en-GB http://www.etui.org/News/Andor-offers-no-solace-on-EU-HSW-strategy Is European Social Affairs Commissioner, Hungary’s Lazlo Andor, really ready to go all out to bat for a new European health and safety at work (HSW) strategy? That is what the hundred-strong audience for his speech on 27 March at an ETUI conference on HSW might well have been asking themselves. http://www.etui.org/News/Eurozone-continues-to-break-bad-economic-records Despite EU leaders’ stubborn obsession with austerity and their constant promises that economic recovery is around the corner, new figures out on 15 May showed the eurozone to be in recession for a sixth consecutive quarter. This gloomy news and recent record unemployment numbers will further undermine the credibility of the EU’s austerity medicine. http://www.etui.org/News/Nanomaterials-traceability-needed-to-ensure-safety Given the large variety of manufactured nanomaterials and products containing them already on the market and the lack of specific regulation, several member states are establishing registries to record and keep track nanomaterials, mixtures and products containing them. http://www.etui.org/News/Benchmarking-Working-Europe-2013-strengthens-the-case-against-Europe-s-austerity-policy Austerity is not working; it is leading to a diverging and fragmented Europe, rising anger with political elites and disenchantment with the European integration project. This is the main message of the Benchmarking Working Europe 2013 presented during a joint conference with the Commission’s DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion on 23 April. http://www.etui.org/News/European-Union-is-the-new-sick-man-of-Europe A majority of European citizens is losing faith in the European Union as a result of its harsh austerity policies and French support for the EU is declining at a dramatic speed. This is the conclusion of a new survey by the Pew Research Centre released this week. http://www.etui.org/News/EU-Corporate-Governance-plans-stick-to-shareholder-paradigm Last week European Commissioner Michel Barnier published the long-awaited EU Action Plan on European Company Law and Corporate Governance. The sixteen proposals made contain little in the way of correcting the power imbalance that currently exists between shareholders on the one hand and stakeholders (particularly employees) on the other hand in the governance of European companies. http://www.etui.org/News/Flaws-in-academic-paper-will-it-change-EU-s-austerity-mania An influential paper written by American economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff made the headlines last week as several mathematical flaws in the influential work seemed to discredit the main arguments used by politicians to defend their harsh austerity policies. http://www.etui.org/News/Parliament-vote-on-carbon-change-reform-dark-day-for-climate-and-just-transition On 16 April, the European Parliament rejected a Commission proposal to breathe new life into the carbon emissions’ trading scheme (ETS), the Union’s flagship instrument for fighting climate change. The vote clearly confirms once more how Europe’s economic and financial crisis has put the EU’s green agenda on a back burner. http://www.etui.org/News/Blind-austerity-undermines-fundamental-social-rights In a debate organized by the ETUI on 13 March 2013, representatives of the Transnational Trade Union Rights Experts’ Network (TTUR) presented their manifesto for the respect of fundamental social rights in Europe. The manifesto has been signed by more than 470 academic lawyers working in the field of social and labour law. http://www.etui.org/News/Labour-lawyers-manifesto-urges-EU-leaders-to-respect-fundamental-social-rights The Euro-area crisis and the austerity policies prescribed by European institutions have led, in many EU countries, to systematic attacks on social dialogue and labour law provisions. More than 530 social and labour lawyers – nearly all with an academic affiliation – have signed a manifesto in protest at these developments. In the body of this document, signatories urge the European Union to respect and promote fundamental social rights, particularly in the context of crisis-related policy measures. http://www.etui.org/News/EU-report-reveals-green-jobs-health-risks "Are green jobs safe?" queries the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in a new report. The hefty tome reviews old and new risks from the recent growth in the green economy. http://www.etui.org/News/Austerity-policies-are-undermining-Europeans-health Suicides, outbreaks of HIV infections, malaria and other diseases are becoming more common. In an article published in The Lancet on 27 March, a group of experts review the early impacts of austerity measures on health in Europe. http://www.etui.org/News/Inequality-and-working-conditions-the-exhaustion-of-labour Growing inequality in Europe should not only be seen from the perspective of pressure on wages but also in terms of deteriorating working conditions at the workplace. Flexibility, intensification of work and loss of autonomy are key indicators of the “exhaustion” of the current productive model, according to French economist Philippe Askenazy. http://www.etui.org/News/EU-Commission-report-Europe-is-diverging The March edition of the EU’s Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review, published this week, has confirmed the growing economic and social gap between Member States of the European Union. This worrying trend of European divergence will be the main theme of the ETUI’s annual Benchmarking Working Europe publication to be presented in April. http://www.etui.org/News/Deregulation-Commission-stands-firm On 7 March, the Commission announced its plans to "ease the top 10 most burdensome EU laws for SMEs". The EU executive said it planned to do this through the Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT) launched in December 2012. http://www.etui.org/News/Diverging-Europe-threatens-citizens-trust-in-European-project Widening economic and social gaps among EU member states, as well as among different groups and categories of citizens within society, are not only placing in jeopardy the future of Social Europe but threatening to undermine also the whole project of European integration. The post-2008 recession and debt crisis, helped along by EU leaders’ obstinate clinging to the failing remedies of fiscal austerity, have accelerated the disenchantment of millions of European citizens with the half-century-old project to build and consolidate a European Union. This is one of the most striking conclusions of the ETUI’s upcoming Benchmarking Working Europe report for 2013. http://www.etui.org/News/Trade-unions-and-biodiversity-jobs-versus-nature The ETUI’s Education Department held a biodiversity seminar in Brussels from 25 to 27 March. The aim was to consider biodiversity within the broader setting of sustainable development: the conservation, preservation and management of biodiversity, including new forms of employment. http://www.etui.org/News/Trade-unions-in-south-east-Europe-on-the-verge-of-marginalization The new 2012-3 issue of SEER Journal for Labour and Social Affairs in Eastern Europe gathers articles which are edited versions of papers delivered at a Belgrade conference devoted to the topic ‘Trade unions and politics in south-east Europe’. http://www.etui.org/News/Tony-Atkinson-paints-complex-picture-of-inequality Public authorities should learn from previous historical periods when the gap between rich and poor was kept in check. This was the main messages of Professor Tony Atkinson when addressing the second conference of the cycle ‘The crisis and inequality’ organised by the ETUI on 25 January 2013. http://www.etui.org/News/James-Galbraith-what-Europe-needs-is-solidarity-not-austerity Europe’s ideologically driven austerity policies are leading to economic and social divergence between member states that could produce chaos, not to mention complete citizen disenchantment with the European project. What Europe needs is stabilising its institutions and building on solidarity to deal with the new reality of slow growth. Such was the overriding conclusion of the extremely well attended conference organised by the European Trade Union Institute, on 11 December, with well-known American economist James Galbraith. http://www.etui.org/News/Five-Directives-to-be-amended-but-will-workers-be-safer-from-chemical-risks On 26 February the European Commission announced plans to put to Parliament and the Council a proposal to amend five health and safety at work Directives. http://www.etui.org/News/Commission-remains-prisoner-of-failing-austerity-policies Last week the European Commission presented its latest economic forecasts for 2013 and, despite the disappointing figures, continued to insist on the need for tough austerity measures. A few days earlier it had also adopted a communication on social investment. http://www.etui.org/News/ETUI-organizes-seminar-on-machinery-safety-in-agricultural-sector Agriculture is one of the most hazardous sectors of the economy. Fatal and non-fatal work-related accident rates are significantly higher than the average in most industrial sectors, and many workers suffer from occupationally acquired diseases. Since 2004 ETUI has been studying the significant impact of machinery on the health and safety of workers in agriculture. http://www.etui.org/News/EU-labour-markets-in-crisis-a-feeble-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel Speaking at the ETUI’s recent conference on European labour markets and the crisis, EU employment and social affairs commissioner Laszlo Andor made a point of stressing that labour market policy should, in his own view, be a source of economic recovery and not a “Cinderella” in the Commission’s response to the crisis. His attentive but critical audience was, however, less optimistic about the long-term prospects for a more social approach to the new EU economic governance. http://www.etui.org/News/REACH-obligations-trade-unions-again-help-to-raise-awareness-in-companies The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the industriAll-European Trade Union are launching another extensive information campaign aimed at companies that market or use chemicals. The objective is to call European firms’ attention, especially SMEs, to their obligations under REACH, the EU regulation on chemicals. http://www.etui.org/News/EU-finance-ministers-open-door-for-financial-transaction-tax During the first Ecofin Council meeting of the new year, a qualified majority of EU finance ministers allowed 11 countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia) to move ahead with plans to impose a tax on financial transactions such as stocks, bonds and derivatives. http://www.etui.org/News/New-ILO-report-urges-policy-rethink-in-order-to-overcome-renewed-jobs-dip In a special 2013 edition of the Global Employment Trends report the ILO warns that global unemployment could, after having risen to 197 million in 2012, increase still further in 2013. One quarter of the 4-million increase in global unemployment seen in 2012 has taken place in the advanced economies. http://www.etui.org/News/New-EU-report-highlights-growing-divergence-in-and-between-member-states Growing divergence leading to social polarisation, stalled progress on gender equality, increasing risks of social exclusion and poverty, and major challenges to social protection schemes and wages, are some of the main findings of the second edition of the EU’s Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review. http://www.etui.org/News/MEPs-push-Commission-to-take-action-for-responsible-restructurings The European Parliament adopted on 15 January a report which urges the EU Commission to propose legislation on socially responsible restructurings in companies. The report written by Spanish MEP Alejandro Cercas (S&D Group) calls for a European framework applying to major restructurings of enterprises and groups of enterprises (private and public) that affect a large number of workers or a large percentage of personnel over a limited period of time. http://www.etui.org/News/ILO-urges-better-pay-and-conditions-for-53-million-domestic-workers The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has urged countries to adopt new standards to ensure decent working conditions and pay for the world's 53 million domestic workers – mainly women. http://www.etui.org/News/Report-steering-labour-migration-policies-into-the-right-lane The face of European labour migration has changed quite radically over the last decades and needs a new policy approach on the part of national and European authorities, according to a new report presented by the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) this week. http://www.etui.org/News/Youth-unemployment-EU-Commission-to-the-rescue With more than 5.5 million young people unemployed in the EU, the European Commission has proposed that member states introduce a “youth guarantee” scheme to help young adults get a job. The proposal is one element of the Youth Employment Package presented by Employment Commissioner László Andor on 5 December. http://www.etui.org/News/ILO-warns-of-race-to-the-bottom-in-wages Workers’ wages in the developed economies have grown more slowly than labour productivity according to the new Global Wage Report 2012-13 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). “Workers and their families are not receiving the fair share they deserve,” said ILO’s director-general Guy Ryder. http://www.etui.org/News/Eurocrisis-calls-for-alternative-policies-and-democratic-debate-get-louder Last week, the European Commission presented its Annual Growth Survey for 2013 and a “Blueprint” for a future “deep and genuine Economic Monetary Union”. The analysis presented in the survey confirms that the EU’s executive body remains addicted to its flawed neo-liberal recipes to tackle the Eurocrisis. But critiques of the EU’s austerity policies are growing and new voices for a more social alternative are getting louder. http://www.etui.org/News/Discounting-the-workers-conditions-in-the-retail-sector This 6th issue of the HesaMag looks at working conditions in the retail sector, with a special focus on employees in the mainly grocery store. The supermarket boom has given jobs to hundreds of thousands of Europeans, very many of them young people. This foothold in the working world, however, can now only be had by giving up some expectations about well-being at work, and even a home life. http://www.etui.org/News/Basic-services-sectors-more-jobs-yes-but-better Creating more and at the same time better jobs is one of the key objectives of the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy. The European research project WALQING investigated quality of work in five growing but socially risk-prone service sectors and presented its conclusions and recommendation at the ETUI’s November Monthly Forum on 26 November. http://www.etui.org/News/Public-services-are-the-key-to-well-being-society Services provided by the public sector (e.g. health care, personal services, education, public transport etc.) are an essential solution to move to a society which prioritises well-being and quality of life for its citizens above the current quest for endless economic growth. But these same public services are not well represented in how society measures its economic progress. http://www.etui.org/News/New-EU-regulation-on-standardisation-acknowledges-trade-unions-as-key-contributors On 4 October 2012, the Council of the European Union adopted a new regulation aimed at improving the European standardisation system. With the new regulation, which shall apply from 1st January 2013, European standardisation bodies (CEN, CENELEC, etc.) will be entitled to develop standards for services and not only for products as it was so far the case. http://www.etui.org/News/REACH-five-years-on-is-it-delivering REACH, the European chemicals regulation, started being implemented in June 2007. Five years on, ETUI chemical hazards expert Tony Musu takes stock of this ambitious reform. The former European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) management board member gives his outspoken views on ECHA independence and the impact of industry lobbying, and talks about other crucial issues for workers' health like exposure to nanomaterials and carcinogens. http://www.etui.org/News/Bangladesh-fire-puts-subcontracting-and-textile-dependence-on-the-line 112 workers - many of them women – perished in a fire in a Bangladesh clothing factory in the evening of 24 November. This latest tragic event at a subcontractor of major Western clothing brands casts doubt on whether any real improvement in safety and working conditions is possible in a country whose economic engine is an industry riddled by cut-price labour conditions. http://www.etui.org/News/New-economists-network-for-social-and-ecological-alternative-to-EU-austerity A new European Progressive Economist Network was launched at the Firenze 10+10 forum meeting earlier this month. The objective of the network is to formulate a real alternative economic policy to replace the current neo-liberal austerity narrative. http://www.etui.org/News/Time-for-a-makeover-for-EU-takeovers The latest issue of the ETUI’s Worker Participation news bulletin was published on 19 November. The editorial lead article written by the Institute’s associate researcher Sigurt Vitols takes a critical look at the European Union’s legislation on company takeovers and finds it lacking in terms of worker involvement rights during the takeover process. http://www.etui.org/News/Ten-EU-Member-States-call-European-Social-Dialogue-into-question The European social partners in the hairdressing sector (UNI-Europa Hair & Beauty Care on the labour side and Coiffure EU on the employer side) have been working for a number of years to produce a draft text aimed at improving the working conditions of the approximately 1.5 million workers employed in the 400,000 hairdressing salons in the EU. http://www.etui.org/News/Eduday-2012-training-for-a-different-more-equal-and-just-economy More than 70 trade union educators from twenty-six European countries gathered in Zagreb, Croatia on 7 November for their first European Eduday. This new ETUI initiative gave European trade union trainers the opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices on how to organise training activities for combatting growing inequality. http://www.etui.org/News/Stoiber-lobbying-of-former-Commissioner-Dalli-how-independent-are-Commission-expert-groups-really EU news website Euractiv.com reports that former premier of Bavaria, the conservative Edmund Stoiber, lobbied former Health Commissioner, Malta’s John Dalli, to prevent the revision of the EU tobacco directive from affecting a Bavarian tobacco manufacturer. http://www.etui.org/News/Retirement-age-debate-needs-to-look-at-employees-working-conditions The European and national policy debates on increasing employment rates of older workers and raising the retirement age should take into consideration the diversity of the occupations of older workers and their working conditions. This was the main conclusion of ETUI’s Monthly Forum “Diversity and inequality: working conditions according to age and occupation in Europe” on 30 October. http://www.etui.org/News/Workers-protection-and-electromagnetic-fields-Council-adopts-compromise On 4 October, EU ministers for employment and social policy reached an informal agreement (in EU-speak called a “general approach”) on the review of European legislation concerning the protection of workers exposed to electromagnetic fields. The compromise reached in the Council does not take into consideration demands from trade unions to look at the long-term effects on human health of exposure to these fields. http://www.etui.org/News/Commission-gives-green-light-for-financial-transactions-tax The European Commission adopted on 23 October a proposal for a Council Decision which will allow the introduction of a financial transactions tax (FTT) in ten EU member states. http://www.etui.org/News/Quality-of-work-among-ageing-workers-all-are-not-equal Older workers employed in unskilled and manual occupations and those working in certain service sectors risk suffering more from poor working conditions than other employees, according to a new study by the ETUI. http://www.etui.org/News/Reform-of-EU-s-public-procurement-directives-a-missed-opportunity Purchases of goods, services and works by public authorities in Europe accounts for about 20% of the EU’s GDP. Public procurement is therefore one of the best instruments to relaunch the economy and stimulate sustainable development. A new study written by Eric Van den Abeele provides a critical overview of the main challenges posed by recent plans of the European Commission to modernise the rules for public procurement. http://www.etui.org/News/Surprisingly-critical-report-on-European-nuclear-plant-safety The European Commission published a report on 3 October on the stress tests carried out in European nuclear power plants in 17 countries: the 14 EU countries with working nuclear power plants, Lithuania, where a plant is being decommissioned, Switzerland and Ukraine. The tests, done in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, cast doubt on how safe Europe’s nuclear power plants are, including in extreme circumstances. From what the report says, the situation may be more critical than plant operators imply. The Commission report shows that international standards are not being consistently implemented. http://www.etui.org/News/Transnationalisation-of-industry-needs-new-union-strategies Trade unions will need to develop new multi-level and international strategies to respond to the challenges posed by the expansion of multinational companies and the growing importance of global value chains, according to Canadian Professor Gregor Murray. http://www.etui.org/News/The-social-case-for-the-EU-s-Financial-Transaction-Tax On 9 October 2012, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council of the EU discussed the introduction of a comprehensive system of financial transaction taxes. Eleven EU member states expressed their support for the system through the use of the “Enhanced Cooperation Procedure” in the Lisbon Treaty. A new ETUI policy brief explains the rationale and the social arguments in favour of this new instrument to reign in the excesses of casino capitalism. http://www.etui.org/News/Commission-s-nanomaterials-review-does-not-ensure-workers-protection The Second Regulatory Review on Nanomaterials published on 3 October by the European Commission aims at assessing the implementation of EU legislation for nanomaterials and respond to issues raised by the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee. In doing so, it fails to propose a consistent strategy to guarantee the protection of workers handling or in contact with nanomaterials. http://www.etui.org/News/New-Report-Crisis-is-affecting-quality-of-jobs-in-Europe The economic crisis has put into question the EU’s target to create “more and better jobs”. It is clear that since 2008, several member states have seen unemployment rising to record levels, but what about job quality? Did the crisis have an effect on the overall quality of employment in EU countries? This is the question the authors of a new ETUI working paper have tried to answer by measuring for the EU27 recent developments in six areas: wages, non-standard forms of employment, working time and work-life balance, working conditions and job security, access to training and career development, and collective interest representation. http://www.etui.org/News/Crisis-has-been-used-to-push-anti-labour-agenda At the 2012 TUC Congress in Brighton, the ETUI organised a debate on the erosion of labour laws in Europe. Senior ETUI researcher Stefan Clauwaert presented the grim results of a mapping exercise on changes to labour laws in several European countries. Such reforms generally render existing labour law provisions more flexible and loosen minimum standards, shifting the emphasis to soft law (deregulation). http://www.etui.org/News/EU-Labour-Migration-in-Troubled-Times The debate on the free movement of labour within the EU has gained new momentum in the wake of the economic crisis. A new ETUI publication written by a team of experts from across Europe sheds light on the critical issues raised by internal labour mobility within the EU in the context of economic crisis and labour market pressures. The book's chapters tease out the links between economic developments, regulatory frameworks and migration patterns in different European countries. A central focus is on issues of skills and skills mismatch and how they relate to migration forms, duration and individual decisions to stay or return. http://www.etui.org/News/Putting-the-social-back-on-the-European-agenda The latest issue of Transfer, the Research Quarterly of the ETUI’s Research Department takes a critical look at European social and employment policy under the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy and concludes that the current priority of short-term economic and fiscal crisis management is weakening “Social Europe”. The different articles in the new quarterly Transfer highlight four major challenges for the social dimension of European integration. http://www.etui.org/News/Unions-still-fail-to-reach-young-workers A new study written by ETUI senior researcher Kurt Vandaele indicates that young trade union representatives find their confederations’ efforts and commitments to attract and organise young workers “inadequate”. http://www.etui.org/News/Social-compact-a-necessity-for-the-survival-of-the-European-Union European Central Bank President Mario Draghi declared in February 2012 in a notorious interview with the Wall Street Journal that Europe’s social model “is already gone”. Contradicting the pessimism of Europe’s top banker, former Belgian social affairs and employment minister and economics professor Frank Vandenbroucke explains in a recent publication that the redefinition of a “Social Europe” is no less than “an existential conundrum for the Union”. http://www.etui.org/News/The-complex-reality-of-social-dumping The term “social dumping” is often used in European public policy discourse to point to “unfair competition” between countries with very different wage and social protection levels. The expression of the cheap “Polish plumber” became one of the war horses of those opposing the EU’s enlargement and the opening of labour markets. But the term is often used in a too simplistic way and remains poorly defined, according to a new ETUI Working Paper written by Magdalena Bernaciak. http://www.etui.org/News/Piece-work-increases-the-work-injury-rate Almost twice as many piece rate workers suffer from workplace injuries as those on standard contracts, according to research from Lancaster University Management School. The increased productivity gained by employers from piece rate work is lost through increased absence and the cost of compensation, the authors note. http://www.etui.org/News/Protecting-workers-against-risks-associated-with-nuclear-technology.-New-ETUI-publication The European directive on protection of human health against the dangers of ionising radiation is undergoing revision. This heated debate focuses on the "low doses" to which tens of thousands of European workers are exposed in sectors as varied as industry, hospitals, air transport, construction, mining and of course nuclear energy. http://www.etui.org/News/New-ILO-report-presents-solutions-to-escape-the-austerity-trap The Eurozone needs an urgent shift in policy direction or it will face losing a further 4.5 million jobs in the next years according to a new report from the ILO’s International Institute for Labour Studies. To move out of what it calls Europe’s “austerity trap” it recommends repairing the financial system, promoting investments in young workers and addressing differences in competitiveness between Eurozone countries. http://www.etui.org/News/Van-Rompuy-report-fails-to-tackle-roots-of-the-crisis Banking union, budgetary union, and increased economic policy integration: such are the three major directions of progress proposed by European Council President Van Rompuy, in consultation with Messrs Barroso (Commission), Draghi (ECB) and Juncker (Eurogroup), on the eve of the meeting – heralded as ‘decisive’ – of the European Council on 28 and 29 June 2012. The report, entitled Towards a Genuine Economic and Monetary Union, represents an effort to contribute to this increased political and economic integration that, according to an increasingly widely shared conviction, has become the key to solution of the euro crisis. The intention is to set in motion a process scheduled to deliver results in December. http://www.etui.org/News/Stronger-social-dimension-needed-in-Rio-20-process Clear targets and more political emphasis on sustainable growth, employment and social justice are needed if the Rio+20 conference in June 2012 is to become a real success. This was the main outcome of a two-day debate organised by ETUI and ETUC on 12-13 March at the Danish Metalworkers’ School in Jørlunde, Denmark. http://www.etui.org/News/Towards-Rio-20-A-Sustainable-New-Deal-for-Europe In the context of the Danish EU Presidency the ETUI and the ETUC are currently organising a joint event to prepare the European trade union movement’s activities in the run-up to Rio+2. The event, which will be held on 12-13 March at the Danish Metalworkers’ School in Jørlunde, Denmark, will bring together key academic thinkers and trade union activists to chart the alternative agenda. http://www.etui.org/News/Rio-20-chronicle-of-an-announced-failure As expected, the Earth Summit held in Rio, Brazil, ended last week with a weak text full of good intentions, “promises” and diplomatic fluff but no concrete targets nor any serious action plan to reverse the unsustainable course of the global economy. The concept of a “green economy” (one of the two main themes of the summit) remained controversial with most developing countries seeing it as a hurdle for their future economic growth. http://www.etui.org/News/Occupational-health-in-Europe-the-Dublin-survey-shows-a-slight-improvement-but-the-gap-between-workers-persists On 12 April last, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions presented to the European Parliament in Brussels the summary report on its survey of working conditions in Europe, often dubbed the ‘Dublin survey’ on account of the city where this European Union body is based. Some 40,000 workers from 34 countries in Europe, including the 27 European Union members, were interviewed about their work. Part of the survey, conducted in 2010, relates to occupational health risks. http://www.etui.org/News/European-trade-union-leaders-call-for-European-Social-Compact EU trade union leaders meeting in Brussels from 5-6 June launched a call for a debate on a European Social Compact. As it is becoming increasingly clear that the austerity programmes in several member states are not solving the crisis and after the presidential win of François Hollande in France, the EU's narrative has been gradually shifting from austerity to growth as a policy priority. But although the rhetoric has changed, the overall policy drive remains one of competition, deregulation and further attacks on the European social model. http://www.etui.org/News/The-EU-is-running-hard-to-stand-still The European Union saw a deluge of institutional innovations in economic governance in 2011 but made no progress in exiting the crisis and risks a real crisis of trust in the European project. This was the main message presented during the launch on 11 June of a new study on the state of social Europe in 2011. The annual flagship publication by the European Social Observatory (OSE) and the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) highlighted the “impressive acceleration” in European integration and the introduction of many new tools (revision of the Stability and growth Pact, the Six Pack, the Euro Plus Pact etc.) for the EU’s economic governance as a reaction to the debt crisis. Despite all these changes, the EU failed to stop the crisis and now seems further in trouble than ever before in its history. http://www.etui.org/News/Minimum-wages-austerity-and-poverty-three-ETUI-studies The economic crisis and austerity policies have put the issue of minimum wages in Europe back on the political agenda. Although wage policy is not an EU competence, the new economic governance resulting from the debt crisis in several EU member states is increasingly intervening in national wage developments. In this context, minimum wages have become an essential component of the EU’s policy of austerity. Three new publications from the ETUI present a thorough analysis of the state of play of minimum wages in Europe and its implications for social inequality and poverty. http://www.etui.org/News/Economic-crisis-leads-to-large-scale-deregulation-of-labour-law-in-Europe A new working paper published by ETUI maps the labour law reforms in various European countries either triggered by the crisis or introduced using the crisis – falsely – as an excuse. Such reforms generally render existing labour law provisions more flexible and loosen minimum standards, shifting the emphasis to soft law (deregulation). http://www.etui.org/News/Europe-s-economic-crisis-worsens Less than one day after the EU’s heads of states and governments ended their informal Council meeting in Brussels, new economic data show that European economies are contracting faster than expected. http://www.etui.org/News/The-Spectre-of-the-Precariat A spectre is haunting Europe in the form of a new class-in-the-making called the precariat and it is still unclear how this new class will restructure the political landscape. This was one of the main messages of a presentation by Guy Standing, Professor of Economic Security at the University of Bath, during the April Monthly Forum of the ETUI on 27 April 2012. http://www.etui.org/News/Working-conditions-in-Europe-mounting-inequalities Working conditions are deteriorating in Europe, helping to reinforce social inequalities between workers, in particular in terms of health. Such is the conclusion drawn at the end of a two-day seminar staged in late March in Brussels by the ETUI. This event, originally intended for the research community, attracted a far wider audience of some 170 participants: proof that even at a time of economic crisis, the question of working conditions remains more than ever a major social issue. http://www.etui.org/News/Beyond-GDP-Measuring-real-economic-progress-for-better-lives On 29 March 2012 ETUI and EPSU will hold a joint one-day workshop to reflect on how we define and measure social progress, that is, improvements in wellbeing in societies, and also, in view of current circumstances, how we measure social regression. The gathering aims to bring together research contributions on this issue as a means of exploring the current state-of-play and its potential relevance for reframing economic policy debate in Europe insofar as it is, at the present time, entirely and exclusively focused on GDP growth. http://www.etui.org/News/White-Paper-on-Pensions The European Commission has just published a White Paper on Pensions (16/02/2012). This document is the follow up of the Green Paper 'Towards adequate, sustainable and safe European pension systems' published in July 2010. Its purpose was to initiate a European debate on the key challenges concerning pensions, the main question being: how can the EU best support the efforts of Member States to ensure adequate, sustainable and safe pensions for their citizens both now and in the future. On the basis of the responses to the open consultation launched by the Green Paper, the White Paper identifies the most important measures to be taken forward in this respect at the European level. The ETUI has embarked on this issue for a long time. It has published several Working papers and Policy Briefs to feed into the debate. http://www.etui.org/News/Social-inequality-worsening-in-European-Union A new comprehensive study launched on 5 March by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) confirms growing forms of social inequality in all EU member states. This worrying trend is the result of long-term policy choices for market liberalism and the prioritisation of harsh austerity programmes as a result of the financial and fiscal crisis post-2008. http://www.etui.org/News/Beyond-the-crisis-developing-sustainable-alternatives Conference co-organized by the Socialists & Democrats, the Greens and the ETUI, 9 February 2012, European Parliament The purpose of this conference is to obtain reactions and feedback – from MEPs, academics and social policy actors – to some of the ETUI’s research findings and policy proposals. How is the current situation to be evaluated? What are the most relevant considerations in constructing an agenda, a narrative, and policy alternatives to unadulterated austerity measures? These are the two major questions up for discussion. http://www.etui.org/News/Gender-inequalities-and-occupational-diseases On 31 January 2012 the ETUI and the Belgian Council for Equal Opportunities between Men and Women are staging a study day in Brussels to look at gender inequalities and occupational diseases. During this study day, speakers from Quebec, Finland, France and Belgium will be focusing on analysing how these inequalities in treatment between men and women actually operate, and how it is possible to rebuild the career path and get recognition for an occupational disease. http://www.etui.org/News/Trade-union-seminar-on-risks-arising-from-electromagnetic-fields-at-the-workplace The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) sponsored a seminar, on 7 and 8 December in Krakow (Poland), on revision of the European directive on risks for workers arising from exposure to electromagnetic fields (Directive 2004/40). http://www.etui.org/News/Monthly-Forum-The-crisis-as-downgrading-spiral-of-labour-law-and-workers-rights-trends-and-consequences-for-future-European-social-regulation 26 January 2012, Brussels In recent years, in a rapidly increasing number of both "old" and "new" member states, workers and trade unions have been faced with deeply worrying trends in labour law reform introduced subject to the claim that to make labour markets and regulation more flexible is one of the most appropriate responses to the crisis currently affecting Europe. http://www.etui.org/News/Monthly-forum-Which-challenges-for-the-EU-budget 25 November 2011 - Brussels The next Monthly Forum will provide the opportunity to discuss the ambitious targets set by the Commission in its draft multi-annual budget which will be on the agenda of the Council and European Parliament during 2012-2013. http://www.etui.org/News/Do-the-December-European-Summit-and-the-Annual-Growth-Survey-2012-offer-a-way-forward-for-Europe At its last Monthly Forum for 2011 the ETUI would like to discuss the current state of economic governance on the European level as well as the economic outlook going into 2012 in the light of the second AGS and the recently agreed six-pack, and against the background of the still unresolved crisis. http://www.etui.org/News/What-do-we-and-what-don-t-we-know-about-minimum-wages-in-Europe On 12 December 2011 in Brussels, the ETUI is organising an expert conference which should deepen our knowledge about the wages paid at the ‘bottom’ of the labour market in European countries. Invited experts will discuss the empirics and also more theoretical questions relating to wage and employment outcomes. http://www.etui.org/News/EU-Labour-Markets-What-does-work-where-is-a-need-for-action-New-Labour-Market-Monitor-and-Job-Quality-Index-2011-provide-information The Europe 2020 Strategy aims at achieving an employment rate of 75% and reducing poverty. What decides about success or failure of this strategy? And what about job quality? The new Labour Market Monitor of AK (Chamber of Labour) and WIFO (Austrian Institute of Economic Research) depicts a strengths-weaknesses profile of the EU-Labour Markets, which goes beyond the usual comparison of employment and unemployment rates. The Job Quality Index of the ETUI 2011 provides information on the job quality in Europe. http://www.etui.org/News/Conference-SEs-in-Stormy-Weather-exploring-new-developments-in-EU-legislation-and-sustainability-as-a-priority-for-SE-board-level-employee-representatives-and-works-council-members 15 - 16 November 2011, the European Worker Participation Competence Centre (EWPCC) of the ETUI in cooperation with Solidarność, OPZZ, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Polish Office and the Hans Böckler Foundation is organising a two-days conference in Warsaw. http://www.etui.org/News/European-Panel-2011-Workers-participation-Building-a-more-democratic-and-social-Europe-8-9-November-The-Hotel-Brussels Over the last 60 years workers’ participation has developed into an essential component of the European socio-economic model. This year’s European Panel conference, organized by the Hans-Böckler and Friedrich-Ebert Foundations and the ETUI in cooperation with the German and European Trade Union Confederations, will debate in what way workers’ participation has made a more sustainable contribution than other corporate governance models to overcoming the crisis. http://www.etui.org/News/European-Education-Conference On 12 and 13 October the European Education Conference of the ETUI will take place in Brussels. During the first day, Ulisses Garrido, the new Director of the ETUI Education department, will present the Institute’s training priorities and the Education programme for 2012 -2013. Three simultaneous workshops will focus on capacity development for training of EWCs following the recast of the EWC Directive, certification of the established courses given by the ETUI, and preparation of trade union training courses in candidate countries. http://www.etui.org/News/ETUI-Monthly-Forum-Broad-based-community-alliances-and-challenges-for-trade-unions-activism-today The next Monthly Forum of the ETUI will take place on Tuesday, 25 October, in the ITUH in Brussels. It will look into some present challenges and possibilities for trade union renewal. http://www.etui.org/News/Distributional-aspects-of-the-crisis-in-Greece The current policy debate on the debt crisis in Greece has so far focused mostly on macroeconomic aspects and on whether the Greek government has sufficient political capital to deliver the reforms agreed with the European Commission and the IMF for receipt of financial aid. The ETUI, at the September gathering of its Monthly Forum, will provide an alternative perspective on this issue by looking into some of the distributional implications of the fiscal austerity and deep recession currently experienced by the Greek economy. http://www.etui.org/News/The-ETUI-online-English-course-for-trade-unionists For almost a year now the ETUI has been running an online English course that offers six hours a month of NEW interactive teaching and learning activities (a combination of texts, images and listening exercises) on topics of current TRADE UNION interest designed to enable trade unionists to acquire the language and vocabulary necessary for their work. http://www.etui.org/News/Health-and-Safety-Department-moves-into-working-conditions The European Trade Union Institute’s (ETUI) Health and Safety at Work Department is to bring its research and expertise to bear on the huge area of working conditions. It’s a natural development for what started out as the Trade Union Technical Bureau (TUTB), turned into the ETUI Health and Safety Department in 2005, and has now become the Working Conditions, Health and Safety Department. http://www.etui.org/News/An-A-to-Z-guide-to-the-European-Union Anyone trying to get their head around the nuts and bolts of the towering edifice that is the EU could not wish for better than the newly-published fourth edition of the Dictionnaire de l’Union européenne (Dictionary of the European Union) – an 1149-page comprehensive survey with more than 600 definitions and references to 1600-odd pieces of legislation and regulations. http://www.etui.org/News/New-ETUI-website The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) brought its new website online at the start of July. The new site adds the finishing touch to the Institute’s revamped visual identity, with a home page that showcases our various research and training activities, giving direct access to nine key topics for a social Europe and the European labour movement, including the crisis, jobs and worker participation. http://www.etui.org/News/Frank-Vandenbroucke-calls-for-EU-social-investment-pact The European Union must adopt a social investment pact argued former Belgian Minister of Social Affairs Frank Vandenbroucke at the ETUI’s Monthly Forum on 30 June, unveiling two recent publications on the idea. http://www.etui.org/News/A-new-Director-for-the-Education-Department Ulisses Garrido succeeds Georges Schnell as Director of the ETUI Education Department. http://www.etui.org/News/ETUI-course-solidarity-with-euro-demonstration-in-Brussels-No-to-austerity-Priority-to-employment-and-growth ETUI course participants are also demonstrating, even if they are far away ! http://www.etui.org/News/Join-us-in-Athens ETUC Congress: the ETUI welcomes you to its stand. On the occasion of the Congress of the European Trade Union Confederation, the ETUI invites you to visit its stand in Athens from 16 to 19 May. Here you will not only find a selection of our most recent publications but also have the opportunity to discuss our trade union research and training programmes with members of our team. You are also invited to take part in the various activities being organised on our stand and on the fringe of the Congress. http://www.etui.org/News/Social-developments-in-the-European-Union The 2010 edition of Social developments in the European Union examines the ways in which the EU has tackled the main challenges related to the fiscal crisis, the first steps towards implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and the launch of the EU2020 Strategy. Its publication will be marked at a conference which will take place on 30 May 2011 (2.30 - 6.00 p.m.) at the EESC. http://www.etui.org/News/31-March-1st-April-2011-EU2020-and-the-social-impact-of-Economic-Governance As a continuation of its training / workshop on “The Lisbon Treaty and its impacts on workers’ rights and trade unions” the ETUI will give a two-day training on “EU2020 and the social impact of Economic Governance”. http://www.etui.org/News/ETUC-ETUI-launch-Benchmarking-Working-Europe-2011-23-March-2011 On Wednesday, 23 March - on the verge of this year’s Spring European Summit, the Benchmarking Working Europe 2011 report will be launched, in the presence of ETUC General Secretary John Monks and ETUI General Director Philippe Pochet. http://www.etui.org/News/A-New-Political-Economy-for-Europe ETUI senior researcher Andrew Watt participated in the conference ‘A Political Economy for the Good Society’ organised by the FES London and Compass on 18-19 November 2010. He discussed the requirements of a new political economy for Europe. http://www.etui.org/News/New-fact-sheets-on-European-Sectoral-Social-Dialogue A new feature on the ETUI worker-participation website is the set of Sectoral Social Dialogue fact sheets. http://www.etui.org/News/Vienna-7-8-December-2010-Conference-Empowering-European-trade-union-leaders The ETUI’s Education Department is holding this two-day conference to propose and discuss ideas about ways of improving the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) strategy on trade union training. The gathering will offer the opportunity to present the ETUI training programme for 2011 and assess the outcome of some recently conducted innovative projects. http://www.etui.org/News/The-Lisbon-Treaty-and-its-impact-on-trade-unions-and-workers-rights The impact of the Lisbon Treaty on Social Europe will very much depend on the political processes of the European and national institutions but also on the commitment of trade unions, workers’ representatives and citizens to influence such processes in order to defend their rights. http://www.etui.org/News/ETUI-service-about-EU-funding-and-transnational-projects-for-trade-unions-revamped The SETUP (Support for European trade union projects) service, previously called EU Information Service, was first designed as a tool for trade union organizations providing various kinds of assistance with regard to the strategic use of European funding through transnational projects thereby strengthening cooperation and exchange in trade union activities. The service is now being restructured to take account of the stronger integration between the 3 ETUI departments (Education, Research and Health and Safety), as part of the ETUI’s mission, and of the new visibility strategy through the ETUI website.