Suchergebnisse

The years of transition in Central and Eastern Europe brought with them the unprecedented - in these societies - phenomenon of restructuring with dismissals and growing unemployment. Moreover with the emergence and development of the private sector, new enterprises started to leave former corporate models behind to adopt new forms of employment and working conditions arrangements to better adapt to the newly competitive environment. Further many of these countries have now joined the European Union and have started to progressively harmonize their labour laws to community legislation, something that should accelerate their economic and social catching-up process while profoundly influencing their World of work. However there is no much evidence collected so far an these countries' enterprise practices in terms of labour contracts, working time, and other working conditions something that this articles proposes to investigate more in depth. At enterprise level are the conditions at work following similar patterns in new EU member states? Have they started converging in a significant way towards EU standards? Or are they already following diverging trends in certain areas? What could be said about the general direction of the World of work in the EU 25?

On savait les conséquences sociales de plus de douze années de transition dans les pays de l'Europe centrale et orientale, dramatiques. Mais le constat que dresse ici l'auteur d'un ouvrage remarqué sur l'Union européenne, sur le démantèlement des dépenses sociales opéré au nom de la rigueur budgétaire et les restrictions drastiques imposées à la couverture sociale de populations durement frappées par le chômage, au travers d'une privatisation généralisée des systèmes de protection sociale, est particulièrement dur. Aucun des futurs pays membres n'y échappe même si, à certains égards, la Slovénie ou l'Estonie présentent, sur des points mineurs, une réalité un peu moins sombre. Ecartée de l'objectif de convergence vigoureusement prôné par ailleurs en matière économique, la protection sociale a connu dans ces pays une dégradation d'autant plus alarmante que celle-ci apparaît désormais, à bien des égards, irréversible. Le cas de la réforme du système des retraites, désormais basé dans plusieurs pays sur le principe «des trois piliers», offre un exemple édifiant de ce que la transposition de réformes à des économies aux systèmes bancaire et financier encore mal assis, augure d'un nouvel appauvrissement de la situation des retraités. La responsabilité est pour le moins partagée. Qu'il s'agisse de celle des gouvernements de ces pays qui, quelle que soit leur couleur politique, ont sacrifié le sort d'une grande majorité de leur population sur l'autel d'un néo-libéralisme sans nuances, marginalisant d'entrée de jeu l'ensemble des partenaires sociaux ; de celle des institutions internationales à commencer par la Banque mondiale dont la politique de ciblage en faveur des catégories les plus défavorisées a fait long feu ; de celle enfin de l'Union européenne qui, dans sa démarche d'intégration de ces pays, n'a que trop tardé à étendre sa «méthode de coordination ouverte» au domaine de la protection sociale.

The article presents the different reasons why social dialogue is important in the current EU enlargement process. First because of developments of social dialogue at the Community level, described in the first section, from its establishment in the Treaty of Rome, to Delors' Val Duchesse initiative in the mid-1980s to the new rights for the social partners under the Amsterdam treaty and the new 'macroeconomic dialogue'initiated at the Cologne Economic Summit in 1999. Second, because social dialogue is clearly part of the current legal and institutional acquis, implying important responsibilities for the social partners. The third section discusses the implications for the social partners in the candidate countries. In particular they are called upon to play a more active role in their respective country's accession negotiations, to support implementation of the acquis 'on the ground', and to prepare themselves for participation in European social dialogue. Currently, collective bargaining institutions at both enterprise and supra-enterprise level remain underdeveloped in the CEECs, placing a question mark over implementation of some aspects of the acquis. Social dialogue is an important part of the acquis communautaire, and substantial efforts on the part of governments and the social partners in the candidate countries will be required prior to accession.

Der Artikel diskutiert die verschiedenen Gründe, warum der Soziale Dialog im Erweiterungsprozeß der EU wichtig ist. Der erste Grund liegt in den Entwicklungen des Sozialen Dialoges innerhalb der EU, wie im ersten Teil beschrieben. Diese Entwicklungen umspannen die Einrichtung des Sozialen Dialoges in den Römischen Verträgen, die Val Duchesse-Initiative von Delors in der Mitte der 80er Jahre bis hin zu den neuen Rechten für die Sozialpartner im Vertrag von Amsterdam und im neuen 'makroökonomischen Dialog', der auf dem Wirtschaftsgipfel in Köln 1999 initiiert wurde. Der zweite Grund ist, daß der Soziale Dialog eindeutig Teil des gesetzlichen und institutionellen Besitzstandes der EU (acquis) ist und für die Sozialpartner wichtige Verantwortlichkeiten mit sich bringt. Der dritte Teil beleuchtet die Implikationen für die Sozialpartner in den Bewerberländern. Insbesondere wird an sie appelliert, eine aktivere Rolle in den Beitrittsverhandlungen ihrer Länder zu spielen, die Umsetzung des acquis zu unterstützen und sich selbst auf die Teilnahme im Sozialen Dialog der EU vorzubereiten. Zur Zeit sind in den mittel- und osteuropäischen Staaten die Institutionen für Tarifverhandlungen sowohl auf der Ebene der Unternehmen als auch darüber nur mangelhaft entwickelt. Dies läßt die Umsetzung von einigen Aspekten des acquis fraglich erscheinen. Der Soziale Dialog ist ein wichtiger Teil des acquis, und vor dem Beitritt werden enorme Anstrengungen sowohl auf seiten der Regierungen als auch der Sozialpartner in den Beitrittsländern notwendig sein, damit er Wirklichkeit wird. (Transfer / FUB)

This article compares the recent developments of financial participation schemes in the West and in Central and Eastern Europe. Its first aim is to identify the different legislative experiences, forms and extent of financial participation. The promotion of financial participation intervenes in a totally different context in these two groups of countries. In the West, its main objective is to enhance workers' motivation whilst in Eastern European countries, it appears as a form of privatization. Since financial participation also varies according to the features of the national system of industrial relations, the attitudes of social partners are particularly analysed in a cross-country perspective. Finally, from company examples and a brief survey of empirical research, the author studies the economic and social potentials of these schemes.

Analyses minimum wage developments in the last ten years or so in 14 of the EU-27 countries and in Turkey. Considers the role of increased mobility of goods and services, capital and labour, and the issue of harmonization between individual member States

In their negotiations for accession to the EU, candidate countries have made important social policy commitments. These include the promotion of social dialogue up to EU standards and the application of the principles and values that prevail in this area. Accordingly, governments of candidate countries are trying to promote appropriate conditions for such social dialogue to take place, while social partners are reinforcing their structures to play their full role in the social dialogue process. Nevertheless, there has been little debate about the real objectives of social dialogue in the candidate countries. What is social dialogue for, what has it achieved so far, and why is it so important to develop it further? Who are expected to be the ultimate beneficiaries of social dialogue mechanisms and practices? What implications might current features of social dialogue in candidate countries have in the enlarged European Union? This article provides a first tentative assessment of the coverage of social dialogue - and thus of the effectiveness of social dialogue mechanisms - in the candidate countries.

1. Is the world of work behind middle class reshuffling? / Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead, Rosalie Vazquez-Alvarez and Nicolas Maitre -- 2. Is the world of work stimulating middle class growth in the Baltic states? / Jaan Masso, Inta Mierina and Kerly Espenberg -- 3. Social concertation and middle class stability in Belgium / Sarah Kuypers and Ive Marx -- 4. Transformation in the world of work and the middle class: the French experience / Pierre Courtioux and Christine Erhel -- 5. The erosion of the German middle class: the end of the 'levelled-out, middle class society'? / Gerhard Bosch and Thorsten Kalina -- 6. The Greek middle classes facing an uncertain future / Maria Karamessini and Stefanos Giakoumatos -- 7. Is Hungary still in search of its middle class? / István György Tóth -- 8. Middle incomes in boom and bust: the Irish experience / Bertrand Maître and Brian Nolan -- 9. The middle class in Italy: reshuffling, erosion, polarization / Annamaria Simonazzi and Teresa Barbieri -- 10. Stagnating incomes and the middle class in the Netherlands: running to stand still? / Wiemer Salverda -- 11. Still holding on? inequality, labour market and middle income groups in Portugal / Pilar González, António Figueiredo, Hugo Figueiredo and Luis Delfim Santos -- 12. Knocking on heaven's door: changes in the world of work and the middle class in Spain / Rafael Muñoz-De-Bustillo and José-Ignacio Antón -- 13. The rise and fall of the Swedish middle class? / Dominique Anxo -- 14. How have middle-income households fared in unequal Britain? a focus on work and employment trends / Damian Grimshaw and Anthony Rafferty.

1. Public sector shock in Europe : between structural reforms and quantitative adjustment / Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead -- 2. Public sector adjustment and the threat to gender equality / Jill Rubery -- 3. Early application of fiscal austerity measures in the Baltic states / Jaan Masso and Kerly Espenberg -- 4. Croatia : public sector adaptation and its impact on working conditions / Vojmir Franičević and Teo Matković -- 5. France : the public service under pressure / Jérôme Gautié -- 6. Public sector adjustments in Germany : from cooperative to competitive federalism / Gerhard Bosch -- 7. Public sector adjustment amidst structural adjustment in Greece : subordinate, spasmodic and sporadic / Zafiris Tzannatos and Yannis Monogios -- 8. Hungary : public sector labour market from crisis to crisis / Szilvia Altwicker-Hámori and János Köllő -- 9. Cautious adjustment in a context of economic collapse : the public sector in the Irish crises / Philip O'Connell -- 10. The Netherlands : wage cuts no longer a constructive option / Wiemer Salverda -- 11. Portugal : structural reforms interrupted by austerity / Helena Rato -- 12. Romania : a country under permanent public sector reform / Valentina Vasile -- 13. Those were the days, my friend : the public sector and the economic crisis in Spain / Rafael Muñoz de Bustillo and José-Ignacio Antón -- 14. Early fiscal consolidation and negotiated flexibility in Sweden : a fair way out of the crisis? / Dominique Anxo -- 15. Austerity, privatization and levelling down : public sector reforms in the United Kingdom / Damian Grimshaw.

"The goal of this volume is to study this 'public sector shock'. While budgetary reforms seek to ensure a more balanced and sound economic policy, they may generate new work inequalities among public sector employees, most particularly among women, who account for a considerable proportion of public sector employment. Cuts in education and training may also have an impact on the quality of human capital in both the public and private sectors, despite the fact that the recent crisis has shown the value of education as employees with better skills and training are more likely to maintain their jobs and incomes."