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Nicola Countouris

Nicola Countouris is professor of labour and European law at University College London.

Amazon’s office mandate: The hidden power play behind workplace control

Nicola Countouris and Valerio De Stefano

Amazon’s office mandate exposes workplace power dynamics and the need to rethink employer control.

Social Europe needs a new concept of ‘worker’

Nicola Countouris, Valerio De Stefano and John Hendy

The distinction between employed and self-employed is becoming incoherent and outdated.

Platform-work directive: the clock is ticking

Antonio Aloisi, Silvia Rainone and Nicola Countouris

The ‘gig’-economy directive, a critical legacy of social rights from this EU term, is being held up by some member states.

Reconstruction: time for transformative ideas

Kalina Arabadjieva, Nicola Countouris, Bianca Luna Fabris and Wouter Zwysen

As the world inches back to normality, the Covid-19 crisis highlights deep structural inequalities and the urgent need for bold, systemic solutions to tackle climate

Europe needs a social compass

Esther Lynch, Nicola Countouris and Philippe Pochet

Europe is undergoing multiple transitions. For these to succeed, social dialogue to build consensus will be essential.

labour law,self-employed,personal work,discrimination,CJEU,Court of Justice,equality directive

Making labour law fit for all those who labour

Nicola Countouris, Mark Freedland and Valerio De Stefano

EU anti-discrimination law applies to all ‘personal work’—not just employment contracts—the Court of Justice has ruled.

remote work,hybrid work

Working from a distance: remote or removed?

Nicola Countouris and Valerio De Stefano

Remote work will outlast the pandemic. But workers must be inoculated against the risks.

Metaverse,labour

The Metaverse is a labour issue

Valerio De Stefano, Antonio Aloisi and Nicola Countouris

The Metaverse has been talked about only in terms of gee-whiz technologies.

Regulating digital work: from laisser-faire to fairness

Nicola Countouris

The proposal for an EU directive on platform work about to emerge is welcome, yet insufficient—and no substitute for national action.

Structural solutions for structural inequalities—a trade union perspective

Luca Visentini, Nicola Countouris and Philippe Pochet

Responses to the pandemic have upended the idea that ‘there is no alternative’ to macroeconomic policies engendering widening inequality.

The ‘long Covid’ of work relations and the future of remote work

Nicola Countouris and Valerio De Stefano

The pandemic made us all familiar with ‘social distancing’. Employers are starting to glimpse a future where ‘contractual distancing’ is normalised.

Collective-bargaining rights for platform workers

Nicola Countouris and Valerio De Stefano

The pioneering Danish collective agreement on platform-based domestic workers has been vitiated by a misguided ruling by its competition authority.

S&D Group in the European Parliament advertisement

Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

Cohesion Policy seeks to foster balanced development and reduce economic, social, and territorial disparities, focusing on rural areas, regions in industrial transition, and those with severe or permanent natural or demographic disadvantages, including outermost, sparsely populated, island, cross-border, and mountain regions.

READ THE PAPER HERE

ADAPT advertisement

Cohesion Policy


In a context of growing direct employee voice in workplace innovation processes, the BroadVoice project explored how worker representatives and industrial relations can play a role in these dynamics. Based on a two-year study in 24 workplaces across six European countries, this comparative report, edited by Vassil Kirov (IPS-BAS) and Ilaria Armaroli (ADAPT), highlights the evolving contours of workplace democracy shaped by the involvement of worker representation in employee-driven innovation.

READ THE REPORT HERE

ETUI advertisement

HESA Magazine Cover

Back to school with HesaMag 30: the leading European magazine on occupational safety and health explores teachers’ deteriorating working conditions. With field reporting, expert voices and trade union analysis, plus insights into EU policy shifts, discover why teachers’ health is key to our future.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Ageing workforce
Is Europe’s mental health still in crisis?

New Eurofound research reveals a complex picture of mental health in Europe post-pandemic. While some factors show improvement, concerning trends persist, including an alarming halt to the decades-long decline in suicide rates. A new episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast explores these issues, highlighting that vulnerable groups are being disproportionately affected. It also discusses how significant barriers to mental healthcare—such as stigma and long waiting lists—are leaving many without vital support.
LISTEN FOR FREE

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Spring Issues

Join the conference “Understanding the power of AI over decisions”

Join the conference 'Understanding the power of AI over decisions' on 5 November at the EESC in collaboration with the EESC Workers' Group - Spaces are limited!
Continuing FEPS’ longstanding working relationship with Nordic trade unions, this event will launch the book "Algorithmic rule", on how AI systems already influence public and workplace decisions, ahead of the upcoming legislative proposal on AI in the workplace.
It will also inaugurate the exhibition "My boss, the algorithm"!

REGISTER NOW

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the European Minimum Wage Directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

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