The unemployment benefit systems were established at quite different times in the various European countries. In the new Member States, these systems are a fairly recent phenomenon. In some countries, the role of employees and employers in the system has remained of major importance, while in others
In January 2001, the Social and Economic Council [1] (Sociaal-Economisch Raad, SER) - an advisory body which comprises representatives of employers' associations and trade union federations, plus independent members - published a recommendation concerning corporate social responsibility, entitled
The tight labour market in the Netherlands is having an impact on collective bargaining in 2001. Most collective agreements concluded up until April include a 4% wage increase, with some displaying strong upward deviations. Warnings from the government against straying from wage moderation have met
The debate in the Netherlands on supervisory control within large companies resulted in a provisional compromise in October 2000 within the tripartite Social and Economic Council (SER). The Council has recommended changes to the current system whereby shareholders and works councils nominate members
The year 2000 marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of works councils in the Netherlands. A recent extensive survey among works councils and managers finds that the works council has since become a widely accepted institution. At the same time, however, the position of the works council is
In its draft memorandum on employment conditions for 2001, issued in July 2000, the Netherlands' FNV trade union confederation is seeking share-option schemes for all employees. Reactions to the proposal have been largely positive.
In July 2000, two Dutch political parties proposed new legislation to grant individual employees a greater say over their own working hours. The proposal garnered support from the trade unions and the majority in the Lower House of parliament, but ran into opposition from employers' associations.
The average wage increase amounted to 3.4% in the most important collective agreements concluded in the Netherlands' 2000 collective bargaining round up until the end of June. It is noteworthy that numerous agreements now include agreements on performance-based payment in some form. It is also
In June 2000, the Dutch cabinet announced that it will introduce legislation to oblige companies listed on the stock exchange to reveal the salaries of individual managers.
At the close of 1999, the sector-wide collective agreement for the Dutch banking sector ended. By the end of June 2000, all major banks except ING had reached company agreements.
Dutch legislation governing employee participation during mergers and takeovers is under pressure in 2000. Far-reaching internationalisation has certainly contributed, but new legislation, especially concerning hostile takeovers, has also served to tighten the screws. We examine the powers of the