Explaining divergent bargaining outcomes for agency workers: the role of labour divides and labour market reforms

Under what conditions can unions successfully regulate precarious employment? We compare the divergent trajectories of collective bargaining on agency work in the Italian and German metal sectors from the late 1990s. We explain the differences by the interaction between trade unions’ institutional and associational power resources, mediated by employers’ divide-and-rule strategies and by union strategies to (re)build a unitary front. In both countries, the liberalization of agency work allowed employers to exploit labour divides, undermining unions’ associational power and preventing labour from negotiating effectively. However, while Italian unions remained ‘trapped’ in the vicious circle between weak legislation and fragmented labour, German unions were able to overcome their internal divides. The different degree of success depended on the nature of the divides within the labour movements

I confini dell’impresa, il lavoro e le regole tra globale e locale: questioni e dibattiti

Il contributo ricostruisce il percorso e le acquisizioni della letteratura sociologica sul tema dei “confini dell’impresa” e del loro intreccio con le norme giuridiche e le istituzioni regolative. In particolare, si focalizzerà su tre nodi sviluppati da questa letteratura: il riconoscimento della sostanziale natura di “arbitraggio regolativo” dei processi organizzativi di frammentazione e di scomposizione della produzione e la centralità degli assetti regolativi e istituzionali nella loro analisi; il ruolo e le modalità di azione degli attori della regolazione e come queste sono influenzate dalle caratteristiche delle configurazioni organizzative; la (non) applicazione delle norme come variabile, i modi in cui i processi di frammentazione organizzativa la favoriscono e il ruolo dello stato in questi processi.The contribution illustrates the main lines of development of the sociological literature centred on the theme of “organisational boundaries” in their relationship with legal norms and regulatory institutions. In particular, the contribution will focus on three nodes developed by this literature: the recognition of the substantial nature of “regulatory arbitrage” of the organizational processes of fragmentation and the centrality of regulatory structures in their analysis; the role and modes of action of regulatory actors and how these are influenced by the characteristics of organizational configurations; the (non) application of norms as a variable, the ways in which the processes of organizational fragmentation favour it and the role of the state in these processes

Representativeness of the European social partner organisations : Sea fisheries sector

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Alejandro GodinoThis study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the sea fisheries sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of Eurofound's representativeness studies is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations. This study identified the Association of National Organisations of Fishing Enterprises in the European Union (Europêche) (representing employers) and European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) (representing employees) as the most representative European level social partner organisations in the sea fisheries sector. COPA-COGECA, representing employers in the primary sector, has also some representativeness in the sector

Representativeness of the European social partner organisations : Industrial cleaning sector

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Alejandro GodinoThis study provides information to allow for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the industrial cleaning sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue, and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of Eurofound's representativeness studies is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the field of industrial relations in selected sectors in the EU Member States. This study identified the European Cleaning and Facility Services Industry (EFCI) (representing employers) and UNI Europa (representing employees) as the most representative European-level social partner organisations in the industrial cleaning sector

Representativeness of the European social partner organisations : private security sector

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar MolinaThis study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the private security sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of Eurofound's representativeness studies is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the field of industrial relations in the EU Member States. This study identified the Confederation of European of Security Services (CoESS) (representing employers) and UNI Europa Private Security (representing employees) as the most representative European-level social partner organisations in the private security sector

Representativeness of the European social partner organisations : Paper sector

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar MolinaThis study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the paper sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in the European sectoral social dialogue and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of Eurofound's studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the EU Member States. This study identified the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) (representing the employers) and IndustriAll Europe (representing the employees) as the most representative European-level social partner organisations in the paper sector

Minimum wages in 2019 : annual review

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar MolinaIn most EU Member States, reviews of the statutory minimum wage rates spark a great deal of public interest. Such reviews affect the wider workforce, beyond those workers on the statutory minimum wage. Pay rates in collective agreements may be adapted in response to an increase in the minimum wage, affecting lower-paid workers more generally; social benefits may also be affected, making the impact of such revisions even more widespread. This report covers developments in statutory minimum wages in 2018-2019 in the EU and Norway. It looks at the level of minimum wages, how they were set and how they have developed over time in nominal and real terms. It also covers major debates in relation to setting minimum wage levels. While the report focuses on the net remuneration of those receiving the minimum wage, it also documents minimum rates from selected collective agreements in countries without statutory minimum wages as well as minimum wage coverage rates of workers by gender

Minimum wages in 2020 : Annual review

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar MolinaThis report, as part of an annual series on minimum wages, summarises the key developments during 2019 and early 2020 around the EU initiative on fair wages and puts the national debates on setting the rates for 2020 and beyond in this context. The report features how minimum wages were set and the role of social partners. It discusses developments in statutory minimum wages and presents data on minimum wage rates in collective agreements related to 10 low-paid jobs for countries without statutory minimum wages

Minimum wages in 2021 : annual review

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar MolinaThis report summarises how minimum wage rates for 2021 were set during 2020 - the year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. It reviews the difficulties faced by national decision-makers and how they reacted to the challenges of the economic and social fall-out of the pandemic when making decisions regarding the minimum wage. It maps the extent to which minimum wages were referred to in COVID-19-related support measures. It discusses advances made on the EU initiative on adequate minimum wages and maps the reactions of the EU-level social partners and national decision-makers. The report is accompanied by two complementary working papers: one providing an analysis of developments for low-paid employees and minimum wage workers over the past decade; the other summarising the most recent research on minimum wages in EU countries, Norway and the UK

Tra cooperazione e conflitto. Sindacati e organizzazioni autonome nella rappresentanza del lavoro parasubordinato e professionale

Per diverso tempo il lavoro autonomo e professionale non è stato al centro della rappresentanza sindacale, almeno quella confederale. Negli ultimi anni va registrato invece un certo attivismo da parte di tutti i grandi sindacati italiani, con la costituzione di strutture ad hoc e di strategie inedite, fatte di nuovi strumenti della contrattazione, nuove rivendicazioni e nuovi servizi. Tra vecchie e nuove questioni contrattuali, i sindacati si trovano inoltre a interagire e a seconda dei casi anche a costruire alleanze con nuove organizzazioni di rappresentanza del lavoro autonomo che tendono a combinare diverse logiche di azione: il mutuoaiuto per l’auto-protezione sociale, campagne per il riconoscimento di diritti contrattuali e di welfare, iniziative di contrasto della precarietà nella professione e nel mercato del lavoro, rivendicazioni e azioni di lotta per influenzare l’agenda politica. L’articolo esplora le ragioni che hanno spinto la Cgil a guardare a queste alleanze, in riferimento ad alcuni casi di coalizioni fra Cgil e organizzazioni di rappresentanza del lavoro autonomo e professionale: la Rete dei redattori precari, Iva sei partita, Strade, Acta, Coalizione 27 febbraioIn the more recent years all the major Italian trade unions have promoted new forms of representation towards independent and professional workers. As a consequence of the lack of voice within the traditional system of professional representation, new actors have emerged for representing self-employed, professional workers. These new organisations share some of the characteristics of other non-union labour representation actors which has focused mostly on low-wage, immigrant workers. Indeed they tend to combine different strategies of action: mutual help for providing basic welfare services; campaigns to counter marginalisation in the labour market or claim new social rights, such as maternity leaves or a universal unemployment benefits; partnerships and initiatives to influence the policy-making process both at local and national level. This article seeks to provide insights into these questions by exploring the relationships between an Italian trade union, Cgil, and diverse groups representing self-employed worker