On Friday, 19 December, Eurofound indicated in a new report that collective agreements improve job quality for workers in low-paid sectors—beyond their pay. The European agency analysed the content of 94 collective agreements in three low-paid sectors (food, leather, textiles, and clothing manufacturing; homecare and social services; and retail) in eleven EU Member States and Norway between 2015 and 2022.
Besides securing higher incomes, the agreements also offer non-monetary benefits and career development opportunities. Furthermore, the level of importance they place on employees’ well-being, such as work-life balance, is increasing.
Eurofound indicates, “Several new emerging themes are apparent: while collective agreements continue to address flexibility of working time and work organisation, they also compensate for irregularity of work and atypical working hours, referencing the well-being of employees. New clauses address work–life balance across all three low-paid sectors and give special protection to both younger and older workers.”
More information: https://aeur.eu/f/k4f (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)