*** CHRISTOPHE DEGRYSE (Ed.): Bilan social de l'Union européenne 2008. The Trade Union Institute (5 bld du Roi Albert II, B-1210 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2240470 - Fax: 2240502 - e-mail: etui@etui.org - Internet: http://www.etui.org ). 2009, 266 pp, €20. ISBN 978-2-87452-147-8.
An annual publication designed by the European Social Observatory (monitoring centre) upon request from the European Trade Union Institute and the European Trade Union Confederation, this Bilan Social (social stocktake) is always an event in itself due to the utter reliability of the diagnoses contained within it. This is demonstrated by the fact that in last year's issue, economist Pierre Defraigne, erstwhile high-ranking civil servant at the European Commission who is now head of the Madariaga Foundation, gave a frank description of the wild forays of financial capitalism that have, as far as companies are concerned, so fatally accompanied the freeing up of finance from control from the political world. He slammed the 'pensée unique' dictated by the City in the newspapers which serve as its heralds. One year on, we have experienced a financial and economic tsunami, which has proved him right, and political leaders are returning to the offensive, irrespective of their political colourings. "A large section of the theoretical edifice of political economy seems to have been shaken up by the crisis," observes Christophe Degryse in the preface, adding that in this radical challenge to the casino capitalism that was caused by financial capitalism itself, the European Commission found itself off balance and "had to turn itself into a virtuoso of casuistry in order to endorse bailouts and other state aid without noticing an uneven playing field or state aid for lame ducks".
This year's stocktake is mostly concerned with the way the social aspects of this crisis should be responded to politically, both upstream and downstream, and the implications for the sustainable development agenda and the fight against climate change. The articles are impregnated with two fundamental ideas, both of them high class. The first is that over and above the subprime crisis, it is a crisis about the division of wealth that is at the roots of the collapse, in other words the obscene amounts of wealth accumulated by a tiny minority and the shocking impoverishment of the vast majority. Clearly, "first and foremost, the political response has to get rid of the working poor and ensure that everyone should be able to have sufficient resources to able to house, feed and take care of themselves from the fruits of their labour or from social welfare," explains Christophe Degryse. He adds: "The very fact that this simple statement still needs to be highlighted in the twenty-first century demonstrates the urgency of escaping from these past 30 or 40 years of ultra-liberalism". The other idea running through the book is the fact that humanity now clearly faces the brand new duty of managing its own biotope and its delicate balances, in other words of ensuring the survival of mankind. This should encourage the political world not to want to 'green' capitalism but to work to "change paradigms and move from competition to cooperation, from short-term growth to long-term development". These points of view will certainly feed into the vitally necessary reflection in the current situation …
Michel Theys
*** JACQUES DELORS, MICHEL DOLLÉ: Investir dans le social. Editions Odile Jacob (15 rue Soufflot, F-75240 Paris cedex 05. Tel: (33-1) 44416484 - Internet: http://www.odilejacob.fr ). 2009, 288 pp, €23. ISBN 978-2-7381-2231-5.
This book should be read by anybody aware of social issues. It is a must-read for reflection, developing innovative employment proposals, welfare, reducing inequality and action in these domains. Social partners (employers and trade unions) and French and European politicians will discover in its pages priceless ideas about how to combine the welfare state, the social state and social dialogue. Former European Commission President Jacques Delors and economist Michel Dollé, who used to be Secretary General at the 'Commissariat au Plan,' show that changes in employment and income, existing social inequalities and dangers to employment and welfare make it even more pressing and necessary than ever to come up with joined-up policy on transforming state social provision. The current social and economic crisis will both sollicit and fundamentally challenge employment and social welfare systems. The authors therefore recommend measures like a reorganisation of the education system to allow the stimulation and development of all individuals; a drastic (but fair) reform of adult education; a family policy suited to the people who need it the most, like single-parent families; and state employment services that can offer all school leavers and the unemployed high quality services that can increase their skills and therefore have an opportunity to develop themselves professionally. It is clearly tangible solidarity that is being addressed in this fine volume with the aim of getting European countries, which have been far too characterised by increasing levels of individualism, to move from passive compassion to active collective responsibility. (J-PB)
*** BERNARD GAZIER, FREDERIC BRUGGEMAN (Eds.): Restructuring Work and Employment in Europe. Managing Change in an Era of Globalization. Edward Elgar Publishing (The Lypiatts, 15 Lansdown road, Cheltenham, Glos, GL50 2JA, UK. Tel: (44-1242) 226934 - Fax: 262111 - e-mail: info@e-elgar.co.uk - Internet: http://www.e-elgar.com ). 2008, 405 pp. ISBN 978-1-84720-569-8.
Employment policy is top of the list of concerns these days for decision-makers as never before. The European institutions are seen by ever greater numbers of people as being the origin of the direct and largely unregulated competition that workers are confronted with, rather than a power that can introduce policies to protect jobs. In the process of harmonisation, EU companies have experienced an unprecedented wave of restructuring, with significant repercussions on the workers concerned. This practice has, moreover, become permanent and some people therefore say the time has come to reconcile necessary economic changes with minimum security levels for ordinary people. The "Monitoring Innovative Restructuring in Europe" (MIRE) project run by researchers and other academic experts in domains as wide-ranging as economics, health and sociology, has been monitoring restructuring in Europe. MIRE aims to measure the impact of restructuring on workers, particularly in the field of health, and to look at success stories in nation states that could be applied to other European markets. This book arises from MIRE and describes the restructuring practices in five European countries at legal level and in terms of relations with the trade unions. It measures the impact of losing ones job on workers' physical and mental health. The authors report the perspectives of human resource professionals, trade union representatives, social workers, employees and doctors. They systematically set out policies to better manage the social impact of restructuring. Alongside politicians and people working on employment and social issues, the book is also aimed at economists, sociologists and HR managers. (NDu)
*** BÉLA GALGÓCZI, MAARTEN KEUNE, ANDREZ WATT (Eds.): Jobs on the Move. An Analytical Approach to 'Relocation' and its Impact on Employment. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes / Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - e-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Work & Society" series, No. 62. 2008, 243 pp, €27-90. ISBN 978-90-5201-448-7.
In recent years, concerns about the relocation of factories and jobs have been on the increase in the minds of workers and trade unions in the "old" EU15. Some people fear a mass exodus of well-paid jobs to lower pay countries with more relaxed employment regulations, but it should be borne in mind that foreign direct investment is crucial for technological change and better living standards in the new EU Member States. Faced with this dilemma, researchers in economics have been measuring relocation within the EU and its impact on the human and economic level. In this empirical study, they analyse regional characteristics and various areas of the economy where relocation has occurred with a view to understanding how these processes operate and the qualitative and quantititave impact on jobs. The book also looks at foreign direct investment in the new EU Member States to identify the impact of fdi in the economy of origin and also the benefits for the beneficiary economies. This study publishes details of the impact of relocation on strategies and trade unions in Europe and suggests ways of ensuring better protection of employment in the EU15. (NDu)
*** PETER ESTER, RUUD MUFFELS, JOOP SCHIPPERS, TON WILTHAGEN (Eds.): Innovating European Labour Markets Dynamics and Perspectives. Edward Elgar Publishing (see above). 2008, 354 pp. ISBN 978-1-84844-007-4.
European labour markets have experienced tough times in recent years. The acute crisis it is undergoing these days has not helped and the concomitant social consequences will simply make the problem worse. If one subscribes to the idea that the labour market is a major engine of social integration, cohesion and the creation of well-being, then the negative situation facing the labour market will have repercussions on the whole of society. This book looks at three areas of the labour market in turn. The first assesses changes to, and policies introduced on the foreign labour market. The second looks at "flexicurity" and flexibility on domestic labour markets. The third looks at changes and transition in the workers' working life, paying particular attention to action and policies implemented in this domain at national level. The economics and sociology researcher authors examine best practice in Europe in order to discern the substance of such measures and apply it at EU level in areas like education, the work-home balance, retirement and immigration. The book will be of great interest to researchers, academics and politicians concerned with employment. (NDu)
*** PHILIPP GONON, KATRIN KRAUS, JURGEN OELKERS, STEFANIE STOLZ (Eds.): Work, Education and Employability. Peter Lang (32 Hochfeldstrasse 32, Postfach 746, CH-3000 Bern 9. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - e-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Studies in Vocational and Continuing Education" series, No. 4. 2008, 320 pp, €54. ISBN 978-3-03911-294-4.
Arising from a conference on work, education and employability held in Ascona in 2006, this book looks at whether the former is able to meet the demands of the latter. Strongly connected in modern society, these two domains have given rise to and fed into the debate about training in the workplace and the idea of lifelong learning. Is it education that prepares people for the world of work or is it when people start work that they find ways of dealing with working life and the challenges arising from it? The thirteen essays look at apprenticeship and learning at work and whether traditional education is enough in itself to ensure the employability of workers in the future. They also look at the role that the work environment can play as a learning curve by constantly training people at work. The authors look at the issue in Europe, the United States and Japan, deliberately focussing on the human component and the crucial need for flexibility, adjustment and mobility by individuals which is, they argue, a crucial precondition for workers' survival and a future for their jobs. (NDu)
*** EVE C. LANDAU, YVES BEIGDEBER: From ILO Standards to EU Law. The Case of Equality between Men and Women at Work. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers (2 Plantijnstraat, 2321 JC Leiden, The Netherlands. Tel: (31-71) 5353500- Fax: 5317532 - Internet: http://www.brill.ne/nijhoff ). 2008, 340 pp. ISBN 978-90-04-15718-7.
Written by two lawyers specialising in the study of international organisations, the labour market and EU law, this book comes at the right time. With the review of the Directive on parental leave, the European Commission's campaigning for equal pay between men and women and the European Parliament's battle to have women making up 50% of EU election lists, the EU seems to be putting gender equality at the top of its priorities. This is an ideal opportunity to examine progress over the past fifty years and consider the challenges to be faced in the future in this domain, and the authors have done just that in this review of the various International Labour Organisation, United Nations, European Union and Council of Europe conventions. The book provides a legal analysis of specific issues like equal pay and working conditions, maternity issues, who should provide proof of discrimination, protection against sexual harassment and positive discrimination. This highly accessible book provides a comprehensive account that will be of great interest to anyone dealing with such issues in any form. (TBa)