Switzerland . Volunteering projects for welfare recipients: a delicate balance between fulfilment, recognition and institutional expectations
Jérôme HEIM, Patrick ISCHER and Mathias ROTA
Although participation in socioprofessional integration measures may be tricky for some benefits claimants (single-parent families, the over-55s, those in receipt of benefits for over four years), this article shows that formal volunteer work can bring welfare recipients sociability and social recognition, provided it is not used as a means of free labour.
Keywords: Switzerland, volunteering, welfare benefits, socioprofessional integration, recognition.
Greece .Towards decent working conditions in the entertainment and audiovisual sectors?
Christina KARAKIOULAFIS and Chara KOKKINOU
In Greece, the capacity of entertainment and audiovisual unions to regulate working conditions through collective bargaining is limited by characteristics specific to working in these sectors. Unions in these sectors have also been faced with the negative long-term effects of budgetary austerity on collective bargaining. However, the Covid-19 crisis seems to have cleared the way for a union resurgence and a re-regulation of labour relations.
Keywords: Greece, entertainment and audiovisual sectors, union representation, collective bargaining, freelance work.
European Union .A second amendment of the European Works Council directive: A path strewn with obstacles
Udo REHFELDT
An agreement between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union paved the way in 2025 for a new revision of the European Works Council (EWC) Directive, the original version of which, dating back to 1994, was first amended in 2009. This new version, which the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has been calling for these last eight years, should allow for a significant increase in the number of EWCs and streamline the process of consulting EWCs while imposing heavier sanctions for breaches of the directive.
Keywords: European Union, European directive, European Works Council, information, consultation, European Trade Union Confederation.
India .The declining bargaining power of trade unions
Kingshuk SARKAR
This paper examines the evolution and contemporary challenges of the Indian trade union movement, tracing its historical roots and analyzing its declining bargaining power in the context of post-1991 economic liberalization. The advent of liberalization, privatization, and globalization policies in 1991 marked a significant shift, leading to a predominantly informal labour market which diminished unions’ ability to represent India’s diverse workforce. The recent enactment of the Industrial Relations Code 2020 exacerbates these challenges by introducing provisions that undermine workers’ rights, particularly the right to strike, and grant excessive powers to registrars to cancel union registrations.
Keywords: India, Trade Unions, Bargaining Power, Collective Bargaining, Labour Market, Informalization, Social Dialogue, Labour Laws.