Showing papers in "Cuadernos de Relaciones Laborales in 2015"
TL;DR: The Hartz IV, the last one in a series of welfare state reforms, merging the former separate systems of long term unemployment benefit and basic income support into a new system as discussed by the authors, has shown the disappearance of the privileges of persons in long-term unemployment, a shift from permanent unemployment to unsteady low wage employment and need for further subsidies for a major part of the poor, as well as a consolidation of the normative image of a ‘normal working citizen.
Abstract: Nine years ago, Germany has implemented Hartz IV, the last one in a series of welfare state reforms, merging the former separate systems of long term unemployment benefit and basic income support into a new system. The article summarizes the main empirical findings from a growing field and draws a few conclusions. Mainly, after years of heavy debates and practical experiences in Germany and elsewhere, it has to be said the goal of substantially reducing poverty and saving public money has not really been achieved. Although the system is working well in terms of financial support and population coverage, there are problems in providing cultural and social participation, and even the money is not enough under certain family constellations. Moreover, the idea to solve every poverty problem by rigid work first policies does obviously conflict with the observable heterogeneity of poverty situations. Main results are the disappearance of the privileges of persons in long term unemployment, a shift from permanent unemployment to unsteady low wage employment and need for further subsidies for a major part of the poor, as well as a consolidation of the normative image of a ‘normal working citizen’, making it harder to get support for people who don’t fit into that scheme.
13 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, gender differences in the labour trajectories of women and men between 45 and 65 years old, enable to measure their impact on gender wage gap, and the analysis of several aspects of these paths, such as the length in the Social Security system, periods of interruption throughout their working lives or the number of employment interruptions, shows that women spend more and longer periods out of employment.
Abstract: The study of gender differences in the labour trajectories of women and men between 45 and 65 years old, enable to measure their impact on gender wage gap. The analysis of several aspects of these paths, such as the length in the Social Security system, periods of interruption throughout their working lives or the number of employment interruptions, shows that women spend more and longer periods out of employment. This fact notably explains the observed gender wage differentials. Consequently, if women suffer a double penalty, because they accumulate fewer periods of contribution and have lower incomes, their retirement pensions will always be lower than those of men. The recent reform of the pension system and tightening of requirements may worsen their situation and likely increase the gender gap in contributive pensions.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyze the situation of graduates in tourism and find out whether the institutional aspects affect the occupational structure of the sector and therefore its conformation as a secondary labour market.
Abstract: This research is about the relationships between education and employment in the touristic sector. It is known that the qualifications in the tourism sector have historically generated in the company, and the low percentage of university graduates is usual. But in the last twenty years it is also important that the Spanish university has grown dramatically. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the situation of graduates in tourism. The increase of university graduates in the tourism labour market is evident, but it remains to be known the specific positions they held. This will be done using data from the Spanish Labour Force Survey. This research aims to find out whether the institutional aspects affect the occupational structure of the sector and therefore its conformation as a secondary labour market.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a broad accountant view on pensions that prevents exploring for innovative solutions to the demographic, social and economic problems faced by the more developed countries, such as job creation, increase in labour productivity and reduction of inequalities.
Abstract: Support of dependent persons relies on social organization, always based on intergenerational reciprocity. No pension system may be conceived without a reference to this social frame. Dependency needs can never be fulfilled by the individual him or herself and always involve a three generations scheme. Recent reforms of the “pay-as-you-go” public pension systems are progressively introducing in them the rationale of funded pension systems, where the saving-pensioner bears all risks. This leads to a narrow accountant view on pensions that prevents exploring for innovative solutions to the demographic, social and economic problems faced by the more developed countries. Most of the catastrophic predictions of the pretended unaffordable future cost of pensions may be proven wrong if all societal variables are allowed to change, especially those affecting income distribution. Demography is far from being the main, let alone the only, factor to determine the future of pensions. The economy plays a leading role thru job creation, increase in labour productivity and reduction of inequalities. Demographic ageing is a social challenge that we are in a position to overcome.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the genesis and questioning of Law 1010 of 2006 on workplace bullying from the perspective of the legal field proposed by Bourdieu (2000), and the hypothesis is that its weak problematization responded to the imbalance of power in the field of labor relations and strategies developed by different actors (government, employers and workers) to provide content or not the Act, which resulted in a weak effectiveness thereof.
Abstract: Mobbing is a phenomenon they experience in daily silence many workers in the world. Colombia is one of the few countries that has specifically legally regulated phenomenon. The article discusses the genesis and questioning of Law 1010 of 2006 on workplace bullying from the perspective of the legal field proposed by Bourdieu (2000). The hypothesis is that its weak problematization responded to the imbalance of power in the field of labor relations and the strategies developed by different actors (government, employers and workers) to provide content or not the Act, which resulted in a weak effectiveness thereof. The methodological approach was made through a careful documentary and qualitative studio.
4 citations
TL;DR: The ageing of European and Spanish populations in recent decades reflects natural demographic evolution triggered by even greater longevity of senior citizens, and falling birth and fertility rates as discussed by the authors, and this evolution is referred to as demographic evolution.
Abstract: Ageing of European and Spanish populations in recent decades reflects natural demographic evolution triggered by even greater longevity of senior citizens, and falling birth and fertility rates. Such evolution
4 citations
4 citations
3 citations
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that this model does not extend to Spain given the abundance of small businesses and the weakness of trade unionism and collective bargaining in them, and that participation in benefits could be required to fund the sustainability of pensions.
Abstract: The Financial Participation has been spreading through the policy of the European Union to encourage the development of private pension plans. The purpose is to relieve pressure on public pension expenditure. Financial participation is an expression of Industrial Democracy, led by unions in central and Northern Europe. But in recent years it has been extended as part of the human resources policy of the company to encourage, motivate and retain qualified employment. The EU policy is intended that financial participation is one of the bases for sustaining a new model of occupational well-being negotiated. Our thesis is that this model does not extend to Spain given the abundance of small businesses and the weakness of trade unionism and collective bargaining in them. But participation in benefits could be required to fund the sustainability of pensions.
3 citations
TL;DR: The issue of coalitions in decision-taking, at theoretical and methodological level, continues to be a pertinent subject of analysis in sociology, political science, urbanism and social politics, among other fields.
Abstract: The issue of coalitions in decision-taking, at theoretical and methodological level, continues to be a pertinent subject of analysis in sociology, political science, urbanism and social politics, among other fields. Any area of the socio-economic spectrum results from decisions taken by the social agents involved. The economic crisis that Spain is suffering (2007-2012) demands structural socio-economic reforms. The seriousness of the crisis is leading to decisions being taken that are affecting and are going to affect the modes of regulation, legal, social, political and economic. In the decisions made intervene as well the formal social actors –Government, Managers and Trade unions– who in fact forming coalitions in the decisionmaking process, as a non formal economic actor, the business elite.
TL;DR: In this article, a caracteristicas que deberian tener los indicadores de la desigualdad capaces de nutrir las teorias de largo alcance, indicando las limitaciones of algunos de los indicador mas utilizados al dia de hoy and sacando a la luz algunas propuestas intuitivas de conceptualizacion and representacion of la estratificacion social.
Abstract: La preocupacion por los procesos de estratificacion social es una de las claves de la arquitectura de las teorias sociologicas clasicas. Hoy disponemos de metodologias sofisticadas para el analisis empirico de la desigualdad, pero rara vez desembocan en explicaciones causales ambiciosas de la morfologia social. La desigualdad desempena un papel crucial como variable independiente en la explicacion de una amplia gama de fenomenos sociales que van desde la experiencia subjetiva postmoderna hasta graves conflictos relacionados con la division internacional del trabajo. Este articulo analiza las caracteristicas que deberian tener los indicadores de la desigualdad capaces de nutrir las teorias de largo alcance, indicando las limitaciones de algunos de los indicadores mas utilizados al dia de hoy y sacando a la luz algunas propuestas intuitivas de conceptualizacion y representacion de la estratificacion social. En concreto, se valorara la contraposicion entre salarios y patrimonio, la escala temporal en la que se analizan los indicadores y se planteara la utilidad de algunos metodos de representacion tales como el desfile de los salarios (Income parade).
TL;DR: In this article, the usefulness of preventive training, which has been delivered to a sample of unqualified workers in subcontracting firms, was analyzed, with the conclusion that this training has been used as a mean to obtained a diploma and to achieve a credentialist objective rather than as a tool for reducing work-related accidents.
Abstract: This work analyses the usefulness of preventive training, which has been delivered to a sample of unqualified workers in subcontracting firms. Within this period of analysis new courses are designed by social partners, which define a framework of training regulated by law and collective bargaining. Both types face similar problems of quality with regards to features of the sector and employers. In this scenario should be considered the effectiveness of training in achieving the goal of reducing of accidents. Empirical research provides with the conclusion that this training has been used as a mean to obtained a diploma and to achieve a credentialist objective rather than as a tool for reducing work-related accidents.
TL;DR: The European Society Statute has not achieved the transformational effects on the practice of employee representation at corporate decision-making that some experts and practitioners foresaw by the time it was passed as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The adoption of the European Society Statute in 2001 fulfilled a long pursued goal of the European Union institutions. It provided companies with a single legal tool to register in all member states. Besides, the European Society Statute was supplemented with a Directive on workers’ involvement which was seen as legal piece with many possibilities for the future development of European industrial relations. Those expectations have not been met a decade and almost a half after. The regulation has not achieved the transformational effects on the practice of employee representation at corporate decision-making that some experts and practitioners foresaw by the time it was passed. The article evaluates the reasons for this failure. The track of the European Society Statute is reconstructed in order to explain why its alleged capacity for transformation has not been shown.
TL;DR: A re-organization of Social Security is coming up according to recomendatios of European Comission but not according to the Spanish Constitution as mentioned in this paper, and the current debate on pensions' sustainability is not well focused.
Abstract: The current debate on pensions’ sustainability is not well focused. As the option for the Social Security was adopted by Spanish people in the Constitution, pensions must be guarantee. The Social Security System is protected by a “Garantia Institucional”. Problem is sufficiency of the benefits provied by the System in offering a whorthy life to protected people. It is necesary improve incomes of the System. The reforms carried out from 1985, especially in 2012, make more difficult to reach a pension whithout test of means. A re-organization of Social Security is coming up according to recomendatios of European Comission but not according to the Spanish Constitution.
TL;DR: In the domain of social protection and social policy, a conventional way of trying to document Europeanization has always been to track European English policy discourses at the EU level and in the nations of Europe.
Abstract: In the domain of social protection and social policy, a conventional way of trying to document “Europeanization” has always been to track European English policy discourses at the EU level and in the nations of Europe. Notions that crystallize the normative orientations promoted in the forums of political communication and in the policy communities are numerous. All of them are crafted in English and travel across national forums of political communication and national scientific forums. The present paper selects two such notions, i.e. “activation” and “flexicurity” and carefully studies the locus of their inventions and the travels across many countries and many forums – national and transnational. The precise documentation is based on participation in numerous forums, field studies in Denmark, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy over a long period (1997-2008). The findings are all relevant for this period, i. e. prior to the upheaval of social policies at the EU level and in the member states provoked by the financial and economic crisis. They have in common to identify the dissemination of a standard discourse and the resilience of national substantive choices and roles of actors of social protection and labour market policies. Because the paper is written with hindsight, taking stock of the late 1990s and early 2000s, a de facto comparison unexpectedly becomes feasible with the crisis period (2008-2014). The counterfactual is easy to design: a powerful Europeanization of systems of social protection and labour markets has happened in this second period, via the highly constrained implementation of structural reform and budget cuts programmes deemed to satisfy macroeconomic and macrofiscal orientations decided at the EU level, especially within the Eurozone, and especially in the Southern member states. Whereas the Europeanization of discourse and social policy concepts remained superficial in 1997-2008, actual and hard Europeanization really bit deeply since the crisis into national arrangements, even affecting international and European labour law.
TL;DR: In Espana el equilibrio del sistema de pensiones se ha buscado reduciendolas as mentioned in this paper, and as a result, se ha bajado la pension inicial and el numero de anos durante los que se cobra la pension.
Abstract: En Espana el equilibrio del sistema de pensiones se ha buscado reduciendolas. Como resultado, se ha bajado la pension inicial y el numero de anos durante los que se cobra la pension. Peor aun, por el indice de revalorizacion, en el medio e incluso en el largo plazo el valor real de las pensiones disminuira desde el momento de la jubilacion. Esto, ademas de presuponer que los pensionistas carecen de derechos y hacerles cargar con todo el coste del envejecimiento, acabara conduciendo a una sociedad futura envejecida y empobrecida. Para evitar esto y respetar los derechos de los pensionistas futuros es necesaria una reforma sustancial que deshaga muchas de las medidas adoptadas y dote al sistema de pensiones de recursos adicionales (impuestos y otros recursos)
TL;DR: The reconocimiento del derecho de huelga de trabajadores inmigrantes is un tema tratado profusamente tras las sentencias del Tribunal Constitucional de 2007.
Abstract: El reconocimiento del derecho de huelga de los trabajadores inmigrantes es un tema tratado profusamente tras las sentencias del Tribunal Constitucional de 2007. Mas alla de la importancia de este reconocimiento, es necesario abordar la complicada cuestion del deficit de condiciones juridicas y materiales para hacer posible el ejercicio efectivo de este derecho, en particular en un contexto en el cual la situacion de crisis economica y de desempleo ha afectado particularmente al colectivo de trabajadores inmigrantes. El estudio de la regulacion de este derecho en el contexto senalado demuestra como las condiciones juridicoadministrativas que encuadran el reconocimiento del derecho al trabajo de las personas inmigrantes impiden el establecimiento de las adecuadas garantias para que el ejercicio del derecho de huelga pueda realizarse en condiciones de igualdad con el resto de los trabajadores asalariados. Esta situacion supone una cortapisa no solo del efectivo ejercicio del derecho sino de sus potencial como via para la reivindicacion de derechos de ciudadania para las personas inmigrantes.