This paper provides an assessment of employment and working conditions in Latvia before and immediately after the EU accession. The issues addressed include self-employment, multiple jobs, fixed-term contracts, unreported wages, overtime, unsocial working hours, health and safety at work, social dialogue. The study combines different methods: statistical and econometric analysis of recent Labour Force Surveys and enterprise surveys (Earning Structure Survey and Survey of Occupations); firm level case studies; interviews with experts. Findings indicate that despite recent improvements in legal and institutional environment, as well as some progress in working conditions, significant proportions of workers are exposed to serious risks; health and safety conditions are slow to improve (several bottlenecks are identified). 15 percent of employees in 2003 were usually working 50 or more hours per week, and often this overtime was involuntary and/or unpaid. The analysis suggest that, other things equal, unpaid overtime is more likely to be found in small firms, for temporary workers, for workers with short tenure. Presence of a trade union improves workers’ prospect to be paid for eventual overtime work.
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Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Labor and Demography with number
0506008.
Length: 37 pages Date of creation: 25 Jun 2005 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpla:0506008
Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 37. Based on the paper published under the same title in the volume (edited by Daniel Vaughan- Whitehead) 'Working and Employment Conditions in New EU Member States - Convergence or Diversity?' ILO-EC, Geneva: ILO, 2005, pp. 161-212. Contact details of provider: Web page: http://129.3.20.41
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Find related papers by JEL classification: J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining P23 - Economic Systems - - Socialist Systems and Transition Economies - - - Factor and Product Markets; Industry Studies; Population
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