DOCSLIB.ORG

Trade Unions' Strategies and Good Practices to Promote Work-Life Balance

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Trade Unions' Strategies and Good Practices to Promote Work-Life Balance / 1 RE BA LAN CE Trade unions’ strategies and good practices to promote work-life balance 2 / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Studies like this one – by their very nature – have many authors and many more contributors. The final text is but a shadow reflection of the commitment and work that each person has put into it. The list of the women and men who have made this report a success is long and our heartfelt thanks goes to all of them: Montserrat Mir and Cinzia Sechi, who conceived of the REBALANCE project and made it happen, the project Steering Committee Members; those who co-ordinated the country-level research, namely: Lotta Savinko (Finland), Raphaelle Maniere (France), Christina Stockfisch (Germany), Rosanna Ruscito (Italy), Inga Puisa (Lithuania), Jessica van Ruitenburg (The Netherlands), Lina Lopes (Portugal), Andreja Poje (Slovenia), Beatriz Quintanilla (Spain), Joa Bergold and Åsa Forsell (Sweden). A very, very particular thanks also goes to those trade union negotiators and experts who generously gave their time to share their insights with us and explain and explain again the details of the negotiation process to improve the work-life balance provisions for the workers in their companies and sectors. A special thank you goes to Mercedes Miletti and Inès Derousselle, whose work behind the scenes was instrumental to organise it all. Dr Barbara Helfferich Dr Paula Franklin With the financial support of the European Commission / 3 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 1. INTRODUCTION 8 2. METHODOLOGY 12 2.1 Literature review and analysis of existing data 12 3. WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 13 3.1 Sectors promoting work-life balance 15 3.2 European cross-industry social dialogue 17 3.3 Other European civil society actors 17 3.4 European legislative framework and instruments to promote work-life balance 18 4. KEY POLICY ISSUES ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE 21 4.1 Life-cycle approach to work-life balance 21 4.2 Paternity leave 23 4.3 Parental leave 23 4.4 Flexible work arrangements 24 4.5 Childcare 24 4.6 Long-term care 25 4.7 Economic dis-incentives for parents and carers to work 25 5. COUNTRY CASE STUDIES AND GOOD PRACTICES 26 5.1 Finland 27 5.2 France 31 5.3 Germany 36 5.4 Italy 40 5.5 Lithuania 47 5.6 The Netherlands 51 5.7 Portugal 54 5.8 Slovenia 58 5.9 Spain 64 5.10 Sweden 68 6. CONCLUSIONS 71 7. RECOMMENDATIONS 76 Bibliography 79 4 / EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The study set out to map best practices on work-life balance (WLB) agreements negotiated by social partners in 10 Member States: Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The focus of the research was specifically on measures of work-life balance that enable parents and other people with caring responsibilities to reconcile work, family and private life, through the introduction of family and parental leave schemes, care arrangements, and the development of a working environment which facilitates the combination of work, family and private life for women and men. The work-life balance measures that were introduced through collective agreements included: parental leave; paternity leave; flexible working arrangements (the length of working time, and autonomy to arrange the hours and place of work); childcare (employer provided child care facilities); long-term care (leave to care for a sick relative); and economic incentives for parents and carers to work (allowances). The study highlights the specific initiatives on WLB at sectoral and company levels that address these issues in order to compensate for the lack of or insufficient legal provisions. The study was conducted at a time when work-life balance issues had gained renewed momentum if only for the fact the European Union has set its objectives to increase the number of women in the labour market. In this context, the European Commission had come forward with a work-life balance package including legislative and non-legislative measures. While a European legislative framework and national legislation provide basic rights for parents to reconcile professional and private life, collective agreements have and will be important in providing much-needed additional rights tailored to specific constituencies. Moreover, collective agreements are important in ensuring the proper implementation of existing rights. By highlighting good practices in 10 Member States, this study allows for an exchange of best practices across countries, sectors and companies. Executive Summary / 5 METHODOLOGY The aim of the study is to set the overarching context of work-life balance measures within the different economic sectors that are covered by the study, as well as the EU and the Member States policy frameworks on work-life balance and gender equality. The countries included in the study were chosen according to geographical criteria (north, east, south, west), and diversity of size. In addition, the findings of an initial assessment suggested that a good number of trade unions had been active in developing strategies and actions, including guidelines and collective agreements, to address work-life balance issues. The ten participating Member States represent a mix of differing strength of legislation, collective bargaining structures and practice, and structure of the industrial sector/ labour market reform. In order to address the diversity of good practices, the initial mapping included the following 13 sectors, including some important sub-sectors: 1) Food, agriculture and tourism; 2) Health and Social Services; 3) Local and Regional Government; 4) National Administration; 5) Utilities; 6) Transports (Civil aviation, Logistics, Maritime Transport, Railways, Road transport; Urban Public Transport); 7) Commerce ICTS; 8) Finance; 9) Cleaning & Security; 10) Metal, textile and chemical; 11) Education; 12) Journalism and media; 13) Sports. Interviews were held with trade unions and trade negotiators with the aim of collecting as much detail as possible about the circumstances that led to the initial negotiations, the negotiations themselves and the follow-up once a collective agreement was concluded. These details can be found in part 5 of this study. WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Part 3 of the study highlights existing initiatives and legislation regarding work-life balance. It touches on the most recent agreement over a directive on work-life balance, which the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has been calling for since employers had not been willing to negotiate another framework agreement with a view of improving the situation of workers who care for children or family members. The EU has recognized the importance of reconciliation between work and family life and has enacted legislation and developed policy in this area. One of the EU’s main policy goals is to stimulate employment (especially among women and older workers) and growth. The costs associated with the employment gap between women and men are enormous estimated to be around €370 billion across the EU, or 2.8% of GDP, including loss of tax revenues and payment of benefits1. The study recounts the efforts of the European Parliament (EP), in particular in terms of making visible the lack of accessible, available and affordable quality care services, as well as the lack of paid leave arrangements for fathers, or the insufficient incentives for fathers to use them as compared to mothers as some of the main challenges. While this section refers to the new directive on work-life balance, it focuses primarily on what social partners can do to improve the work-life balance of parents and carers in general. In this context, it is important to note that since 1985, the European social dialogue has been an important part of the European agenda with its insertion into the EC Treaty by the Single European Act of 1986 and the new article 118B EC. In 2009, the European social partners agreed on a revision of the 1996 parental leave agreement. Furthermore, the 2015-2017 work programme agreed between the European Social Partners included actions on parental leave, and the launch in 2014 of a web-based gender equality toolkit and a joint letter on childcare2. The ETUC has welcomed the new legislative framework. Together with the support of a strong social dialogue at European, national, sectoral and company level, it may hold the key to real improvements of the work life balance of many Europeans. 1 Eurofound, 2016. The gender employment gap: Challenges and solutions, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. https:// www.eurofound.europa.eu/the-gender-employment-gap-challenges-and-solutions 2 European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), The 2015-2017 Work Programme of the European Social Partners. https://www.etuc.org/en/publication/2015-2017-work-programme-european-social-partners 6 / KEY POLICY ISSUES ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE Part 4 of the study outlines the key policy determinants of work-life balance in the EU and spells out the benefits of comprehensive work-life balance measures. Reconciliation of work and care is an issue that concerns workers in every sector, and extends over the whole course of working life, involving the care of children and of people with health problems or disability. Achieving work-life balance requires the synchronising of work-life with the individual lifecycle and balancing the demands of private and working lives - and this cannot be an individual’s task to accomplish. Across Europe, women still take on the main caring responsibilities over the life course and more frequently work part time than men. Investing in the work-life balance of working families contributes to increasing the inclusiveness of the labour market and to raising individuals’ quality of life. Work-life balance is a combination of measures that addresses women’s situation in the labour market, while simultaneously encouraging the strengthening of men’s roles as carers in the family, thereby promoting non-discrimination and fostering gender equality.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Diversified Quality Production Revisited: the Transformation of Production Systems and Regulatory Regimes in Germany
    MPIfG Discussion Paper 16/13 Diversified Quality Production Revisited The Transformation of Production Systems and Regulatory Regimes in Germany Arndt Sorge and Wolfgang Streeck MPIfG Discussion Paper MPIfG Discussion Paper Arndt Sorge and Wolfgang Streeck Diversified Quality Production Revisited: The Transformation of Production Systems and Regulatory Regimes in Germany MPIfG Discussion Paper 16/13 Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung, Köln Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne December 2016 MPIfG Discussion Paper ISSN 0944-2073 (Print) ISSN 1864-4325 (Internet) © 2016 by the author(s) About the authors Arndt Sorge is an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Potsdam. Email: [email protected] Wolfgang Streeck is Emeritus Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne. Email: [email protected] MPIfG Discussion Papers are refereed scholarly papers of the kind that are publishable in a peer-reviewed disciplinary journal. Their objective is to contribute to the cumulative improvement of theoretical knowl- edge. The papers can be ordered from the institute for a small fee (hard copies) or downloaded free of charge (PDF). Downloads www.mpifg.de Go to Publications / Discussion Papers Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies Paulstr. 3 | 50676 Cologne | Germany Tel. +49 221 2767-0 Fax +49 221 2767-555 www.mpifg.de [email protected] Sorge/Streeck: Diversified Quality Production Revisited iii Abstract We revisit the concept of Diversified Quality Production (DQP), which we introduced about thirty years ago. Our purpose is to examine the extent to which the concept can still be considered tenable for describing and explaining the development of the interaction between the political economy and concepts of production, notably in Germany.
    [Show full text]
  • Book Review: Trade Unions in Western Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices
    Book Review: Trade Unions in Western Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices blogs.lse.ac.uk /lsereviewof books/2013/12/05/book-review-trade-unions-in-western-europe-hard- times-hard-choices/ Blog Admin In this book the authors attempt to provide an account of how trade unionism has evolved in ten west European countries, the main recent challenges that unions have faced, and their responses. This work will certainly make a fundamental contribution to the debate about the future role and functions of unions as the authors provide key insights in their attempt to identify how unions can learn to attract new members and enhance their strategic capacities, writes Pietro Manzella. Trade Unions in West ern Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices. Rebecca Gumbrell- McCormick and Richard Hyman. Oxf ord Universit y Press. Oct ober 2013. Find t his book: Are unions still relevant actors in the twenty- first century? Can they still give ‘voice’ to employees? If so, to what extent can they do this? What is the trade union response to globalization? The answer to these and other questions concerning trade unions is to be found in the latest work by Rebecca Gumbrell- McCormick and Richard Hyman. Trade Unions in Western Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices sets its sights on the changing functions of unions in western countries in the twenty- first century. In tackling this contentious issue, these two influential scholars supply convincing arguments to explain why the role of unions is still decisive in today’s industrial relations arena. The study is the result of a research project funded by the Danish Social Research Council, which enabled the authors to carry out fieldwork on union responses to globalization.
    [Show full text]
  • Collective Bargaining and Gender Equality Jane Pillinger and Nora Wintour
    The Gendered Economy Series Editors: Sara Cantillon and Diane Elson This path-breaking new series critically examines the economy and the theory and methodology of economics through the lens of gender. It will publish original and incisive research that explores the role of gender in the contemporary global economy. The series showcases how economic relationships, actions and institutions are directly affected by gender norms, how a gendered perspective illuminates aspects of the economy that would otherwise be ignored, and challenges many of the tenets that underpin both the mainstream and heterodox interpretation of how economies function. Published Collective Bargaining and Gender Equality Jane Pillinger and Nora Wintour The Economy’s Other Half James Heintz The Sex Economy Monica O’Connor COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND GENDER EQUALITY Jane Pillinger and Nora Wintour We dedicate this book to our sisters © Jane Pillinger and Nora Wintour 2019 This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. No reproduction without permission. All rights reserved. First published in 2019 by Agenda Publishing Agenda Publishing Limited The Core Bath Lane Newcastle Helix Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5TF www.agendapub.com ISBN 978-1-78821-076-8 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Typeset by JS Typesetting Ltd, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan Printed and bound in the UK by Short Run Press Ltd, Exeter, Devon Contents Acknowledgements vii Acronyms ix Foreword by Series Editors xv 1. Introduction 1 2. The gender dimensions of collective bargaining 9 3. Collective bargaining as a tool for gender equality: evidence from across the world 35 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Indictment Presented to the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, 18 October 1945)
    Indictment presented to the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, 18 October 1945) Caption: On 18 October 1945, the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg accuses 24 German political, military and economic leaders of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Source: Indictment presented to the International Military Tribunal sitting at Berlin on 18th October 1945. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, November 1945. 50 p. (Cmd. 6696). p. 2-50. Copyright: Crown copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the Queen's Printer for Scotland URL: http://www.cvce.eu/obj/indictment_presented_to_the_international_military_tribunal_nuremberg_18_october_1945-en- 6b56300d-27a5-4550-8b07-f71e303ba2b1.html Last updated: 03/07/2015 1 / 46 03/07/2015 Indictment presented to the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, 18 October 1945) INTERNATIONAL MILITARY TRIBUNAL THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, AND THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS — AGAINST — HERMANN WILHELM GÖRING, RUDOLF HESS, JOACHIM VON RIBBENTROP, ROBERT LEY, WILHELM KEITEL, ERNST KALTEN BRUNNER, ALFRED ROSENBERG, HANS FRANK, WILHELM FRICK, JULIUS STREICHER, WALTER FUNK, HJALMAR SCHACHT, GUSTAV KRUPP VON BOHLEN UND HALBACH, KARL DÖNITZ, ERICH RAEDER, BALDUR VON SCHIRACH, FRITZ SAUCKEL, ALFRED JODL, MARTIN BORMANN, FRANZ VON PAPEN, ARTUR SEYSS INQUART, ALBERT SPEER, CONSTANTIN VON NEURATH, AND HANS FRITZSCHE,
    [Show full text]
  • Norm-Based Trade Union Membership: Evidence for Germany
    IZA DP No. 962 Norm-Based Trade Union Membership: Evidence for Germany Laszlo Goerke Markus Pannenberg DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES DISCUSSION PAPER December 2003 Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit Institute for the Study of Labor Norm-Based Trade Union Membership: Evidence for Germany Laszlo Goerke Johnannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, CESifo and IZA Bonn Markus Pannenberg DIW Berlin and IZA Bonn Discussion Paper No. 962 December 2003 IZA P.O. Box 7240 D-53072 Bonn Germany Tel.: +49-228-3894-0 Fax: +49-228-3894-210 Email: [email protected] This Discussion Paper is issued within the framework of IZA’s research area Welfare State and Labor Market. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of the institute. Research disseminated by IZA may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent, nonprofit limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) supported by Deutsche Post World Net. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its research networks, research support, and visitors and doctoral programs. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public. The current research program deals with (1) mobility and flexibility of labor, (2) internationalization of labor markets, (3) welfare state and labor market, (4) labor markets in transition countries, (5) the future of labor, (6) evaluation of labor market policies and projects and (7) general labor economics.
    [Show full text]
  • Colfer Phd Final Submitted 04.12.18 Trade Union Influence Under
    This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and International Studies. Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, December 2017 i Declaration This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other university or similar institution except as specified in the text. I further state that no substantial part of my dissertation has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other university or similar institution. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit. i There's a simple doctrine: outside of a person's love, the most sacred thing that they can give is their labour. And somehow or another along the way, we tend to forget that. Labour is a very precious thing that you have. Anytime that you can combine labour with love, you've made a good merger. -James Carville ii Acknowledgements I want to thank the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the University of Cambridge Home and European Scholarship Scheme (CHESS), Pembroke College, the estate of the late Professor Monica Partridge, and the Cambridge Political Economy Society for their generous funding and support throughout my doctoral research. I also want to thank the European Trade Union Institute and the American College of Athens, especially Professor Eleni Patra, for supporting me during fieldwork in Brussels and Athens respectively.
    [Show full text]
  • EUI Working Papers
    MAX WEBER PROGRAMME EUI Working Papers MWP 2011/04 MAX WEBER PROGRAMME GERMAN AND BRITISH TRADE UNIONS: PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES AFTER ENLARGEMENT Rebecca Zahn EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE, FLORENCE MAX WEBER PROGRAMME German and British Trade Unions: Problems and Opportunities after Enlargement REBECCA ZAHN EUI Working Paper MWP 2011/04 This text may be downloaded for personal research purposes only. Any additional reproduction for other purposes, whether in hard copy or electronically, requires the consent of the author(s), editor(s). If cited or quoted, reference should be made to the full name of the author(s), editor(s), the title, the working paper or other series, the year, and the publisher. ISSN 1830-7728 © 2011 Rebecca Zahn Printed in Italy European University Institute Badia Fiesolana I – 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole (FI) Italy www.eui.eu cadmus.eui.eu Abstract This paper examines and compares German and British trade union responses in a European context following the recent European enlargements in 2004 and 2007, enlargements that are unprecedented in the history of the European Union. In particular, the paper undertakes a contextualized comparison of trade union behaviour in responding to the changing regulatory and opportunity structures which present themselves following the enlargements. Account is taken of the role that trade unions adopt within their national legal systems as well as of the effects of the European Union’s policy of Europeanisation on national trade unions. Keywords Trade unions, German Labour Law, British Labour Law, European Enlargement, Europeanisation. Introduction In recent years, trade unions in Germany and the UK have been struggling to react to changing regulatory and opportunity structures occurring within their national legal systems.
    [Show full text]
  • The German Temporary Staffing Industry: Growth, Development, Scandal and Resistance
    The German temporary staffing industry: growth, development, scandal and resistance Ferreira, J. Author post-print (accepted) deposited by Coventry University’s Repository Original citation & hyperlink: Ferreira, J 2016, 'The German temporary staffing industry: growth, development, scandal and resistance' Industrial Relations Journal, vol 47, no. 2, 117-143. DOI: 10.1111/irj.12133 https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/irj.12133 DOI 10.1111/irj.12133 ISSN 0019-8692 ESSN 1468-2338 Publisher: Wiley This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ferreira, J 2016, 'The German temporary staffing industry: growth, development, scandal and resistance' Industrial Relations Journal, vol 47, no. 2, 117-143. DOI: 10.1111/irj.12133, which has been published in final form at https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/irj.12133 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. This document is the author’s post-print version, incorporating any revisions agreed during the peer-review process. Some differences between the published version and this version may remain and you are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it.
    [Show full text]
  • Avtalsrörelsen Och Lönebildningen 2020
    Avtalsrörelsen och lönebildningen 2020 • Avtalsrörelsen AvtalsrörelsenAvtalsrörelsen ochoch lönebildningenlönebildningen 20202020 Medlingsinstitutets årsrapport MedlingsinstitutetsMedlingsinstitutets årsrapportårsrapport Medlingsinstitutet Swedish National Mediation Office Box 1236 111 82 Stockholm www.mi.se Tel 08- 545 292 40 E-post: [email protected] Avtalsrörelsen och lönebildningen 2020 Medlingsinstitutets årsrapport ISSN 1650-8823 Medlingsinstitutet Swedish National Mediation Office Avtalsrörelsen och lönebildningen År 2020 Medlingsinstitutets årsrapport Medlingsinstitutet Box 1236 111 82 Stockholm Telefon: 08-545 292 40 Webbplats: www.mi.se Avtalsrörelsen och lönebildningen År 2020 Medlingsinstitutets årsrapport Grafiskt produktionsstöd: Forma Viva, Linköping Tryck: Stibo Graphic, Helsingborg 2021 Omslagsfoton: Shutterstock ISSN 1650-8823 Medlingsinstitutet Medlingsinstitutet är en myndighet under Arbetsmarknadsdepartementet och har tre huvuduppgifter: … att verka för en väl fungerande lönebildning. … att ansvara för medling i arbetskonflikter. … att vara statistikansvarig myndighet för den officiella lönestatistiken. Medlingsinstitutet publicerar varje år en rapport om avtalsrörelsen och lönebildningen. Detta är den tjugonde rapporten, den första publicerades i februari 2002. Redaktör för årsrapporten är Bosse Andersson. För texterna står Peter Beijron, John Ekberg, Per Ewaldsson, Anna Fransson, Petter Hällberg och Christian Kjellström. Kapitel 17 om organisations grad och kollektivavtalens utbredning har skrivits av professor Anders Kjellberg
    [Show full text]
  • Wages, Collective Bargaining and Economic Development in Germany: Towards a More Expansive and Solidaristic Development?
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Bispinck, Reinhard; Schulten, Thorsten Working Paper Wages, collective bargaining and economic development in Germany: Towards a more expansive and solidaristic development? WSI-Diskussionspapier, No. 191 Provided in Cooperation with: The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation Suggested Citation: Bispinck, Reinhard; Schulten, Thorsten (2014) : Wages, collective bargaining and economic development in Germany: Towards a more expansive and solidaristic development?, WSI-Diskussionspapier, No. 191, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut (WSI), Düsseldorf This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/102693 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen)
    [Show full text]
  • The Beginning of the End: the Political Theory of the Gernian Conmunist Party to the Third Period
    THE BEGINNING OF THE END: THE POLITICAL THEORY OF THE GERNIAN CONMUNIST PARTY TO THE THIRD PERIOD By Lea Haro Thesis submitted for degree of PhD Centre for Socialist Theory and Movements Faculty of Law, Business, and Social Science January 2007 Table of Contents Abstract I Acknowledgments iv Methodology i. Why Bother with Marxist Theory? I ii. Outline 5 iii. Sources 9 1. Introduction - The Origins of German Communism: A 14 Historical Narrative of the German Social Democratic Party a. The Gotha Unity 15 b. From the Erjlurt Programme to Bureaucracy 23 c. From War Credits to Republic 30 II. The Theoretical Foundations of German Communism - The 39 Theories of Rosa Luxemburg a. Luxemburg as a Theorist 41 b. Rosa Luxemburg's Contribution to the Debates within the 47 SPD i. Revisionism 48 ii. Mass Strike and the Russian Revolution of 1905 58 c. Polemics with Lenin 66 i. National Question 69 ii. Imperialism 75 iii. Political Organisation 80 Summary 84 Ill. Crisis of Theory in the Comintern 87 a. Creating Uniformity in the Comintern 91 i. Role of Correct Theory 93 ii. Centralism and Strict Discipline 99 iii. Consequencesof the Policy of Uniformity for the 108 KPD b. Comintern's Policy of "Bolshevisation" 116 i. Power Struggle in the CPSU 120 ii. Comintern After Lenin 123 iii. Consequencesof Bolshevisation for KPD 130 iv. Legacy of Luxemburgism 140 c. Consequencesof a New Doctrine 143 i. Socialism in One Country 145 ii. Sixth Congress of the Comintern and the 150 Emergence of the Third Period Summary 159 IV. The Third Period and the Development of the Theory of Social 162 Fascism in Germany a.
    [Show full text]
  • The Voice of Workers in Europe
    The voice of workers in Europe European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Confédération européenne des syndicats (CES) 1. THE ETUC’S ObJECTIVES he European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) European enlargement, increasingly interdependent unites trade unions at European level. Its aim is to economies, growing worker mobility, and developments T put Social Europe at the heart of Europe’s political surrounding energy and climate change have drastically priorities. It is active in key areas for the world of work in altered the context in which European trade unions op- the European Union (EU) and beyond. erate. European countries face common problems and The ETUC defends fundamental social values such as challenges, and for that reason, joint European action is solidarity, equality and cohesion. It pursues good quality more and more vital. To preserve collective bargaining work, equal treatment for all, social protection and inclu- power and work for a more equitable and just society, sion and decent living standards. The European trade un- trade unions must speak with one voice and coordinate ion movement opposes all forms of exclusion and social activities at European level. injustice and insists on the need to consult and inform To this end, the ETUC has different tools at its disposal: workers on issues that affect their professional and day- European social dialogue, pressure on European deci- to-day lives. sion-makers to infl uence EU legislation, and large-scale mobilisations. The voice of workers in Europe 2. THE ETUC’S PRIORITIES: MORE EUROPE… MORE SOCIAL EUROPE he ETUC works for a European Union with a strong • The right to services of general interest, accessible to social dimension, which prioritises the interests and all; T well being of working men and women, promotes • European standards that harmonise national social leg- social justice and fights exclusion and discrimination.
    [Show full text]