Suchergebnisse

The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic and technological adjustment increased the risk of unemployment, underemployment and skills mismatch across Europe. These increased risks highlighted the importance of national unemployment benefit schemes for income security. This article examines the role of industrial relations in shaping unemployment benefit regimes in the Visegrad countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. We adopted an actor-oriented approach based on desk research and 12 semi-structured interviews with the representatives of trade unions and employers in all the Visegrad countries. Our research showed that the capacities of the trade unions and employers' associations to shape the unemployment benefit regimes were rather limited. State control over social policy remained very strong and shaped the dynamics of industrial relations, without inclusive involvement of social partners. National governments sought to implement measures to protect employment (mainly wage subsidies), rather than to reform existing unemployment support regimes.

Civil defence education in Czechoslovakia was one of the elements of education and the creation of conditions for every citizen to be physically and mentally capable and willing to fulfil his or her duties related to homeland defence. The aim of the paper is to examine the basic approaches to the implementation of military defence training as one of the basic elements of civil defence education in Czechoslovakia in the period from 1918 to 1989. The historical-comparative analysis is used as a method for researching military defence training issues. This method is treated as a qualitative research tool. The individual elements that military defence training included, such as exercising in nature, field orientation practice, and marching exercises are characterized. In military defence training in Czechoslovakia, emphasis was simultaneously placed on enabling children to be in touch with nature, to toughen them up and to train their observation skills. The training was an organizational form of school civil defence education. Its main aim was to train and prepare individuals, as well as schools as wholes, for emergencies.

Spatial analyses represent a precondition to understanding phenomena and their dynamics
as well as the analysis of relations. Worldwide, spatial investigation of crime
rates is not a novelty and the results are being actively used in the field of planning preventive
activities as well as to present the results of mapping on web portals for the purposes
of informing the public. In Slovakia, the crime rates are presumably observed
on the level of districts and counties and based on these data, crime rate maps have been
created since 2013. On the level of cities and municipalities, the punctuality of crime
rate investigation is dependent upon the municipalities as such. Spatial investigation
of crime rates is realized only within the range of research projects, namely in the cities
of Prešov and Košice. In Košice, crime rates have been spatially investigated since 2013
and despite arguable results with the possibility of them being practically used, spatial
investigation in Slovakia has not spread to other cities. One of the reasons is represented
by the necessity of being acknowledged with geographical information systems
and having sufficient knowledge in the field of rudiments of working with mapping
outputs. One of the options in terms of how to fill in the gap is extending the security
education in Slovakia and presenting the options the results of analyses might provide
in relation to the practice.

The work of fire departments is influenced by various factors that bring risks. The security of fire fighters is the most important thing when performing their job. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure their security by identifying risks and eliminating them in advance. Virtual reality resources help to increase the safety of firefighters during professional training activities. These activities are conducted with the usage of simulators, practical exercises and simulations; however, these exercises can only partly get them closer to reality. We claim that virtual reality is a huge aid for firefighters, and that by using this tool, efficient protection of life and health as well as property can be provided. The submitted article discusses the current state of virtual reality resources and their use in the professional training of fire brigades and rescue units. It also discusses the benefits of virtual reality use.

PurposeStudies on the work integration of persons with disabilities (PwD) and the role of social dialogue therein are scarce. The study examines how the different systems of workers' representation and industrial relations in Slovakia and Norway facilitate PwD work integration. Taking a social ecosystem perspective, we acknowledge the role of various stakeholders and their interactions in supporting PwD work integration. The paper's conceptual contribution lies in including social dialogue actors in this ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachEvidence was collected via desk research, 35 semi-structured in-depth interviews with 51 respondents and stakeholder workshops in 2019–2020.FindingsThe findings from Norway confirm the expected coordination of unions and employers in PwD work integration. Evidence from Slovakia shows that in decentralised industrial relations systems, institutional constraints beyond the workplace determine employers' and worker representatives' approaches in PwD integration. Most policy-level outcomes are contested, as integration occurs predominantly via sheltered workplaces without interest representation.Social implicationsThis paper identifies the primary sources of variation in the work integration of PwD. It also highlights opportunities for social partners across both situations to exercise agency and engagement to improve PwD work integration.Originality/valueBy integrating two streams of literature – social policy and welfare state and industrial relations – this paper examines PwD work integration from a social ecosystem perspective. Empirically, it offers novel qualitative comparative evidence on trade unions' and employers' roles in Slovakia and Norway.