Social History of European Integration

The Meaning of “Social Europe”

     Employment and Workers’ Rights Health and Safety (Job-Related especially) Free movement of persons  Related to Immigration Women’s Issues  Equality in the Workplace Environment

Landmarks of EC/EU Social Policy

     Social Fund (Treaty of Rome 1958)  Assimilated to Structural Fund 1989-93 Women’s Equal Pay/ Equal Treatment/ Social Security Directives (1975-78) Schengen Agreement (1985) The Social Charter (1992) Employment Policy (Amsterdam 1997)

Hot Topics

   Immigration and Schengen Worker Issues   Wages and Benefits Trade Unions and Workers’ Participation Environment

The Story of Immigration

 First Phase: 1960-1973    Migration for temporary employment Active recruitment (peak 1968-73) Source of migrant labor: Mediterranean  European Mediterranean (southern Europe): Italy, Spain, Greece, Yugoslavia, Portugal  North Africa and Turkey

The Story of Immigration (cont’d-1)

 Second Phase: 1974 – early 1980s  From temporary to permanent immigration    Restrictive measures by European governments Temporary migrants from southern Europe return Temporary migrants from North Africa and Turkey settle and become permanent  Family reunion (eg, wives join husbands)   Feminization of immigrant population Immigrant communities emerge within Europe around mosques, schools, leisure and sports clubs, and political associations

The Story of Immigration (cont’d-2)

 Third Phase: mid-1980s – 1990s    Refugees and asylum-seekers “Illegals” Criminals of all kinds: drug-traffic, terrorists, common criminals

Schengen

    Agreements of 1985 and 1990 Originally Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Gerrmany Currently all EU except Britain and Ireland “Schengenland”    Freedom of movement within borders Common border policy for externals Cooperate in fight against crime

Worker Issues in the EC/EU

  Unemployment dilemma since 1973   Underlying challenge of structural change: movement away from manufacturing economy and labor force Immigrants become a threat Differing National Policies  Working conditions, especially security of employment    Industrial relations (worker-employer) Benefits Worker participation in decision-making (core of “industrial democracy”)

Worker Issues (Cont’d-1)

 Britain, Germany, and France compared   Britain     Wages set by collective bargaining (decentralized unions) More employer freedom to hire and fire Minimal (no) worker participation Strong health and safety protection for workers Germany    Social partnership preferred over adversarial relations between labor and management Thick layer of government-imposed protections for workers (especially job security) and worker benefits (“coddled”) Strong participation of workers in decisions: codetermination

Worker Issues (Cont’d-2)

   Differing “common policy” approach   Britain: minimal common standards France and Germany: raise all to their costly levels Some broader trends    France     Tradition of ideological division among unions and ideological conflict with employers and government Weak unions, low membership rates Weak worker participation in decisions Strong protections, especially for families and women Challenge to welfare state and benefits from 1980s on, as too expensive and hindering competitiveness Decline of union power, either by design (Margaret Thatcher) or by declining membership and political appeal Europe (EC/EU) regarded as a new opportunity for workers: shift from anti-Europe to pro-Europe by many unions

Social Dimension/ Social Charter

 Follow-up to SEA     Social aspects or social implications of completing the Internal Market A level playing field for Internal Market competition, thus part of its implementation?

A protection against the “social costs” of market freedom?

Inconsistent with the Internal Market?

Social Dimension/Charter (cont’d)

   Resistance led by Britain Social Charter of the 11   Protocol to (rather than in body of) Maastricht Treaty on European Union (signed 1992) Enables British “opt-out” Britain joins Social Charter in 1997 as part of body of Amsterdam Treaty

Websites

http://img.uoregon.edu/euro410/ Europa Commission DGs Curia