Friday, November 11, 2005

[IWS] EuroStat: 85% of Students used Internet in 2004 [10 November 2005]

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
________________________________________________________________________


EuroStat: 143/2005 - 10 November 2005
The digital divide in Europe
85% of students used the internet in 2004
Only 13% of the retired used the internet
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_11/4-10112005-EN-AP.PDF
[full-text, 3 pages]

In the EU25, 85% of students (aged 16 or more in school or university) used the internet during the first quarter of
2004, as did 60% of employees, 40% of the unemployed and 13% of the retired, compared to an EU25 average of
47% for individuals1 aged from 16 to 74. This divide by employment status is also found by educational level2: only
25% of those with at most lower secondary education used the internet during the first quarter of 2004, while the
proportion rose to 52% for those who had completed secondary education, and 77% for those with a tertiary
education.

During the past decade, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) have become widely available to
the general public, in both accessibility and cost. However, gaps remain in the use of ICT amongst the EU
population depending on factors such as their age, employment status and educational level, and the degree of
urbanisation of the area where they live. This so-called digital divide has several origins: missing infrastructure or
access; missing incentives to use ICTs; lack of the computer literacy or skills necessary to take part in the
information society.

This information comes from a report3 released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European
Communities, which takes a closer look at the magnitude of the digital divide and some possible explanations for
its existence.

Largest divide by educational level in Portugal, smallest in Lithuania

In all Member States for which data are available, there is a higher level of internet use among the higher educated
than among the lower. There is no significant link between the overall level of internet penetration and the size of
this divide. The largest gaps were recorded in Portugal (70 percentage points), Slovenia (68 pp), Spain (61 pp),
the United Kingdom (59 pp) and Italy (58 pp), while the smallest divides were observed in Lithuania (11 pp),
Sweden (24 pp), Germany (25 pp), Denmark and Estonia (both 27 pp).

Only in Sweden (70%), Denmark (64%), Finland (54%) and Germany (51%) did more than half of the lower
educated use the internet during the first quarter of 2004, while the proportion of the higher educated who used the
internet fell below 50% only in Lithuania (38%) and Greece (48%).

Only in the Netherlands did more than half of the retired use the internet

In all Member States for which data are available, the highest proportion of internet use during the first quarter of
2004 was recorded for students. The highest ratios were registered in Finland (97%), Sweden and Denmark (both
96%), and the lowest in Greece (55%), Ireland (57%) and Italy (74%). Across the EU, employees generally
registered the second highest proportion of internet use. The highest levels were observed in Sweden (86%),
Denmark (83%), the Netherlands and Finland (both 82%), and the lowest in Greece (28%), Lithuania and
Hungary (both 33%).

In nearly all Member States a lower proportion of the unemployed than employees used the internet in the first
quarter of 2004. Internet use amongst the unemployed ranged from 8% in Lithuania and 10% in Latvia to 86% in
Sweden and 76% in the Netherlands. In all Member States the lowest proportion of internet use was observed for
the retired. In thirteen Member States less than 10% of the retired had used the internet, while only in the
Netherlands (54%), Sweden (45%), Denmark (34%), and Luxembourg (32%) was the proportion more than a
quarter. These gaps are consistent with those found by age, where the proportion of internet users among those
aged 16 to 24 was three times higher than for those aged 55 to 74.

AND 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 *
****************************************


Thursday, November 10, 2005

[IWS] OECD: CHINA LABOUR PROTECTION CHALLENGES [7 November 2005]

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 SOCIAL, EMPLOYMENT AND MIGRATION WORKING PAPERS No. 30
Labour Protection in China: Challenges Facing Labour Offices and Social Insurance [7 November 2005]
Anders Reutersward
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/48/18/35621263.pdf
[full-text, 32 pages]

[excerpt]
One of the key institutional outcomes of China’s economic reforms has been
to create a new role for employers that is separate from the state, and
allows enterprises to concentrate on their business. To protect workers,
the government has set up public institutions for many social and
administrative functions that until recently pertained to work units
(danwei), or did not exist. This paper focuses on three such functions for
which the 1994 Labour Law makes the government responsible: employment
services, labour inspection and social insurance.

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........3
RÉSUMÉ......................5
LABOUR PROTECTION IN CHINA: CHALLENGES FACING LABOUR OFFICES AND SOCIAL INSURANCE....8
1. Introduction.............8
2. Extending the reach of formal employment institutions...9
3. Labour law and administrative resources............10
4. Employment services and related programmes..........16
5. Labour inspection.............................19
Social insurance administration..............21
BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................26

_____________________________
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] EIROnline: AGRICULTURE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS [10 November 2005]

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 Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) Online

Industrial Relations in Agriculture [10 November 2005]
October 2005
http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2005/09/study/index.html
and/or
http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2005/09/study/tn0509101s.html

Abstract:
The agriculture sector, which employs around 5% of the EU workforce (and a considerably higher proportion in the new Member States and candidate countries), is currently going through major structural changes, not least because of reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Union's recent eastward extension. This study examines industrial relations in agriculture in the EU, plus Bulgaria, Norway and Romania, looking at issues such as: employment and wages; sector-specific laws and regulations; the social partners; collective bargaining; other forms of social dialogue and consultation; and conflicts and disputes. It finds that industrial relations in the sector are distinctive, not least because of the high-level of self-employment and generally low proportion of employees.

Includes numerous TABLES, CHARTS....

_____________________________
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 *
****************************************


Wednesday, November 09, 2005

[IWS] BLS: COMPARATIVE FOREIGN LABOR STATISTICS (CPI & Unemployment) [4 November 2005]

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
________________________________________________________________________

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Comparative Foreign Labor Statistics


Consumer price indexes in nine countries, percent change from same period of previous year, 1995-2005 [4 November 2005]
ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/ForeignLabor/flscpim.txt


Unemployment rates in nine countries, civilian labor force basis, approximating U.S. concepts, seasonally adjusted, 1995-2005 [4 November 2005]
ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/ForeignLabor/flsjec.txt


Unemployment rates in the European Union and selected member countries,civilian labor force basis (1), seasonally adjusted, 1995-2005 [4 November 2005]
ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/ForeignLabor/flseur.txt


_____________________________
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                  *
****************************************


Tuesday, November 08, 2005

[IWS] CANADA: Weekly Work Report 7 November 2005

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 November 7, 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.

----------
TORONTO POLICE REACH AGREEMENT: On November 8th the Toronto Police Association and the City of Toronto reached an agreement in their contract dispute. A ratification vote will be held this week, at which time details will be made public. The police had been without a contract since December 2004 and have been engaged in job actions for the past several weeks. On Nov. 2, more than 1,500 officers participated in a demonstration at Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto’s City Hall, with an estimated 150 officers wearing police uniforms and guns in defiance of the Police Chief’s order.

LINKS:

“Deal reached in police dispute” in the Toronto Star (November 8) at < http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&amp;c=Article&cid=1131447754816&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 >

“Law and disorder” in the Toronto Star (Nov. 6) at < http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1131230997487 >

----------
SECOND TELUS AGREEMENT GOES TO RATIFICATION: On November 6th, a second tentative agreement was reached between Telus Corporation and the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU). A previous agreement reached on October 9th was rejected by only 50.3 % of the 9,027 votes cast on October 30. As with the previous agreement, the union is recommending acceptance, but the results won’t be known until November 16, when the mail-in balloting is complete.

LINKS:

“Second tentative agreement reached at Telus” in the Globe and Mail (Nov. 8) at < http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051108.gtrtelus08/BNStory/Technology/?query=telus >

TWU website: < http://www.twu-canada.ca/home.shtml> including a summary of amendments to the October tentative agreement at < http://www.twu-canada.ca/cgi-bin/news/fullnews.cgi?newsid1131350400,49753 >

Telus press release at the Telus website at < http://about.telus.com/media_centre/labour/>

----------
CAW TAKES A POSITION ON THE FALCONBRIDGE INCO MERGER: On November 4, the Canadian Auto Workers union released a statement supporting the proposed merger of Canada’s mining giants, Inco and Falconbridge ­ on the condition that the companies negotiate a mutually acceptable merger plan with affected unions, communities, and other stakeholders. The proposed merger, announced on October 11, will create the world’s biggest nickel company and the world’s fifth biggest copper producer and will employ approximately 25,000 people worldwide.

The CAW statement, Two Sides of the Coin: The Opportunities, and Risks, of Creating the World’s Largest Nickel Producer, outlines an 8-point process to guide the merger and calls for “a moratorium on facility closures or layoffs until a merger plan is mutually negotiated between the two companies, their unions, and other affected stakeholders; clear targets for Canadian re-investments and supply purchases by the merged company; downsizing through attrition only; and the full recognition of existing pension and post-retirement benefit commitments by the merged company. “

The CAW represents almost 2,000 members at Falconbridge operations in Sudbury and Timmins. The United Steelworkers (USW) hasn't set conditions for endorsing Inco's takeover bid; it represents 4,750 Inco employees and 2,800 workers at Falconbridge.

LINKS:

CAW press release at < http://www.caw.ca/news/newsnow/news.asp?artID=954>

Two Sides of the Coin: The Opportunities, and Risks, of Creating the World’s Largest Nickel Producer (6 pages, PDF) at the CAW website at < http://www.caw.ca/whatwedo/bargaining/bycompany/falconbridge/CAWJointStatementIncoFalconbridge.pdf >

Inco in mega deal to take over Falconbridge, creating biggest nickel firm (Oct. 11 2005) at the Yahoo Canada news site at < http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20051011/ca_pr_on_bu/inco_falconbridge >

----------
AIR CANADA PILOTS DISPUTE NEW TEPLITSKY MEDIATION AWARD: A recent decision by mediator Martin Teplitsky upheld the tentative agreement reached by the Air Canada Pilots' Association (ACPA) and Air Canada in June 2005, prompting Air Canada to announce on November 1 that it will re-open its negotiations to buy new fuel efficient planes from Boeing.

The former Canadian Airlines pilots had refused to participate in the mediation process, and on November 3rd they filed a complaint with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), alleging that the ACPA and Air Canada were not entitled to retain Teplitsky as a mediator. The former Canadian Airline pilots argue that the Teplitsky award has the potential to change the current seniority list arrived at in June 2003 through the Keller award, and that the ACPA and Air Canada have failed to honour signed agreements, and refused to accept decisions of arbitrators, the CIRB, and the courts. This long-running seniority battle has been underway since the merger of Air Canada and Canadian Air Lines in 2000.

LINKS:

“Air Canada says arbitrator clears way for new Boeing talks” at CBC website at < http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2005/11/01/aircan-051101.html >

Air Canada Pilots Association at < https://secure.acpa.ca/press_news/2005/pressseniorityaircraft59n.htm >

Former Canadian Airline Pilots website at < http://www.formercanadianpilots.ca/> ith links to major court and CIRB decisions.

---------
REVIEW OF ONTARIO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CALLS FOR MORE CONSULTATION: On October 13, outgoing Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Keith Norton tabled the Consultation Report from a review of Ontario’s human rights system. The review, begun in August 2005, was intended to clarify the principles and issues to be considered in any reform of the system, and consisted of 3 focus groups and 56 submissions made in response to a government questionnaire and discussion paper. Strengthening Ontario’s human rights system: what we heard states that there was “general convergence around” 13 principles of an effective human rights system, but “there was relatively little consensus on how these principles and elements could best be achieved.” The report calls for further consultation on a number of key issues for future reform, including independence, adequate resources, accessibility, systemic approaches, and timely resolution of complaints.

It will likely fall to Barbara Hall, former mayor of Toronto, to carry forward any further consultation. Ms. Hall was nominated as the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission on October 31; her appointment awaits review and approval by Ontario’s Standing Committee on Government Agencies.

LINKS:

Strengthening Ontario’s human rights system: what we heard Consultation Report (75 pages, PDF) at <or" eudora="autourl"> http://www.ohrc.on.ca/english/consultations/human-rights-review-report.pdf>or in HTML at
< http://www.ohrc.on.ca/english/consultations/human-rights-review-report.shtml >

Attorney General nominates former mayor of Toronto as Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (October 31, 2005) at < http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/news/2005/20051031-ohrcch.asp >

----------
96% OF DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS IN DEFICIT ACCORDING TO CGA : The State of Defined Pension Plans in Canada: an Update released by the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada on November 8 reports that the percentage of Canadian defined benefit pension programs in deficit has grown to 96% in 2004, from from 95% in 2003. It estimates that the additional funding required to fully fund deficit plans has grown from $160 billion to $190 billion between 2003 and 2004. Together with an earlier CGA report, Addressing the Pensions Dilemma in Canada, this update provides an overview of the issues and trends of DB pensions plans, and “outlines the predicted risks and the proposed actions for transformation”.

LINKS:

The State of Defined Pension Plans in Canada: an Update (November 2005) (48 pages, PDF) at < http://www.cga-online.org/servlet/portal/serve/Library/Advocacy+and+Research/CGA-Canada+Key+Areas+of+Interest/Pensions/ca_pensions_report_update2005_e.pdf >

Addressing the pensions dilemma in Canada (June 2004) (69 pages, PDF) at < http://www.cga-online.org/servlet/portal/serve/Library/Advocacy+and+Research/CGA-Canada+Key+Areas+of+Interest/Pensions/ca_pensions_report.pdf >

----------
CANADIAN MANUFACTURERS CAUTIOUS ABOUT THE FUTURE, SEE TRAINING AS A CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR: Of the 942 companies across Canada participating in the 2005 Management Issues Survey by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) association, only 32% reported an improvement in overall business conditions in 2005, and more than 75% expect employment and investment to decline or remain the same in 2006. A series of questions on skills and human resources (pages 26 to 28) reveal the respondents’ views on trends in training budgets, skills shortages, and the effectiveness of external and internal training and education programs. Problem-solving skills were the least satisfactory skill set among current employees, and the most frequently cited skill in need of improvement in primary and secondary education. Other skills ranked as least satisfactory among current employees: teamwork, supervisory and management skills, and basic employability skills such as timeliness, work ethic and personal responsibility. More than half of employers spend more than 3% of payroll on informal skills training; more than one third spend 3% or more on formal training programs.

LINKS:

CME 2005 Management Issues Survey (30 pages, PDF) at < http://www.cme-mec.ca/pdf/SURVEY FINAL.pdf>

----------
WHERE HR NEEDS TO GO: Mercer Human Resource Consulting, in conjunction with Harvard Business School Publishing recently conducted a series of roundtable discussions with 65 senior human resource executives in the United States. The executives, from large multinational firms, discussed the issues that are facing them and what they anticipate in the future. Their comments, summarized in Tempered by Fire: Were HR Is. Where It Needs to Go, focus on the need to manage the HR function efficiently while paying attention to three more strategic roles: talent management, change management, and HR metrics.

LINK:

Tempered by Fire: Were HR Is. Where It Needs to Go (20 pages, PDF) from a link at the Mercer website at < http://www.mercerhr.com/knowledgecenter/reportsummary.jhtml/dynamic/idContent/1199965;jsessionid=4IH5N4ATJ1HCACTGOUGCHPQKMZ0QYI2C >

----------
HOW WE PAY PROFESSORS: The C.D. Howe Institute has recently published a study entitled How We Pay Professors and Why It Matters by Professor John Chant. The study concludes that universities that pay professors based on merit as opposed to seniority perform better: they attract better students, obtain more research funding and produce more widely cited research.

LINK:

How We Pay Professors and Why It Matters (32 pages, PDF) at the C.D. Howe website at < http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/commentary_221.pdf>

----------
CANADA’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE LOWEST IN THREE DECADES: According to the Labour Force Survey for October released by Statistics Canada on November 4, Canada’s unemployment rate now stands at 6.6%, the lowest since 1975. Employment growth came mostly from part time work. Youth employment rose by 32,000 in October, all in part time jobs, bringing the youth unemployment rate down by 0.6 percentage points to 12.1% in October.

LINKS:

Labour Force Survey October 2005 at the Statistics Canada website at < http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS/lfs-en.htm>

Canadian Employment surge tightens labour market at the CIBC World Markets website (2 pages, PDF) at < http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/labourc.pdf >

Canadian job machine shifts into overdrive at the TD Bank Financial Group website at < http://www.td.com/economics/comment/cg110405.jsp>

----------
AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS REFORM: Arguing that Australia’s six different workplace relations systems are too complex and are “bad for business”, the Australian government announced major reforms in early October, and on November 2, introduced the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Bill 2005. According to the government, the legislative changes will create a single, national industrial relations system based principally on the corporations power of the constitution and will cover up to 85 % of workers. The Australian Fair Pay Commission will be established to set minimum wages; The Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard will provide guaranteed legislated minimum terms and conditions for all employees on awards and new agreements. The initiative also makes changes related to work life standards, including parental leave, holidays and overtime.

LINKS:

Workchoices website, including press releases, official statements and speeches, and the text of the Bill at < https://www.workchoices.gov.au/ourplan/>

The Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Bill 2005 (691 pages, PDF) at < https://www.workchoices.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/BE7CFBA5-50EE-4DD1-A395-9E93B2FA0A39/0/wrawcbill2005.pdf >

---------
SURVEYS OF EUROPEAN QUALITY OF WORK LIFE: The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has recently released three studies based on the first European quality of life survey. The three reports are entitled: Families, Work and Social Networks; Income Inequalities and Deprivation, and Life Satisfaction, Happiness and Sense of Belonging.

LINKS:

The three studies are available on the Foundation’s website: < http://www.eurofound.ie/>

----------
Book of the Week: Designing a Not-for-Profit Compensation System, by Joann Senger.

Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, 2005. 198 p. ISBN 047165776X

This book provides a step-by-step plan to design and manage a compensation system for not-for-profit organizations

Compensation systems in the not-for-profit sector can be complex. Designing a Not-For-Profit Compensation System addresses the following issues:
* Defines various types of not-for-profit and public organizations
* Identifies current types of compensation structures
* Identifies organizational characteristics influencing the usefulness of each structure, including the organization's budgeting and accounting processes and timetables
* Covers maintenance for all compensation structures and the interaction among organizational units
* Details the usefulness of each compensation structure, including midpoint calculations, rate adjustments, variable pay, and market surveys

About the Author:

JOANN SENGER is founder and President of Senger Services, a consulting firm offering services to not-for-profit organizations.
----------
121 St. George Street, Toronto Canada M5S 2E8 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]KLI: [Korea] INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS:STABILITY & COOPERATION in a CHANGING ENVIRONMENT [20 October 2005]

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
________________________________________________________________________

KOREA LABOR INSTITUTE (KLI)

This paper was presented at 4th NorthEast Labour Forum(October 20, 2005) held in Beijing, China on October 20, 2005, convened by the Korea Labor Institute(KLI).
ISSUE PAPER, No. 47, 2005

Industrial Relations: Stability and Cooperation in a Changing Environment - With focus on collective bargaining, tripartism and dispute resolution mechanism
Lim Sang-hoon
Research Fellow, Korea Labor Institute
Email: <mailto:slim@kli.re.kr>
October 2005
http://www.kli.re.kr/kli_eng/elabor/47/elabr_Frameset3.htm
or
http://www.kli.re.kr/kli_eng/elabor/47/main3.htm

1. Wage and Collective Bargaining

A. System and structure of labor and management interest representation

Korean workers and employers have each formed unions and employer groups to represent their interests in matters of labor relations. These organizations serve two main functions. First, they negotiate and agree on the principles on wage, working conditions and union activities. Apart from these activities, the labor and management organizations also engage themselves in the government's policy-making process to represent their interests. The latter corresponds to "tripartism" that has already been discussed in the previous paper. This paper will therefore focus on the first main function, bargaining.
To address the issue of bargaining, it must first be determined who the bargaining parties are. Unlike in the west, employer groups in Korea are not formed at the level of industry (occupation) or region. In fact, the employers have tried since the mid-90s to align themselves at industry level to counter workers' demands for industry unions and industry-level collective bargaining. But employers' industrial gathering remains loose at best, with the Korean Federation of Banks as probably the only industry-level group of employers.

It should be noted, however, that there are a number of employer groups at a national level, to compensate for the near lack of industrial or regional representation. Korea Employers Federation, Federation of Korean Industries, Korean Chamber of Commerce, Korea International Trade Association and Korean Federation of Small and Medium Business, commonly known as the "five major economic groups," are the main organizations that represent employers' interests in labor relations. The five groups came together to form the Council of Korea Employers' Organizations, for which the Korea Employers Federation serves as the secretariat to coordinate the opinions of the different bodies. This is the main reason why the Korea Employers Federation has come to be known as the most representative of employers' interests in Korea.
The five employers' bodies including the Korea Employers Federation make it their principle to stay away from any and all types of bargaining, be it in a workplace, across an industry (occupation) or a region. Although they are nationwide groups, they neither engage in nation-level bargaining on wage and working conditions. Exceptions do exist, such as the wage bargaining between the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korea Employers Federation in 1993 and 1994, but they are highly rare. The furthest they would go in terms of involvement in labor relations is to announce the employers' position on the wage increase rate or labor's main demands in the year. But they are more active at the policy front. They aggressively get engaged in the government's policy-making process to represent employers' interests as a party to tripartism.
Unlike the employers, the workers have representation at various levels. At company, industry (occupation), region and national level, there are either unions or federations to advocate their interests. As of December 2002, there are about 6,500 unions in Korea, with a total membership of 1.61 million, or 11.6% of the total wage worker population. The predominant form of Korean unions is the company union: numbering around 5,500, company unions account for 84% of labor representation, and 61% of total membership. The company-level grouping poses challenges in unifying interests of all workers. The presence of two different nationwide federations further limits efforts to coordinate the varying interests of different members and groups. The two federations displayed starkly different political traits and activities in the beginning, but they are becoming more alike as time goes by.

The main functions of a labor union are: a. to determine wage, other working conditions and union activities through negotiations with the employer (group); and b. to represent workers' interests by participating in the government's policy-making process. Because engaging in the policy-making process through tripartism is an effective way of promoting interests of the overall worker population beyond the boundaries of individual groups or members, labor unions have increased their level of participation since the mid-90s.

The workers who do not belong to unions may still seek to represent their interests through the "labor-management council." The council is installed at each company to ensure employees' participation in management and enhance mutual understanding. Its installation is mandatory for companies with at least 30 workers on permanent payroll (who have the right to determine the working conditions), and voluntary for those of lesser size. The council shall be comprised of equal number of representatives from labor and management. In the event that a labor union already exists in the workplace with majority of the employees as members, labor's representatives to the council shall be designated by the union president and the union. With no such union present, labor representatives are voted by the employees. The council does not have the right to undertake industrial actions or determine the wage level. But workers are still able to represent their interests through the council, although to a limited extent, as the council deals in matters such as dividend allocation, employment adjustment, procurement of new machinery and techniques, improvement in the working process and employee training.

Continued at
http://www.kli.re.kr/kli_eng/elabor/47/papers/paper1.pdf
[full-text, 15 pages]

_____________________________
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] Hewitt: LATIN AMERICA'S 25 BEST EMPLOYERS [28 October 2005]

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
________________________________________________________________________

Hewitt

October 28, 2005

Hewitt and AméricaEconomía Announce Hewitt’s 25 Best Employers in Latin America
Results Show Best Employers Share Five Characteristi
cs
http://was4.hewitt.com/hewitt/resource/newsroom/pressrel/2005/10-28-05_eng.htm

MIAMI -- Hewitt Associates (NYSE: HEW), a global human resources services firm, and AméricaEconomía, one of Latin America’s most authoritative business publications, today unveiled Hewitt’s 25 Best Employers in Latin America for 2005.

More than 200 companies from 20 countries registered to participate in the annual initiative, which involves surveying thousands of employees and executives, as well as analyzing each organization’s people practices. This year, eight companies from Mexico, four from Brazil, three from Peru and companies from seven other countries topped the list:

AND MORE...including the LIST and practices....

_____________________________
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 *
****************************************


Monday, November 07, 2005

[IWS] OECD Policy Brief: CHILE 2005 Economic Survey [4 November 2005]

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 CHILE, 2005 [4 November 2005]
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/4/13/35540886.pdf
[full-text, 8 pages]

[excerpt]
Chile continues to be a strong performer and the economy has recovered in earnest from the 1998 2003 slowdown. Macroeconomic management has been exemplary and policies have been framed in rules-based, credible settings. Public finances are particularly robust, making the economy resilient to shocks. Structural reform is on-going, unleashing opportunities for growth. But Chile�s income gap remains sizeable relative to the OECD area. Lifting the economy�s growth potential is therefore Chile�s overarching policy challenge.

AND MUCH MORE....

Economic Survey of CHILE, 2005
http://www.oecd.org/document/10/0,2340,en_2649_201185_35527306_1_1_1_1,00.html

Executive Summary
http://www.oecd.org/document/25/0,2340,en_2649_201185_35533337_1_1_1_1,00.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] Dublin Foundation: LIFE SATISFACTION, HAPPINESS & BELONGING Survey [7 November 2005]

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)

First European Quality of Life Survey: Life satisfaction, happiness and sense of belonging [7 November 2005]
Author: Böhnke, Petra
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/publications/htmlfiles/ef0591.htm
or
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/publications/files/EF0591EN.pdf
[full-text, 112 pages]

Summary:
This report explores the impact material resources, social relationships, time use and perceptions of society have on individual life satisfaction, happiness and sense of belonging. It reveals that levels of individual well-being reflect levels of national prosperity and the quality of society, with dissatisfaction, unhappiness and feelings of alienation being concentrated in Europe’s poor regions and most of the NMS, where assistance is obviously needed most urgently.

_____________________________
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] Dublin Foundation: INCOME INEQUALITIES & DEPRIVATION Survey [7 November 2005]

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)

First European Quality of Life Survey: Income inequalities and deprivation [7 November 2005]
Author: Fahey,Tony; Whelan, Christopher T. and Maître, Bertrand
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/publications/htmlfiles/ef0593.htm
or
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/publications/files/EF0593EN.pdf
[full-text, 74 pages]

Summary:
The recent enlargement of the European Union has changed the context within which poverty and social exclusion in the Member States is understood and has highlighted the need for an expanded approach to these problems. Enlargement has widened the gap in living standards between the richest and poorest Member States: median household income in the richest EU states such as Denmark and Germany is three to four times greater than in the poorest Member States, such as Latvia (Eurostat, 2004).
_____________________________
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] Dublin Foundation: FAMILIES, WORK & SOCIAL NETWORKS Survey [7 November 2005]

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)

First European Quality of Life Survey: Families, work and social networks
Author: Saraceno, Chiara; Olagnero, Manuela and Torrioni, Paola
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/publications/files/EF0592EN.pdf
[full-text, 130 pages]

Summary:
This report explores how families, social networks and work­life balance issues affect quality of life. The survey shows that time constraints in the workplace impact negatively on overall quality of life, formation of families and family life. It highlights that people, particularly in the new Member States, often find it difficult to provide the necessary care for children and the elderly because of work commitments.

_____________________________
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                  *
****************************************


Friday, November 04, 2005

[IWS] ILO: UGANDA Trade Union Action Against HIV/AIDS MANUAL [2005]

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
________________________________________________________________________

ILO, Workers' Activities, ACTRAV

Trade Union Action against HIV/AIDS in Uganda: A Workers' Education Manual
Compiled and Edited by Mohammed Mwamadzingo and Rose Nassanga,2005
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/actrav/publ/aids_uga.pdf
[full-text, 132 pages]

This manual has been developed jointly with the National Organisation of Trade Unions in Uganda and is aimed at educating trade union members on the subject of HIV and AIDS. The manual has a special focus on Uganda, but we believe it is also useful in helping trade unions and other organizations in other countries to advocate for active involvement of the workplace as the arena to fight stigma, discrimination and hostility associated with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

_____________________________
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] ILO: ACADEMIC TENURE & ITS FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENT IN POST SECONDARY EDUCATION

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 (ILO)
Geneva

WP. 218
SECTORAL ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME
Working Paper
ACADEMIC TENURE AND ITS FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENT IN POST SECONDARY EDUCATION
Donald C. Savage
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/papers/education/wp218.pdf
[full-text, 165 pages]

[excerpt]
The paper was prepared by Dr. Donald Savage, an internationally recognized author
on academic freedom and tenure, professional ethics and more recently use of performance
indicators in higher education. Based on a case study approach in twelve countries from
Africa, North America, Asia and Europe, the research analyses and compares current
practices and trends over time in employment relationships and tenure, or what is termed
its .functional equivalent. in civil service systems. A perspective is thus given of how
tenure operates and of changes made in employment relationships over time, and how such
changes impact on critical issues, especially academic freedom, in higher education
settings in different systems: those with an .Anglo-American. tradition featuring
considerable institutional autonomy; those with more centralized traditions based on civil
service relationships; and a select group of countries which have moved towards more
democratic systems within the last decade. It concludes with a synthesis of practices and
their implications for employment in higher education, and with recommendations based
on the findings.
_____________________________
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] ILO: LATIN AMERICA Social Dialogue in EDUCATION survey [2005]

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 (ILO)
Geneva
2005

WP.229
SECTORAL ACTIVITES PROGRAMME
Working Paper
Social dialogue in education in Latin America: A regional survey
Marcela Gajardo (Sociologist, CINDE/PREAL) and Francisca Gómez (Geographer, Independent consultant)
Background document for the Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations concerning Teaching Personnel (CEART)
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/papers/education/wp229.pdf
[full-text, 58 pages]

[excerpt]
The paper provides a snapshot of the degree to which change occurs in line with
international standards on teachers’ rights and responsibilities and the processes derived
from ILO standards on freedom of association, the right to organize and collective
bargaining. Examples of good practices and successful reforms derived from healthy social
dialogue mechanisms, as well as a look at failures or stalemates that undermine reforms
enrich the paper. It concludes with a summary of continuing challenges and steps that
might usefully be taken by various actors to build strong social dialogue structures in
education in the interests of good teaching practices and quality education.

As recognition grows of the central role that teachers and their organizations must
play in the provision of universally accessible and high quality education and training, the
study is intended to shed light on how social dialogue contributes to these objectives in
countries of the Latin American region, and provides some basis for decision-makers to
reflect on this topical workplace issue when considering further reforms.
_____________________________
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                  *
****************************************


Thursday, November 03, 2005

[IWS] CURRENT LABOR UNION PERIODICALS web page

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
________________________________________________________________________

CURRENT LABOR UNION PERIODICALS
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/subjectGuides/usLaborUnions/UnionPer/CurrPer/default.html
[go to the right margin to find an alphabetic listing or click on the listings below]

The Catherwood Library has been building and maintaining a collection of union literature since it was founded in 1946. Among the key resources of this collection are our extensive holdings of labor union periodicals. In addition to the current and historic titles that can be found in our library, many labor union periodicals are now available on the web.

This guide lists Cornell University Library location information for current U. S. labor union periodicals as well as Internet sites for periodicals in this class.


UNION NAMES: A to E
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/subjectGuides/usLaborUnions/UnionPer/CurrPer/UnionNamesAE.html

UNION NAMES: F to J
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/subjectGuides/usLaborUnions/UnionPer/CurrPer/UnionNamesFJ.html

UNION NAMES: K to O
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/subjectGuides/usLaborUnions/UnionPer/CurrPer/UnionNamesKO.html

UNION NAMES: P to T
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/subjectGuides/usLaborUnions/UnionPer/CurrPer/UnionNamesPT.html

UNION NAMES: U to Z
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/subjectGuides/usLaborUnions/UnionPer/CurrPer/UnionNamesUZ.html


[This compilation was produced by Susan LaCette, Reference Specialist at the Catherwood Library]
_____________________________
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] ILO: Latin America: 2005 LABOUR OVERVIEW & DATA [18 October 2005]

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 (ILO)

2005 LABOUR OVERVIEW: Latin America and the Caribbean (first semester advance report) [18 October 2005]
http://www.oit.org.pe/portal/documentos/labover05.pdf
[full-text, 115 pages]

STATISTICAL ANNEX
http://www.oit.org.pe/portal/documentos/anexestad_avpl05_ing.xls
[spreadsheet]

[excerpt]
The Labour Overview Advance Report for 2005 conveys a mixed message with respect to
the current economic and labour market situation in Latin America and the Caribbean. In
general, there are reasons for cautious optimism as regards the region.s economic growth.
At the same time, despite favourable economic conditions, progress is modest compared
with the need to reverse the decent work deficit that has accumulated since the 1990s.

For Spanish Edition, see--
PANORAMA LABORAL 2005
http://www.oit.org.pe/portal/noticias.php?docCodigo=399

_____________________________
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.

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Stuart Basefsky *
Director, IWS News Bureau *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor *
New York, NY 10016 *
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Telephone: (607) 255-2703 *
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[IWS] ADB: AVIAN FLU may HALT ASIAN GROWTH Report [3 November 2005]

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
________________________________________________________________________

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

ERD POLICY BRIEF NO. 42
Potential Economic Impact of an Avian Flu Pandemic on Asia
Erik Bloom, Vincent de Wit, and Mary Jane Carangal-San Jose
November 2005
http://www.adb.org/media/articles/2005/8716_Asia_avian_flu/avianflu.pdf
[full-text, 17 pages]


Press Release [3 November 2005]
Avian Flu Pandemic Could Halt Asian Growth, ADB Report Says
http://www.adb.org/Media/Articles/2005/8716_Asia_avian_flu/default.asp?RegistrationID=6353

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (3 November 2005) - An < http://www.adb.org/birdflu>avian flu pandemic could halt Asia's growth rate to virtually zero and reduce the global trade of goods and services by 14%, according to new research by ADB.

The report - on < http://www.adb.org/media/articles/2005/8716_Asia_avian_flu/avianflu.pdf > The Potential Economic Impact of an Avian Flu Pandemic on Asia - stresses that there are many unknowns in predicting the consequences of a new flu pandemic. "This analysis has shown the consequences of a realistic and relatively mild set of assumptions," it says. "The consequences could be significantly worse if the outbreak lasts longer or is more virulent."

The report underscores that there are three major unknowns in projecting the possible economic impact of a pandemic - the magnitude and duration of the pandemic; the psychological impact resulting in loss of consumer and investor confidence; and the supply side effects, resulting from shrinkage in the work force.

"One clear lesson from the < http://www.adb.org/SARS>SARS outbreak [in 2003] was the psychological impact on economic activity," the report says. Compared to the SARS outbreak however, "a flu pandemic could be substantially more damaging in both human and economic terms."

The study examines two possible scenarios. The first is a mild outbreak with an infection rate of 20% and a population mortality rate of 0.1% (equivalent to 3 million people dead in Asia), with the most serious economic effects lasting two quarters. The second models the same health outcome but with the serious economic effects lasting four quarters and a psychological impact stretching beyond Asia.

The outcomes of a potential pandemic will basically depend on public policy responses, the report says. Governments and international organizations can do much to moderate the downside risk through appropriate and timely public policies, especially coordinating activities and sharing information, it argues. "Governments and international agencies should act transparently and disseminate accurate and timely information," the report says. "Recent experiences with SARS and other disease outbreaks have shown that the public and markets often panic in the face of uncertainty."

In the case of the first scenario, Asia could face a demand shock of around $99 billion in its 2006 GDP, the equivalent of 2.3 percentage points lost.

Some Asian economies could be harder hit than others, depending on their vulnerability to external shocks and whether they depend on a significant quantity of services, including tourism.

AND MUCH MORE....
_____________________________
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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