Industrial Relations Developments in Europe in 2002
Date: 26-5-2003
The European Industrial Relations Observatory and DG Employment and Social Affairs have jointly published a review of industrial relations developments in Europe in 2002. The joint publication replaces the previous EIRO Annual Report and updates the Industrial Relations report published by the Commission last November which examined developments in 2000 and 2001. The report, which is available on-line, contains four main sections:
- A comparative overview of the main developments in industrial relations in 2002 in the EU Member States, Norway and, for the first time, three of the candidate countries due to join the EU in 2004 (Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). It examines the key issues covered by collective bargaining - pay, working time, job security and equal opportunities and diversity issues - as well as legislative developments, the organisation and role of the social partners, industrial action, employee participation, new forms of work (especially telework) and vocational training;
- A review of 2002's main developments in the European-level social dialogue between trade union and employers' organisations, and of the year's most significant EU legislative and other activity of relevance to industrial relations;
- A study examining the highly topical issue of migration from the perspective of industrial relations. It provides information on levels of migration in Europe and the numbers of migrant workers, before analysing their labour market and employment situation and outlining the key elements of government policy and legislation in this area. The study then looks at the views and activities of the social partners, their involvement in migration policy, and the extent to which issues relevant to migration are dealt with in collective bargaining; and
- Individual reviews of the main developments in industrial relations in 2002 in each of the 19 countries concerned, covering the same issues as the comparative overview.
Read the review at the European Industrial Relations Observatory website through this link:
http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2002/review/introduction.html