European Trade Union Institute (ETUI)

The second ETUI Policy Brief on social policy in Europe looks into the social dimension of the recently ratified Lisbon Treaty. Although it was widely expected that the Treaty will strengthen social Europe, the author demonstrates that it only partly lives up to these expectations and is very much lacking in ambition in this respect. Nevertheless, the minor contribution made by the Constitutional Treaty in the social sphere might serve to halt the current tendency to allow the economy to take precedence over social considerations provided that there is a state of permanent mobilisation and deep commitment on the part of the institutional players and social partners.
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(February 2010)

The revelation of the limitations of financial capitalism has opened up a window of opportunity to propose and implement progressive reforms that Europe needs to shift to an equitable and socially and ecologically sustainable growth model. On 13 January 2010, the ETUI brought together prominent academics and researchers to debate with representatives of Brussels-based policymaking institutions, think tanks, academia and civil society actors. Titled ‘After the crisis - towards a sustainable growth model', the ETUI conference brought together over 170 people in the building of the European Economic and Social Committee.
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(January 2010)

The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) has just launched HesaMag, a new magazine devoted to occupational health and safety. This twice-yearly publication will replace the Newsletter HESA.
"HesaMag aims to show that occupational health is not just a matter for the specialists, it is equally a question of everyday life and a major political issue", explains Laurent Vogel, the director of the ETUI’s Health and Safety department.
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January 2010

This Policy Brief considers the lessons to be drawn from the crisis for both public and private pensions in Europe. The author, Agnes Streissler, points out that both pay-as-you-go and funded systems are dependent on economic growth and are under pressure because of demographic changes. At the same time, private systems are considerably more risky in terms of the entitlements of successive cohorts leaving the labour market.
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(December 2009)

Little systematic theorising about EWCs has taken place to date. The aim of the volume European Works Councils in complementary perspectives is to expand the prevailing research perspectives on EWCs by drawing on theoretical findings from industrial relations research, organisational sociology and international management studies. The theoretical approach is completed by case studies.
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(December 2009)

Brian Bercusson was a leading European labour law academic and a true defender of European trade union and workers' rights. As a legacy for future generations but also as the expression of the trade union’s heartfelt gratitude for his unstinting attachment to defending workers’ rights, the ETUI Experts Group has gathered a selection of the most important writings of Brian Bercusson on Labour Law and Social Europe.
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(December 2009)

ETUI launched the first issue of a sustainable development newsletter at the end of November. Titled Just Transition, the new monthly e-zine reports on what European trade unions are doing to help build a more sustainable society. It puts a special focus on initiatives that combine climate change issues with concerns for jobs and social justice.
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(December 2009)