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Michelle O’Sullivan, Associate Professor at the University of Limerick, and member of FEPS Scientific Council, offers an assessment of recent developments in working conditions and industrial relations, including the successful crisis response to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are certainly fears that after a period of progress, Europe might be going backwards today, driven by the general intention to boost economic competitiveness.

Her country, Ireland definitely suffered a setback 15 years ago, at the time of the great financial crisis, and the consequences are still felt. When it comes to contemporary employment reforms, according to Prof. O’Sullivan, one of the most interesting countries is the United Kingdom, where the government put forward important measures to improve labour relations, which deserve attention and support. The conversation ends with outlining some new ideas, like the 4-day work week, which is among the ideas that became subject of experiments and potentially can contribute to improve working conditions in Europe in the coming years.