Letterbox companies are legal entities set up by businesses to benefit from a regulatory framework in a jurisdiction in which they have little or no material operations. They enable ‘regime shopping’ for lower taxes, wages, labour standards and social contributions, as well as for different legal... Find out more

The European Commission published a consultation document with a view to take legislative action to establish fair minimum wages in Europe. In this policy brief, the researchers argue for a pragmatic approach of taking the ‘in-work-poverty-wage’ threshold of 60 per cent of the national full-time... Find out more

This policy brief details the necessary amounts for dignified living according to official EU figures and the perceptions of Europeans, as well as the actual disposable income of families in the lower part of the income distribution across EU member states. The research shows that households not... Find out more

This policy brief discusses how social media can help renew trade union collective action and strengthen the labour movement’s capacity to mobilise. It demonstrates how social media can strengthen campaigning activities by examining two recent union-led campaigns in the United States: ‘OUR Walmart’... Find out more

This policy brief examines the concept of a ‘Living Wage’ and its place in European political discourse. A Living wage is commonly understood as a needs-based estimate of the funds necessary for provision of basic goods for a worker and his/her family. Although the idea has seen a resurgence... Find out more

The 2017 revised Shareholder Rights Directive gives shareholders a say on executive pay and requires institutional investors to improve shareholder engagement. The directive is thus designed to provide a counterweight to the increasingly dominant ‘shareholder’ model of corporate governance which has... Find out more

This policy brief provides a brief but systematic overview of the different minimum wage regimes currently found in the EU as a basis for formulating some potential contours of a European minimum wage policy. Find out more

The three authors of this policy brief investigated whether multinational enterprises (MNEs) offer better terms and conditions for employment than domestic (non-MNE) firms. Using data from the WageIndicator web survey (www.wageindicator.org), the researchers compared wages, working conditions and... Find out more

This Policy Brief provides an overview of collective bargaining responses to the crisis in Europe. It shows clearly that collective bargaining has proven to be an effective instrument to maintain employment and to allow companies to find flexible solutions to deal with the steep economic downturn... Find out more

The widespread trend towards greater social inequality increasingly, if belatedly, became a policy preoccupation in the years immediately preceding the outbreak of the crisis. Sluggish growth, high unemployment and fiscal constraints suggest that the situation is likely to worsen further in the... Find out more