European Trade Union Anti-Discrimination study: innovative and significant practices in fighting discrimination and promoting diversity .

Last updated: 22/04/10

European Trade Union Anti-Discrimination study: innovative and significant practices in fighting discrimination and promoting diversity .

Mapping study on the trade union practices in fighting discrimination and promoting diversity

Outline of the research

DG Employment commissioned the Working Lives Research Institute in November 2008 to undertake the research in all 27 Member States as well as the EFTA/EEA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), three candidate countries (Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and one potential candidate, Serbia .

The study commenced in February 2009 to be completed in May 2010. The principal research methods used in the study were literature reviews, face-to-face in-depth interviews with almost 300 trade union and NGO respondents in 34 European countries, along with 15 case studies of selected initiatives.

The WLRI was asked to provide the Commission with a structured mapping of the most significant and/or innovative initiatives taken by trade unions:

To combat discrimination on five of the six grounds foreseen under Art. 13 of the EC Treaty; and

To promote diversity in the working environment across the 27 Member States as well as the EFTA/EEA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), Croatia, Turkey, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

WLRI was further asked:

To classify these initiatives to assess their outcome and impact;

To identify potential gaps (with a particular focus on the Member States that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007); and

To provide suggestions for further action, in particular how best practices can be made more visible and used, and how the Commission can better support the awareness of trade union activities in that field.

The WLRI research team was led by Professor Sonia McKay, working with Professor Steve Jefferys, Dr Eugenia Markova, Dr Anna Paraskevopoulou, Tessa Wright and Janet Emefo of the Working Lives Research Institute. Additionally the team appointed and worked with national experts in the 34 countries investigated.

The research began with the collection of national State of the Art reports in all 34 countries. Based on these, national experts selected trade unions and NGOs in each of their countries for in-depth face-to-face interviews, aimed at exploring trade union initiatives in relation to five strands of discrimination. Initiatives were classified based on two criteria: significance or innovativeness and 130 initiatives were identified.

In conducting the research WLRI worked closely with a Project Steering Group involving DG Employment, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, and trade union representatives of the European Trade Union Congress (ETUC), the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), European Managers (CEC) and the Council of European Professional and Managerial Staff (EUROCADRES).

At a seminar held in Madrid in March 2010 more than 60 trade union participants from around Europe heard presentations on the 15 case studies and on the overall research.
The final publication, detailing the research findings and the consequent suggestions for action, directed both to the trade unions and to the European Commission, is published by the European Commission in 2010.