This issue of Transfer identifies and analyses the main forces driving the privatisation of public services. It discusses the processes of privatisation and the consequences for the trade union movement and industrial relations in general. The wider impact on citizenship and democracy is also analysed.

This issue’s coordinators: Maria da Paz Campos Lima; Jens Lind

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(September 2008)

The network of trade union-related research institutes (TURI) has been created in order to facilitate the cooperation and exchange of knowledge between the institutes supporting the trade union movement across Europe while integrating the European dimension more naturally in their research work. It is a structural and non-thematic platform based on formal contacts between the institutes. TURI aims at helping trade union-related institutes to engage in comparative research. It is a tool for mapping expertise and it should facilitate the emergence of common projects. The network will be holding its first conference ‘The Future of Trade Union Structures and Strategies’ on 14th October in Brussels. The aim of the conference is to stimulate debate between the different national trade union related research institutions and trade union leaders, to exchange research results on different trade union structures and strategies and to deepen analysis that points towards policy implications for trade unions.

Visit TURI website

(August 2008)

WP 04/2008: Between innovation and ambiguity. The role of flexicurity in labour market analysis and policy making

Over the last few years, ‘flexicurity’ has become a core concept in the European labour market debate. This working paper argues that flexicurity has indeed added a number of positive elements to this debate. It also argues that the concept of flexicurity appears ill-defined and highly ambiguous concerning its role in informing policy. Read more

WP 05/2008 : Wage differentials across sectors in Europe: an east-west comparison

This survey contains detailed information on wages, bonuses, age, education, sex, occupation, contracts, working time, sector and region. The findings show that there are large wage differentials between workers employed in different sectors. The results also suggest that wage differentials between sectors are significantly bigger in countries where wage bargaining is weakly coordinated and essentially organised at the firm or establishment level. Read more

(July 2008)

The text of the proposal is available in EN, FR and DE on the Commission’s website.

An overview of the revision process can be found on the ETUI topical website on workers’ participation.

Further documents related to the revision process are available on the ETUI portal of the EWC database.

Additional information on the topic is featured by the ETUC in frames of the campaign: On the offensive for stronger EWCs.

(July 2008)

This new brochure reviews scientific knowledge on the reprotoxicity of an array of chemicals found in workplaces. Recent studies offer persuasive evidence that occupational exposure to chemicals has a major impact not only on the different aspects of men and women’s reproductive life but also on their children’s health. The prevention policies and legislation brought in by the EU in face of this growing body of evidence are just not fit for purpose.

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(July 2008)