IWS Documented News INTERNATIONAL

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

(The following is courtesy of the Centre for Industrial Relations, University of Toronto).

Weekly Work Report for the Week of May 30, 2005

These highlights of the week's HR/IR news are prepared by the Librarians at the Centre for Industrial Relations for our subscribers, alumni, faculty and students, and are intended for their individual use only.  Please visit the CIR website for terms of use and information about organizational subscriptions.  This message is composed in MS Outlook Express and contains hyperlinks that require an HTML-enabled email program.

The WWR is protected by Canadian copyright law and should not be reproduced or forwarded without permission.   For inquiries or comments,  please contact the Editor,  elizabeth.perry@utoronto.ca.

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AMENDMENTS TO SASKATCHEWAN TRADE UNION ACT RECEIVE ROYAL ASSENT:  Amendments to Saskatchewan’s Trade Union Act passed third reading in the legislature on May 25th and received royal assent on May 27th. The amendments, intended to ensure that first collective agreements are settled in a reasonable time, require that within 20 days of certification the union and employer begin bargaining and that after 90 days either party may apply to the Labour Relations Board for assistance in reaching a settlement. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

LINKS:

Bill 87, An Act to amend the Trade Union Act (8 pages, PDF) at <http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/bills/PDFs/bill-87.pdf>

Press release of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />November 19, 2004, announcing the changes at <http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2004/11/19-729.html> and  Backgrounder at <http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2004/11/19-729-attachment.pdf>

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LEGISLATION INTRODUCED TO RESTRUCTURE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND:  The Liberal government of Prince Edward Island has moved to restructure health and social services in the province with 8 new bills introduced in PEI legislature in the third week of May.  In eliminating the 5 regional health authorities and creating a new Department of Health, the legislation will result in the loss of 180 administrative jobs and the transfer of employees to the new Department and to the civil service.  Some of the unions involved fear that it may result in a single union to represent everyone who delivers health care.

LINKS:

Province brings in health reform bills at CBC PEI website at <http://pei.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=pe_health_20050520>

Bill 44 Health Authorities' Employees Act (13 pages, PDF) at <http://www.assembly.pe.ca/bills/onebill.php?session=2&generalassembly=62&number=44>

Bill 49 Health and Social Services Reorganization Act (11 pages, PDF) at <http://www.assembly.pe.ca/bills/pdf_first/62/2/bill-49.pdf>

Bill 56 Health and Community Services Reorganization Act (11 pages, PDF) at <http://www.assembly.pe.ca/bills/onebill.php?session=2&generalassembly=62&number=56>

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BC TEACHERS FEDERATION SUES GORDON CAMPBELL: The British Columbia Federation of Teachers (BCTF) announced on May 26 that it has filed suit in B.C. Supreme Court against Premier Gordon Campbell because of “defamatory statements” he made in a news conference on May 12.  Five days before the B.C. provincial election,  Mr. Campbell announced a “secret” and “duplicitous plan” by the BCTF “to engineer a school strike … that would throw our school system into chaos.”  He went on to say that the BCTF   “want an NDP government that will eliminate education as an essential service and allow students to be used as political pawns to advance the BCTF’s union interests.”

In the election on May 18, the Campbell Liberals were returned to power with 46 seats and 46.03% of the popular vote (down from 77 seats in the previous legislature).  The NDP were elected to 33 seats with 41.27% of the popular vote.   Labour Minister Graham Bruce was one of seven cabinet ministers defeated in their own ridings.

LINKS:

Press release at the BCTF website at <http://www.bctf.bc.ca/newsreleases/archive/2005/2005-05-26.html>

BCTF letter to Gordon Campbell  (2 pages, PDF) at <http://www.bctf.bc.ca/CounselLtrToCampbell2005-05-12.pdf>

Premier Campbell's Statement: The BC Teachers Federation’s Proposed Strike Vote at the B.C. Liberal Party website at <http://www.bcliberals.com/news_&_issues/premier_campbell's_statement_on_the_bc_teachers_federation's_proposed_strike_vote/?&PHPSESSID=21129e77d281590ed23ac65bd323c243>
Campbell wins second majority  at the CBC website at <http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bcv_majority20050517>

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COMPENSATING AND RETAINING SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS IN ALBERTA: A report made public on May 26 states that Alberta's top government officials, on average, are paid 51 %  less than their counterparts in the federal government, 36 % less than those in the broader public service in Alberta, and 14 % less than those in comparable provincial governments.  The report recommends increases in base salary and vehicle allowances for deputy ministers, and changes to the Bonus Plan design and amounts. The report also recommends that an external compensation committee be struck to review senior compensation periodically, and that compensation of other senior government employees be reviewed.

LINKS:

Press release at <http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/200505/18099ADA3415F-3136-4E1F-88427B68DE7EDBEF.html>

Compensation for Alberta government senior officials (12 pages, PDF) at <http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/images/2005/505/18099.pdf>

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CANADIANS SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF NON-SMOKERS TO WORK IN SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENTS:  A telephone poll conducted by Environics Research Group for  Health Canada shows overwhelming support for the right of non-smokers to work in a smoke-free environment.  In Ontario, 95% of all residents agreed that people who don’t smoke should have the right to a smoke-free environment in any workplace ; in Saskatchewan, 94% and in Quebec, 93%, agreed with the statement.  The results were released by Health Canada on May 3,  to mark World No Tobacco Day.

LINKS:

Press release <http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/media/releases/2005/2005_51.html>

Fact Sheet: Smoking in Public Places: Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan at <http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/media/releases/2005/2005_51bk2.html>

Fact sheet: Smoking in Public Places: Manitoba and New Brunswick at <http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/media/releases/2005/2005_51bk1.html>

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WORK AND FAMILY POLICIES IN OECD COUNTRIES: A report released on May 27 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reviews family-friendly policies in Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.  In this fourth volume in the series of Babies and Bosses, the OECD makes 5 recommendations for change in Canadian public policy to create more, and more affordable, childcare spaces.  Finland is urged to restrict the use of long leave periods, and Sweden is warned to control costs.  Other countries profiled in earlier volumes in the Babies and Bosses series are Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands in volume 1 (2002), Austria, Ireland and Japan in volume 2 (2003), and New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland in volume 3 (2004).

LINKS:

Summary and links related to Bosses and babies at the OECD website <http://www.oecd.org/document/10/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34930826_1_1_1_1,00.html>

Canada Country Note ( 3 pages, HTML)  at <http://www.oecd.org/document/35/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34916387_1_1_1_1,00.html>

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IVEY BUSINESS JOURNAL:  The May/June 2005 issue of the Ivey Business Journal Online contains an article by Brad McRae titled “The Seven Strategies of Master Negotiators”. The issue is otherwise devoted to articles dealing with doing business in China.  The Richard Ivey School of Business will launch a new China Business Stream within their MBA program in the fall of 2005, with classes at the London Ontario campus and at Ivey’s Asian campus, the Cheng Yu Tung Management Institute in  Hong Kong.

LINK:

Ivey Business Journal  at <http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/>

Ivey China Business Stream website at <http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/mba/chinastream/default.htm>

----------
 Book of the Week from the Jean & Dorothy Newman Industrial Relations Library

The Future of Human Resource Management: 64 Thought Leaders Explore the Critical HR Issues of Today and Tomorrow

Edited by:  Mike Losey, Sue Meisinger and Dave Ulrich

Publisher:  John Wiley & Sons

ISBN:  0-471-67791-4

This book brings together a panel of sixty-four experts in the field of human resource management. Each one contributes an article on the state of HR today and changes to expect in the coming years. These academics, consultants, and practitioners examine a wide range of issues in HR—including HR as a decision science; understanding and managing people; organizational culture; the impact of HR on business results; the requirements of an HR professional; globalization and its effects; and collaborative ventures.

About the Editors:

MICHAEL R. LOSEY is President of MikeLosey.com, as well as a former president of the Society for Human Resource Management and of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations.

SUSAN MEISINGER is President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, current Secretary General of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations, and former Deputy Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.
DAVE ULRICH, PhD is a professor at the University of Michigan and is the author of twelve books, including Why the Bottom Line Isn't.

----------
121 St. George St., Toronto Canada <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir>


_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

OECD Policy Brief:

Economic Survey of Austria, 2005 [31 May 2005]
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/46/34919633.pdf
[full-text, 8 pages]


See also-
Economic Survey of Austria, 2005 [31 May 2005]
http://www.oecd.org/document/24/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34930968_1_1_1_1,00.html

Executive Summary
http://www.oecd.org/document/12/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34932556_1_1_1_1,00.html


The Austrian economy has demonstrated the capacity to take advantage of positive external developments. Important challenges remain, however, in two areas:
Fiscal performance needs to be improved despite substantial progress in securing the sustainability of government finances: government debt is still relatively high, fiscal consolidation also incorporates significant one-off measures and fiscal federal relations are often inefficient. Trend growth is still held back by low labour force participation of older workers also a potential source of future growth deceleration, high seasonal inactivity, relatively weak productivity growth in the services and a sub-optimal environment for innovation activities.

Increasing the efficiency of the public sector
Significant expenditure cutting measures which are not yet fully specified will be needed to reach the government target of a balanced budget by 2008. The introduction of a medium term budgeting framework would help to strengthen the necessary prioritisation and output orientation of the budgeting process so as to avoid the economic costs of ad-hoc measures. Fiscal sustainability calculations should be regularly carried out for all levels of government. Further tax reforms should focus on base broadening in exchange for statutory rate cuts.

Reforming fiscal federal relations
Sub-central levels of government rely largely on shared taxes, for which the federal government has full legislative responsibilities, and on federal government transfers. A large proportion of municipalitiesand statestax and transfer revenues are earmarked to specific spending programmes, often in terms of extra-budgetary funds, and there is widespread co-financing of spending items between the states and the municipalities. A complicated system of revenue redistribution reduces transparency. Reforms should focus on improving the revenue structure of lower levels of government. Dispersed decision making, notably in the health care system, but also as regards supra-regional infrastructure planning, should be harmonised and the scope for co-operation in service provision strengthened.

Raising labour force participation of older workers and reducing seasonal inactivity
Labour force participation needs to be increased by more effectively curbing early retirement and terminating the fiscal subsidisation of seasonal inactivity. Employers should fully finance the costs of early retirement on account of onerous work while invalidity pension schemes are in urgent need of reform.

Improving the environment for innovation
A well educated labour force is key for an innovation-minded economy. Austria is spending a lot for its education system, but the outcomes are falling short of performance in many other countries. International experience suggests that a combination of national standards with a higher degree of school accountability for outcomes and a larger degree of freedom as concerns educational instruments and employment of teachers would help. Competition should be strengthened. As concerns start-ups of enterprises, the focus should be shifted from granting tax concessions to the improvement of general framework conditions, such as lowering barriers to entry and administrative burdens on entrepreneurial activity.
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

68/2005 - 30 May 2005
Earnings in industry and services in 2002
Average annual earnings varied significantly across the EU25
http://epp.eurostat.cec.eu.int/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_PRD_CAT_PREREL/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2005/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2005_MONTH_05/3-30052005-EN-AP.PDF

In 2002, in the EU25, average annual earnings in industry and services were 26 800 euro. Amongst the Member
States the highest annual average earnings were recorded in the United Kingdom (36 200 euro), Luxembourg
(35 000 euro), Germany (34 600 euro), Ireland (30 800 euro), Sweden (30 200 euro) and the Netherlands
(30 100 euro), and the lowest in Latvia (3 200 euro), Lithuania (3 600 euro), Estonia (4 400 euro) and Slovakia
(5 000 euro).

It should be noted, however, that the annual earnings for those Member States outside the euro-zone are affected
by the exchange rate of their national currency against the euro in 2002. In addition, earnings in euro do not reflect
differences in employees' purchasing power, because they do not take into account differences in price levels
between the Member States. In terms of Purchasing Power Standards3 (PPS), average annual earnings were
highest in 2002 in Luxembourg (34 200 PPS) , Germany (33 500 PPS) and the United Kingdom (31 500 PPS)
and lowest in Latvia (6 400 PPS), Lithuania (7 300 PPS) and Estonia (8 500 PPS). The comparison of earnings
in PPS shows a much smaller gap between Member States than the comparison in euro. While the ratio between
the Member States with the highest and lowest earnings in euro was more than ten to one, the ratio for earnings in
PPS was five to one.

This information is published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, based on the
results of the 2002 Structure of earnings survey4. No data are available for Greece, Malta and Portugal. The level
of earnings is an important feature of the labour market. Further information, however, would be needed for a more
thorough study of labour costs. On the one hand, employees' earnings represent only a part of labour costs, while
on the other hand, labour itself is difficult to compare from country to country, since factors such as the structure of
the economy, skill levels, etc, have to be taken into account.

Differences in average earnings between women and men

In the EU25 as a whole, annual average earnings for women were about three quarters those for men (21 400 euro
compared to 29 900 euro). The relative differences were greatest in the United Kingdom, Denmark and Cyprus,
where on average annual earnings for women were more than 30% lower than for men. The smallest differences
were recorded in Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Belgium, Sweden and Finland, where earnings for
women were less than 20% lower than for men.
It should be noted, however, that women and men have different employment characteristics. Firstly, women and
men do not have the same breakdown of employment across branches, and do not occupy the same jobs.
Secondly, working women tend to be younger, and as a result, on average, they have less seniority and less of an
opportunity to be in management positions. This means that the differences observed in average earnings do not
necessarily reflect a gap in pay between women and men occupying the same job with the same level of seniority.
Differences in the number of hours worked, linked to part-time and full-time jobs, do not affect the averages, as the
figures relate to full-time equivalents.

Large gaps in average earnings linked to level of education

In the EU25, annual average earnings for those with lower secondary education were 20 400 euro compared to
26 000 euro for those with upper secondary education and 41 100 euro for those having completed university
education or equivalent. The relative differences between those with upper secondary education and those having
completed university education were particularly high in the new Member States with the exception of Cyprus.

AND MORE...including TABLES....
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

International Labour Office Geneva
International Labour Conference, 93rd Session, 2005
Report of the Director-General
Appendix
The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc93/pdf/rep-i-ax.pdf
[full-text, 49 pages]

Contents
Page
Preface............................................................................................................................ iii
Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1
1. The political context: Renewed dialogue in a volatile setting.................................... 2
2. Continued restriction of movement .......................................................................... 5
3. A suffocating economy ............................................................................................ 16
4. Strong economic growth in Israel with widening inequality....................................... 25
5. Social partners and their organizations .................................................................... 27
6. Conclusions............................................................................................................. 28
References...................................................................................................................... 35
Annex I. List of interlocutors ............................................................................................. 37
Annex II. Map: West Bank Separation Barrier: Route projections ..................................... 42

Press Release
Situation of workers in occupied Arab territories continues to deteriorate
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2005/23.htm

Friday 27 May 2005 (ILO/05/23)

GENEVA (ILO News) - Despite a new climate of dialogue among Israelis and Palestinians, conditions of life for workers and their families in the occupied Arab territories continue to be extremely hard, according to a report issued by the International Labour Office (ILO) (Note 1).

While domestic output grew in 2004 following four years of recession in the Palestinian economy, the unemployment rate in the occupied Arab territories increased to close to 26 per cent, reaching a record 224,000 unemployed, says the report which was prepared for the ILO's International Labour Conference which opens its annual 15-day session here on 31 May.

Unemployment is not the only concern, however, because the very low rates of labour force participation and employment have become an inherent characteristic of the labour market in the occupied territories. According to the report, fewer than half of all men of working age and only 10 per cent of women of working age are employed. As a result, every employed person in the region supports six persons in the total population.

The findings of the report are based on missions sent to Israel and the occupied Arab territories and to the Syrian Arab Republic in order to assess the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan.

"The mission observed a prevailing feeling that the economic situation of Palestinians must rapidly improve in order for them to continue to support the policy of dialogue and negotiation with Israel", the report says. "This calls for a rapid lifting of closures, better access to the Israeli labour market, and improved trade facilities, as well as putting an end to discrimination against Arab people in the occupied Syrian Golan".

The report drew particular attention to the youth unemployment rate of 40 per cent among 15 to 24-year-olds, which is one-and-a-half times the aggregate rate.

One in three young persons aged 15-24 years and over half of those aged 25-29 years are in forced idleness, that is neither studying nor in employment, says the report, adding "idleness among young people faced with military occupation makes a fertile breeding ground for extremism and violence. This situation requires urgent attention in the form of significant assistance in vocational training, business development and employment orientation specifically directed at young women and men".

In 2004, 57 per cent of all wage workers in the occupied territories received monthly wages that failed to lift a family of two adults and four children above the official poverty line. Approximately half of the population, 1.8 million persons, live below the national poverty threshold.

According to the report, the disengagement plan announced by Israel aiming to reduce the number of Palestinian workers in Israel to zero by 2008 could severely restrict income opportunities and the prospects of poverty alleviation. "Even with strong economic growth and employment creation in the coming years, the full absorption of 39,000 new yearly entrants into the labour market, plus a considerable reduction of existing unemployment, are a daunting task", warns the report.

Restriction of movement of Palestinian workers through closure including the separation barrier has thrown some 150,000 of them into unemployment since the onset of the second intifada in September 2000. According to the report, employment in Israel is essential until the Palestinian economy reaches a sustainable rate of growth that will generate domestic employment in proportion to the increase in the labour force.

"The ILO mission heard from Israeli employers that Palestinian workers are needed and welcome, provided that security requirements are met", the report says. "The time may be right for the negotiation of a new agreement between the two sides detailing the framework of employment opportunities for Palestinians in Israel."

The Report also points to practical action the ILO and its constituents, governments, employers' and workers' organisations, can take to promote better conditions of life in the occupied territories. The ILO mission witnessed a strong will for dialogue among both Palestinian and Israeli trade unions.

The findings of the ILO mission call for a focus on youth employment, gender equality and vocational training but also stress the need for basic social security for older workers who cannot retire because of the lack of a pension system.

They also highlight the need for the Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection - which the ILO helped to launch - to become a fully integrated tool in the economic and social policies of the Palestinian Authority. The Fund was established in 2004 by the Palestinian Authority to provide a strategic framework for activities undertaken to generate employment and provide social protection.

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Babies and Bosses: OECD Recommendations to help families balance work and family life [27 May 2005]
http://www.oecd.org/document/10/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34930826_1_1_1_1,00.html

27/05/2005 - A new OECD report reviews family-friendly policies in Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom and makes recommendations to further ensure the well-being of parents and children. This fourth volume in the series of Babies and Bosses urges Canada and the UK to create more, and more affordable, childcare to help parents juggle work and family commitments. At the other end of the spectrum, the report argues that Finland needs to restrict use of long leave periods, and commends Sweden's excellent family support measures, but warns the government to control costs.

Families looking for a way to balance work and life-style commitments may choose not to have children or, if they do, not to work.  Governments need to get family-friendly  policies right if they are to reduce poverty and promote child development and gender equity, underpin economic growth and bolster pension systems.

Finland and Sweden started to invest in family-friendly policies more than 30 years ago, while in Canada and the UK widespread work-family policies are much more recent. Finland and Sweden have policies which provide a continuum of support for parents until their children are in their teens: flexible parental leave, affordable high-quality childcare, and reduced working hours for parents with young children. As this approach is expensive, Canada and the UK have generally opted for lower tax rates over more social service costs, though both have recently started to expand the help they give to parents.

In all four countries the labour market is healthy for women: three out of four women between the ages of 25 54 hold down jobs, though there are substantial differences in the working hours of mothers. Full-time jobs are the norm in Canada, Finland and Sweden, whereas women in the UK often work part-time. The wage gaps between males and females are similar too, and are higher than the OECD average for women in the high-wage bracket.

For details about the OECD's policy recommendations, see the country notes on
Canada
http://www.oecd.org/document/35/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34916387_1_1_1_1,00.html

Finland
http://www.oecd.org/document/0/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34916736_1_1_1_1,00.html

Sweden
http://www.oecd.org/document/62/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34916798_1_1_1_1,00.html

United Kingdom
http://www.oecd.org/document/39/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34916903_1_1_1_1,00.html

For a SELECTION OF TABLES & GRAPHS see-
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/57/40/34906050.xls



_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Restructuring Monitor
Fact Sheets (DATABASE)
http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/erm/index.php?template=searchfactsheets

Latest restructuring cases

   * Access the detail of the fact sheet by selecting the name of a company.
   * Sort the restructuring cases by selecting a column.

Below is found a sample of recent restructuring cases by date, country, company. The actual database provides, in addition,
Group
Type of restructuring
Sector
Planned job creation
Planned job reductions
Employment effect start
Employment effect timeline


2005-05-25 Bulgaria Sammi Sound Tech
2005-05-25 Czech Republic Daido Metal Czech
2005-05-24 Germany Debeka
2005-05-24 Germany Grohe
2005-05-24 Slovenia ERA
2005-05-24 Czech Republic Nemak Czech Republic
2005-05-24 Finland Leaf
2005-05-24 Finland Nypro CMS
2005-05-24 Germany Rossmann
2005-05-23 Slovenia Mercator
2005-05-23 Poland Gotec Polska
2005-05-23 Poland HMT
2005-05-23 Ireland Crown Equipment
2005-05-20 Romania Eybl
2005-05-20 Germany Borbet Thüringen GmbH
2005-05-20 Lithuania SBA Furniture Group
2005-05-19 Spain Renfe
2005-05-19 Hungary Pécsi Tudományegyetem
2005-05-19 Hungary Debreceni Egyetem
2005-05-19 Finland LK products

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)

ERM quarterly (Spring 2005)
http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/erm/index.php?template=quarterly

The European Restructuring Monitor quarterly (ERM quarterly) offers an overview of the main findings and an interpretation of the data collected over the past three months for the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM). It will provide statistics comparing restructuring activities across the 25 EU Member States and two of the candidate countries, Bulgaria and Romania, identifying the countries and sectors most affected. Each issue of the ERM quarterly will highlight developments in a specific country or sector, pointing to key facts behind the statistical data. In addition, background information on two major, recent restructuring cases will be presented.
Data limitations

The data collected and published through ERM - while useful in quantifying the phenomenon of industrial restructuring and its employment consequences - has some limitations. First, ERM correspondents have to rely on the accuracy of newspaper articles. Second, the newspaper articles report on restructuring announcements, which are rarely followed up by reporting on the actual measures taken. Third, ERM correspondents document a higher number of 'smaller' cases in the small economies, since these are picked up in the national papers but would not get coverage in the newspapers monitored in the large economies.

Press release, 27 May 2005

The European Restructuring Monitor ERM Quarterly:

MUCH INDUSTRIAL RESTRUCTURING ACTIVITY ACROSS EUROPE

While the general trend of job losses due to restructuring continues, job creation saw a massive increase of more than 62% over the previous three months, according to the latest European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) Quarterly.

Some 220,000 job losses were announced as a result of 238 restructuring cases during the first three months of the year, representing a 36% increase over the previous quarter, according to the ERM quarterly from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, the Dublin-based EU Agency. The lion's share of the planned job reductions were found in public administration (48%), but also in the transport and communications sector (20%), and manufacturing (17%). Worst hit was the United Kingdom, followed by the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Denmark.

'European industrial restructuring is not all bad news,' commented Willy Buschak, Acting Director of the European Foundation, on the findings. 'Almost 63,500 new jobs were announced during the same period, representing a whopping 62% increase over the previous quarter. In the former EU15, the United Kingdom boasts the highest rate of business expansion, with 22 restructuring cases, accounting for some 19,000 new jobs.'

'Well over half the planned job creations, however, result from expanding business activities in the new Member States,' Willy Buschak added. 'Among the three new Member States monitored by the ERM in last quarter, about 21,500 jobs are planned for Poland, 14,000 in the Czech Republic, and 3,000 in Slovakia, primarily in the automotive sector.'

The quarterly report names many cases in which subsidiaries and sub-contractors to the car producers are relocating to the lower cost economies of the new Member States.

The European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) is the Foundation's monitoring tools that records industrial restructuring cases in 18 countries across the European continent, the former EU15 countries plus three new Member States, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. By the end of the year, all EU25 countries as well as Bulgaria and Romania, will be covered by the ERM. This ERM quarterly is the seventh issue, rounding up nearly two years of monitoring Europe's restructuring trends.

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LABOUR STUDIES (IILS)
Discussion paper
DP/160/2005
Decent Work Research Programme

Institutional determinants of unemployment in OECD countries: A time series cross-section analysis (1960-98)
by Lucio Baccaro and Diego Rei
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inst/download/dp16005.pdf
or
http://www-ilo-mirror.cornell.edu/public/english/bureau/inst/download/dp16005.pdf
[full-text, 67 pages]

Abstract:
Few policy problems are more relevant at the present time, at least for some advanced countries, than the problem of unemployment.  In this domain, the view that unemployment is caused by labor market rigidities and should be addressed through systematic institutional deregulation has gained broad currency and has been embraced by national and international policy-making agencies alike. Given the importance of the issue, it is crucial to understand whether such analyses stand to scrutiny. This paper engages in a time-series cross-section (TSCS) analysis, which compares several estimators and seeks to pay close attention to the statistical properties of models. We find no broad support for the "deregulatory view." It does not seem to be the case that greater degrees of labor market rigidities are systematically associated with higher unemployment in OECD countries in the period under consideration (1960-1998).  As far as pooling available data on OECD countries allows one to tell, restrictive macroeconomic policies and institutions supporting them appear to play a more important role.

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

(The folllowing is courtesy of the Centre for Industrial Relations, University of Toronto)

Weekly Work Report for the Week of May 23, 2005

These highlights of the week's HR/IR news are prepared by the Librarians at the Centre for Industrial Relations for our subscribers, alumni, faculty and students, and are intended for their individual use only.  Please visit the CIR website for terms of use and information about organizational subscriptions.  This message is composed in MS Outlook Express and contains hyperlinks that require an HTML-enabled email program.

The WWR is protected by Canadian copyright law and should not be reproduced or forwarded without permission.   For inquiries or comments,  please contact the Editor,  elizabeth.perry@utoronto.ca.

----------
MINIMUM WAGE IN NOVA SCOTIA TO RISE TO $6.80 PER HOUR: The government of Nova Scotia announced on May 25 that the minimum wage will increase by 30 cents to $6.80 per hour, effective October 1, 2005 and to $7.15 per hour on April 1, 2006.  Since 2003, a Minimum Wage Review Committee conducts an annual review of the province's minimum wage and makes recommendations to the Minister of the Environment and Labour. Today's announcement implements the recommendations made by the Committee on April 8th.

A report by the Nova Scotia office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Analysis, also released on May 25, states that the minimum wage in Nova Scotia has not increased in almost 30 years if inflation is taken into account,  and is contributing to the development of a low-wage economy in the province.  The CCPA report calls for a minimum wage of $8.20 per hour and a long-term strategy that would include temporary tax breaks for small businesses and funding to help employers provide training and skills upgrading for workers.

LINKS:

Press release at the government of Nova Scotia website at <http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20050525002>

Time for a real raise: the Nova Scotia minimum wage (21 pages, PDF)  at the Canadian Centre for Public Policy Nova Scotia website at <http://www.policyalternatives.ca/documents/Nova_Scotia_Pubs/2005/time_for_a_real_raise.pdf>

----------
MINORITIES IN THE CANADIAN LABOUR MARKET:   A recent report by Professors Cheryl Teelucksingh and Grace-Edward Galabuzi for the Centre for Social Justice and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation examines the changing economic circumstances of racial groups and immigrants between 1996 and 2001. The study, titled Working Precariously: The Impact of Race and Immigrants Status on Employment Opportunities and Outcomes in Canada, contains extensive documentation on the labour market situation of minorities in Canada.

LINKS:

Summary and a link to Working Precariously: The Impact of Race and Immigrants Status on Employment Opportunities and Outcomes in Canada, (39-pages, PDF) at the Centre for Social Justice website at <http://www.socialjustice.org/>

Professional bodies racist: Crown corporation at  the CBC website  at <http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/17/racial-professions050517.html>

----------
GEORGE ADAMS APPOINTED TO MEDIATE IN STELCO REFINANCING: On May 19, Judge James Farley named the Honourable George Adams to mediate a restructuring plan for Stelco - a role he had previously performed in the restructuring of Algoma Steel.   Mediation will focus on the terms of the pension payment plan:  the restructuring proposal put forth by the company does not call for the full $1.3 billion deficit in the plan to be paid off until 2015. A coalition of employee groups, including active and retired salaried employees and 5 of the 6 unions at Stelco  oppose this ten year schedule, but have all agreed to participate in the mediation process.  United Steelworkers Local 1005, which represents workers at the Hamilton Stelco plant, has so far refused to participate.  The Court has directed all participants in the mediation process to refrain from making public statements until the restructuring is finalized.

LINKS:

"Stelco employee groups grab for control" in the Globe and Mail (May 17) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050517.wstella0517/BNStory/Business/>

30th Court Monitor's Report concerning the appointment of Judge Adams, May 18, 2005 (21 pages, PDF) at <http://www.mccarthy.ca/en/ccaa/docs/952.pdf>

Company and Court documents are compiled at the McCarthy Tetrault website at <http://www.mccarthy.ca/en/ccaa/ccaa_detailed.asp?company_id=1>

United Steelworkers statements re Stelco are compiled at <http://www.uswa.ca/program/content/2337.php>

Stelco Salaried Employees website at <http://www.sassea.ca/>

----------
ISSUES IN WHITE-COLLAR OFFSHORING:  The Brookings Trade Forum, convened in May by independent U.S. think tank The Brookings Institute, presented analysis by academics, policy analysts, government representatives and business leaders on the issues related to offshoring of white-collar jobs.  The Forum papers focus on the U.S. economy and  include issues of productivity and competitiveness, India's rise, and detailed studies of offshoring in financial services, radiology, call centers, software, and semiconductors industries.  According to the Trade Forum home page, "Brookings scholars believe the time has come for wage insurance to get displaced workers back to work faster and to provide incentives for employers to promote critical on-the-job training."

LINKS:

Brookings Trade Forum homepage, with links to documents in PDF format at <http://www.brookings.edu/es/commentary/journals/tradeforum/agenda2005.htm>

----------
POLICIES FOR CAREGIVERS:   Policy Profiles for Caregivers: Ten Countries was recently released by the Maritime Data Centre for Aging Research and Policy Analysis at Mount Saint Vincent University.  The Profiles summarize the national policies for direct and indirect financial compensation (i.e.  allowances and tax relief) for family caregivers in ten countries:  Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States. The research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and is part of a larger research and teaching focus into gerontology and aging policies at Mount Saint Vincent University.

LINKS:

Policy Profiles for Caregivers: Ten Countries at <http://www.msvu.ca/Mdcaging/policyprofiles.asp>.  (Each country is available in a separate 4 page PDF file)

Maritime Data Centre for Aging Research and Policy Analysis at  <http://www.msvu.ca/Mdcaging/>http://www.msvu.ca/Mdcaging/

----------
SURVEY OF THE CORPORATE HOUSING MARKET IN CANADA:  The annual Canadian Corporate Housing Industry Report was released by real estate company Royal LePage on May 24.  It examines 14 major centres in Canada and provides information about costs and supply of corporate housing for short-term employee assignments (from one month to one year).  Predictably, Toronto is the largest market, followed by Calgary; Vancouver is the most expensive, at a cost of $2,950 per month for a 1-bedroom rental.  Fort McMurray, Alberta with a population of only 56,000, has the third largest number of corporate housing units, the lowest vacancy rate, and the third most expensive rental rates.

LINKS:

Press release at Royal LePage website at <http://www.rlrs.com/press/documents/CorporateHousingReport_PR_May05_ENG.pdf>

The full report is available upon request from Royal Lepage Relocation Services at <http://www.rlrs.com/library/whitepapers.htm>.

----------
NEW PRESIDENT OF THE ALBERTA FEDERATION OF LABOUR MAKES FORT MCMURRAY OIL SANDS HIS FIRST PRIORITY :  At its 44th Constitutional Convention in Edmonton from May 12 to 15th, the Alberta Federation of Labour elected  Gil McGowan as president, and Kerry Barrett as Secretary Treasurer, heralding what the federation calls "a generational shift in leadership for Alberta's labour movement". McGowan and Barrett are both 37 years old.

According to the AFL press release, the new president's first priority will be the bargaining situation at the Fort McMurray Oil Sands, specifically the Horizon Oil Project, where the AFL accuses the provincial government of undermining traditional unions and helping employers to import temporary foreign workers. The convention adopted four policy papers, relating to pensions, the Fort McMurray Oil Sands, smoking in the workplace, and the future of the AFL.

LINKS:

AFL Convention highlights, including links to four policy papers, at <http://www.afl.org/about-afl/convention.cfm>

Policy Paper:  Forging our Future (9 pages, PDF) at <http://www.afl.org/upload/forging our future policy paper.pdf>

Policy Paper: Horizon Oil Sands Project Policy  (4 pages, PDF) at <http://www.afl.org/upload/horizon oil sands.pdf>

Battleground Fort McMurray at the AFL website at <http://www.afl.org/campaigns-issues/fortmcmurray/default.cfm>

----------
FEWER RETIREMENTS HELPS TO END ONTARIO TEACHER SHORTAGE:  An article in the quarterly magazine of the Ontario College of Teachers, Professionally Speaking, reports that there is no longer a shortage of teachers in Ontario, although shortages remain in certain specialties such as French, physics, chemistry and mathematics.  The shortage has been stemmed as a result of an increase in the number of teachers entering the profession, the falling retirement rate and fewer teachers leaving the profession early in their careers.  Between 1998 and 2002, the retirement rate peaked at approximately 7,000 per year; by 2003, it fell to 5,500, and it is expected to return to a more normal rate of approximately 4,500 per year by the end of the decade.

LINKS:

News release at the College of Teachers website at <http://www.oct.ca/en/CollegePublications/news-archive/20050525_e.asp>

"The teacher shortage is over"   in Professionally Speaking  (June 2005) (7 pages, HTML)  at <http://www.oct.ca/en/CollegePublications/PS/june_2005/shortage.asp>

----------
EACH YEAR IN SCHOOL BRINGS INCREASED INCOME:  A Statistics Canada study released on May 19 uses historical data to demonstrate the positive relationship between compulsory school attendance and income. The study, by Professor Philip Oreopoulos, shows that compulsory school attendance is an effective way to increase an individual's income and decrease the likelihood of him or her being unemployed or in a manual occupation.

LINKS:

Canadian Compulsory School Laws and Their Impact on Educational Attainment and Future Earnings (Catalogue # 11F0019MIE2005251) (41pages, PDF) at the Statistics Canada website at <http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=11F0019MIE2005251>

"Staying longer in school pays off" in the Globe and Mail ( May 20) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050520/STUDENTS20/TPNational/?query=caroline+alphonso>

----------
 121 St. George Street, Toronto Canada <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir>
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________


Women & Science: Statistics and Indicators [24 May 2005]
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/women/wssi/index_en.html

   * Exactly how many women are there in European research?
   * Are there more women than men?
   * How are women distributed across European research?
   * Is European research affected by a gender bias?
   * Are women interested in different areas than men? Do they go on to work in the fields in which they have studied?
   * Can they expect the same rewards and benefits from a scientific career as their male counterparts?
   * Are there barriers to women's productivity within the scientific system?
   * Do women achieve and produce more than men?
   * Why are women less likely than men to seek research funding?
   * How are women scientists regarded by their peers, both male and female?

   Who defines the rules of the scientific game?

Although it is still not possible to answer all of these questions, the following pages contain information that can help us begin to understand the answers. You can download the latest indicators -- http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/women/wssi/downindi_en.html -- available on the subject of women and science for the 25 EU Member States and the 7 countries associated to the European Union's 5th and 6th Framework Programmes. If you want to examine these data for your own analysis, you can also download the raw statistics --http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/women/wssi/downstat_en.html

Where do these data come from?

For many years, both women scientists and policy makers have been asking for data about women's participation in the different scientific fields. The need to build indicators is acknowledged in the <http://www.cordis.lu/improving/women/communication.htm>Commission's Communication, in two Council's Resolutions (<http://www.cordis.lu/improving/women/resolution.htm>20 May 1999 and <http://www.cordis.lu/improving/women/documents.htm>26 June 2001) and Council Conclusions (18 April 2005), as well as a <ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/improving/docs/g_wo_parl_resol_en.pdf>Resolution of the European Parliament. In order to approach the lack of sex-disaggregated data on scientists, the Commission has developed a double-track strategy:

   * The "top-down" approach -- http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/women/wssi/topdown_en.html
   * The "bottom-up" approach -- http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/women/wssi/bottomup_en.html

The Women and Science Unit in collaboration with the Statistical Correspondents of the Helsinki Group on Women and Science and Eurostat have been collecting data on women scientists for nearly 2 years. These pages contain consolidated statistical information from the cross-national perspective for all available years since 1990 on a variety of themes -- http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/women/wssi/explanote_en.html

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Amnesty International Report 2005 [25 May 2005]
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/index-eng

The following are available for free viewing -

Secretary General's message
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/message-eng
Responsibilities have no borders
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/intro-index-eng
What does AI do?
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/about-index-eng

Regional overview

Africa
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/2af-index-eng
Americas
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/2am-index-eng
Asia and the Pacific
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/2as-index-eng
Europe and Central Asia
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/2eu-index-eng
Middle East and North Africa
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/2md-index-eng

List of countries
http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/countrylist-eng

Press Release-
http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGPOL100062005
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
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