the important stages in the debate on this controversial directive.
Nordic trade unions, the EU and European works councils
Authors: Dølvik Jon Erik
Published: January 2010

Nordic trade union approaches to European integration, EU social policies and co-operation in transnational groups, are the issues of this article. With EU-sceptical constituencies, Nordic unions adopted a careful approach to EU membership. Except in Norway none of the main confederations (LOs) took a clear stance. The main sources of union ambivalence were familiar to unions inside the EU: concern about erosion of national labour standards, welfare and union strength,owing to the restrictive economic policies of the EMU, fear of market deregulation and the lack of a credible EU social dimension.

Nordic unions support the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) call for a more Social Europe, negotiations covering the whole EEA-area, and qualified majority voting in labour and environmental issues. They are, however, ambiguous towards extension of supra-national authority in other policy areas. With well organised unions, containing one sixth of the ETUC membership and social-democratic governments, the Nordic countries may positively influence the political balance of power in EU/EEA social policies. The European Works Councils Directive will be implemented possibly via collective agreement in Norway, and perhaps Denmark, while the legislative route seems most probable in other Nordic countries. Transnational worker co-operation is establised in roughly one half of major Nordic groups, of which one half includes consultation with management. Current trends suggest further spread of voluntary agreements with a European scope. This accentuates the need for exchange of union experiences concerning skill formation and organisational adaptation to ensure that group level co-operation complements national practices and strategies for Europeanisation of union policies at sectoral and confederallevel, according to Nordic unions.
Labour market, unemployment and employment policy - aspects of the European debate
Authors: Ramos Yuste Antonia , Foden David
Published: January 2010

This article is an edited version of the paper prepared by the authors for the first annual ETUI research conference, held in Brussels on September 21 -22, 1995. It provides an overview of the current debate on employment policy at European level, reviewing a number of the principal explanations put forward in academic debate for high and persistent unemployment, before describing the points of view of a number of important participants in the policy debate. The final part of the article outlines some criticisms of the prevailing current of opinion. In particular, the article argues that seeking solutions to the unemployment crisis through reform of the labour market alone is likely to prove fruitless.
America's low.wage path
Authors: Mishel Lawrence
Published: January 2010

The economic performance of the United States is sometimes viewed as very successful, especially in comparison to Europe. After all, unemployment has been lower than in Europe and job creation has been higher. The relative superiority of job creation in the United States is frequently exaggerated, however, by comparisons of the absolute numbers of jobs created - a flawed measure because the size of the labor force has been relatively stagnant in Europe while growing in the United States. Moreover, it is infrequently recognised that U.S. job creation in the 1980s was actually inferior to that of the 1970s.

Nevertheless, the bigger fault with the claim of U.S. economic superiority (and the implied superiority of "flexible", deregulated labor markets and laissez-faire policies) is that it ignores the deterioration in the standard of living of most Americans over the last 15 years. This paper reviews recent income and wage trends in the United States and finds that widespread income problems have been a continuing feature of the U.S.economy in the early 1990s (continuing through the first half of 1995, the latest data) and will likely continue into the foreseeable future.
The single currency vs. the Rhine model
Authors: Albert Michel
Published: January 2010

The brand of capitalism practised in the "Rhineland" countries is characterised by the German concept of the "social market economy" . People sometimes wonder whether monetary union might not lead to the implementation of a monetarist policy, which could then jeopardise this social market economy.

The first part of this paper demonstrates that this problem goes much further than that: all Western countries are threatened by what Michel Albert calls "the anti-social market economy" . In the light of this, the second part then goes on to show how the single currency would tend, on the contrary, to reinforce the specific characteristics of the "Rhine model". This is especially true if the single currency does result in a genuine political union (third part).

This paper generally attempts to update the analyses of "Capitalism against capitalism", written in 1991, and which has been translated into 19 languages.
EMU as seen by unions in the banking sector
Authors: Euro-Fiet
Published: January 2010

As Europe progresses toward Monetary Union the debate about the introduction and consequences of Monetary Union intensifies. In recent months the debate has focused on issues including the impact of the various convergence criteria, the possible dominance of one country's view during monetary union, and the naming of the proposed single currency.

To date the politicians and bankers who are debating Monetary Union have focused mainly on the business and financial implications. So far they have failed adequately to address issues relating to trade union and employment concerns in the banking sector itself. Both the European Commission and the European Monetary Institute (EMI) need to fully consult union organisations on the practical implications of a single currency. This reflects the huge impact these developments will have on workers, particularly those in Central Banks, and in the commercial banking sector. This article summarises the main areas we see the need for urgent consultation on.
Collective bargaining in the European building industry - European collective bargaining?
Authors: Baumann Hans , Laux Ernst-Ludwig , Schnepf Myriam
Published: January 2010

One aim of the project entitled "European collective bargaining in the building industry" (a joint initiative by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the German trade union IG Bau and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers- EFBWW) is to investigate what steps are necessary to achieve better coordination of collective bargaining policy in this sector. The building workers' trade unions in Europe continue to differ concerning the extent to which they believe such coordination should lead to common positions, common claims or collective agreements in Europe. The project will examine the collective bargaining systems currently in operation in the building sector in Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. This article describes, on the basis of the project findings to date, the difficulties and obstacles which beset the coordination of collective bargaining policy in Europe.
Do workers and trade unions have a role to play in environmental protection? Results from case studies in companies in European countries
Authors: Le Blansch Kees , Lorentzen Børge
Published: January 2010

Following on the generally grown recognition of an own environmental role for workers and trade unions, a considerable number of case studies was carried out in different research projects throughout the European Community in the first half of the 1990s, to investigate innovative practices and to collect experiences in this field. In this article the findings of five of these projects, comprising 43 case studies in total, are broadly presented and discussed. It is concluded that they are a rich source of learning material for all industrial relations actors. It is pointed out, however, that many of these studies are drawn from a selective part of industry, which may in some aspects lead to too dynamic and optimistic descriptions. Moreover, in most cases workers' and trade unions' inputs were found to be rather narrow and limited, for which several explanations are given in the article. It is finally concluded that, although workers and trade unions have no choice but to play a role in environmental protection, conflicting interests and tradition appear to prevent them from playing this role in an active, constructive and innovative way.
The organisation of flexibility. Atypical jobs as a challenge for the modernisation of trade unions
Authors: Valkenburg Ben , Beukema Leni
Published: January 2010

In this article we look at the consequences of the increase in atypical jobs for the modernisation of trade unions. Atypical jobs present considerable problems, not only at the level of practical strategies, but also (and perhaps more importantly) at the level of more fundamental issues like work, income and social security; and participation, solidarity and internal democracy. These problems should not only be seen as a threat. In our view, they also present possibilities for the process of modernisation of trade unions. As a central issue in this process, we look at working-time patterns.
Terms of employment and industrial relations in the European Union institutions and bodies
Authors: Jacobi Otto
Published: January 2010

Since the Second World War there has been a constantly expanding growth in political and economic relations among states. The internationalisation of politics and the economy is to some extent global in its proportions, giving rise to formations of a world-wide dimension, while in other cases it focuses on major regions, as in the case of the European Union. A corollary of this increase in transnational interdependence is the creation and development of multinational organisations and their attendant bureaucratic apparatuses. Rather little is known about the working conditions and participation rights of the employees and about trade union representation in these transnational bodies. This contribution, based on a study (Hassel and Jacobi) commissioned by the Hans Böckler Foundation of the DGB in 1995, collates the most important information about industrial relations in the EU bodies and supplements this information with recommendations for the improvement of trade union representation. The article was written during a period spent as a guest at the University of Aalborg. I should like to thank my Danish colleagues for their critical remarks and stimulating discussions from which this article has benefitted.
The issues of territorial excellence: building quality of city life with citizens
Authors: Dommergues Pierre
Published: January 2010

The quest for quality, or excellence, is virtually universal. In the search for competitiveness, firms embarked upon this path in the 1980s. The public services followed in the 1990s. Today it is the territorial entities - regions, départements, cities - which have set out to improve their "quality" .

This article explores the problems posed by this new search for territorial excellence. Is the quality of a territorial entity (of a city) similar in nature to that of a consumer durable or a service? If it is true that the common denominator of every quest for quality is customer satisfaction, who are the city's "customers" ? Who defines the quality of the city? How can we find organised ways of hearing what the citizens have to say? How are the frequently contradictory interests of the territorial protagonists to be reconciled? How is a project geared to excellence to be put in place? Is it possible to transfer the tools and methods of total quality management to a territory? Only one thing is certain: building the quality of a city is a task to be performed together.
Europe and territories
Authors: Villeneuve Robert
Published: January 2010

The globalisation of the economy and the building of Community Europe place economic power and political power in a relationship of conflict linked to the differences in the territories in which they take their decisions.

This situation of independence and interdependence of the two spheres of power has consequences for the social dialogue: the political powers have to defend security for workers and flexibility for companies. Companies can play upon competitive relocation. However, enterprises of general economic interest are the natural partners of social cohesion. Similarly, the progress made in terms of the Community collective bargaining area promotes harmonisation between the two powers at European level.

The brief historical analysis of the European social dialogue and the critical presentation of the guidelines for employment put forward by the Commission demonstrate the strategic role of a "fifth pillar" supported by the territory and the synergy among local players in the development of European inter-regional co-operation. This is the objective of the project entitled Excellence Territoriale.

This is the context in which the involvement of the European social partners, genuine intermediaries between the Europe of the institutions and that of the citizens, can be defined.
Market-oriented local employment initiatives in Germany
Authors: Schumacher Jürgen , Stiehr Karin
Published: January 2010

This paper concerns local employment initiatives in Germany. Particular attention is devoted to the "market orientation" of these initiatives. The concept of market orientation refers on the one hand to the way in which public funding of a subsidised labour market scheme can be topped up by the sale of goods and services and, on the other, to the conversion of local employment initiatives into normal companies following a period of public funding. Since the contexts surrounding local employment initiatives in east and west Germany are very different, developments in the two parts of Germany are portrayed separately. Some provisions of the Employment Promotion Act are cited, and the difficult circumstances under which market-oriented employment initiatives have to operate are described. One promotion scheme, the "Social Enterprises" of Lower Saxony, is presented to exemplify market-oriented local employment initiatives.
Working time policy in Germany: searching for new ways
Authors: Seifert Hartmut
Published: January 2010

This contribution looks back over the process of working time reduction since the mid-eighties. It emerges from an examination of developments that the gradual reductions in collectively agreed working time have made a significant contribution to the preservation and creation of jobs and that they have been, moreover, compatible with economic growth. The second part of the article examines how the process of working time reduction, currently not much in favour, can be revived. Strategic variations on this theme are public incentives to shorter working time, such as those experimented with in France, or the use of shorter working time for further training purposes.
EWC agreements under review: arrangements in companies based in four countries compared
Authors: Marginson Paul
Published: January 2010

The provisions of the agreements establishing European Works Councils may facilitate or constrain their subsequent development as effective mechanisms of employee interest representation at a transnational level. Using information on 386 voluntary, Article 13 EWC agreements, the article investigates three issues: the extent to which there is provision for a trade union role; how far there are formal provisions equipping employee representatives to exercise their functions; and whether agreements put in place practices which will enable the employee side to sustain independent activity, and liaison with management, on a continuing basis. Although a trade union role has been secured in the operation of perhaps a majority of EWCs, there is considerable variation in the formal capacity of employee representatives to exercise their role and develop an active European-level structure. For each of the issues considered, the article compares the provisions of agreements concluded in multinational companies based in France, Germany, the UK and the USA. It is concluded that some differences in provision probably result in equivalent practice, but that others are likely to underpin differences in actual practice.
Cross-border mergers and acquisitions: the implications for labour
Authors: Edwards Tony
Published: January 2010

Recent years have witnessed a rapid growth in mergers and acquisitions between companies based in different countries. Estimates suggest that the value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions amounted to $342 billion in 1997, a fourfold increase in six years, For employees and their representatives three distinct effects of this international merger activity can be identified: first, a general ‘acquisition’ effect which is common to all mergers, not just those that are cross-border in nature; second, a ‘multinational’ effect in which mergers increase the extent to which the acquired operations are subject to international competition; and, third, a ‘nationality’ effect which arises from differences by country in the way that firms are governed and financed. The nationality effect is the subject of this paper. It is argued that takeovers by Anglo-Saxon multinationals pose significant challenges to employees and their representatives, primarily because the system of corporate governance in Anglo-Saxon countries pressurises management into a ‘cost-minimisation’ approach to managing labour. This Anglo-Saxon aspect of the nationality effect is likely to be widespread, mainly because most international acquisitions are undertaken by Anglo-Saxon multinationals but also because the purchase of firms in Britain and America is a key mechanism through which European multinationals are undergoing a process of ‘Anglo-Saxonisation’.
Towards a ‘European’ works council
Authors: Miller Doug
Published: January 2010

Early critiques of the new procedures for information and consultation within multinationals in the EU pose serious questions as to whether such structures have the potential for being either ‘European’ or a works council. This article attempts to clarify some of the dimensions of a transnationality which delegates would like to see prevail within their European works councils. Such elements as ‘a level playing field’; the EWC as a learning organisation, awareness of constituencies, solidarity and multilingualism and multiculturalism have been advanced as a key set of organisational features of a transnational worker body seeking to transcend national culture. The development of such values and practices may be achievable via a new trade union pedagogy: However, given the absence of any steer within the Directive on training the European trade union movement would appear to be at a critical juncture as the opportunity for a revision arises.
Employability at the heart of the European employment strategy
Authors: Lefresne Florence
Published: January 2010

Employability is one of the pillars accorded priority by the European Commission in its employment strategy, entailing a certain number of obligations for the Member States. In fact nine tenths of the employment policy measures come under this central pillar. In an initial section, the author shows that, over and above consensus concerning a very general goal (improvement of opportunities for all, and first and foremost the most disadvantaged, as regards access to employment), the category of employability is far from unequivocal given the widely ranging underlying economic and social models and the ambiguous - to say the least - links between this concept and employment. It is highly desirable for Community debate that these models and links with employment should be made explicit. In a second section, two goals of the 1999 NAPs are examined via their inclusion in national policies: activation of passive expenditure including social welfare and minimum benefits; improvement of the transition from school to work by the development of work and training. The same formal objective is far from having an identical meaning in each national setting and, behind partial similarities, the continuing prevalence of strong national specificities is stressed. In a third section, the question of the employability model is taken up once more, with reference to an essential challenge: how can the prerequisites for development of wealth in the EU be reconciled with the protection of those who produce it?
Substitution of hazardous substances for health and environment: lessons and experiences from European projects
Authors: La-Roca Francesc , Ferrer Graciela , Le Blansch Kees , Lissner Lothar , Lorentzen Børge , Schmidt Eberhard , van Broekhuizen Pieter , van Twuyver Mariette , Waaijman Gabriëlla
Published: January 2010

This paper deals with substitution of hazardous substances in production processes for environmental and health and safety reasons, with special reference to experiences of substitution of volatile organic compounds in paints and in concrete mould release agents. Substitution in this context is seen as a particular kind of technological transfer, in which the main value of the technology lies in its environmental and health and safety performances, as a contribution to industrial sustainability. The authors identify the main actors of the substitution process (industry, trade unions, NGOs, etc.), the role they play in such a process (promoter, target group, ally or opposer) and the scene in which the action develops (i.e. the institutional and cultural framework). Building on the lessons and experiences drawn from the analysis of twenty cases in different sectors throughout the European Union, factors favouring and opposing substitution, as well as the features of "good" promoters and projects, are analysed.