Union Member Research Articles

DAMPAK KONFLIK SOSIAL BURUH BONGKAR MUAT PELABUHAN NUSANTARA KOTA PAREPARE

This research was conducted to determine the impact of social conflicts among the dockworkers at the Parepare Nusantara Port. A qualitative approach was utilized to explore the effects of social conflicts among the dockworkers at the Parepare Nusantara Port. The research began with initial observations, followed by field visits to conduct direct interviews with the informants, along with the collection of documentation for reference. The researcher selected informants based on the criteria of being officially registered members of the dockworkers union at the Parepare Nusantara Port, consisting of both basic cargo laborers and baggage laborers. Data analysis techniques employed in this study included data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of this research indicate that the impact of social conflicts among the dockworkers at the Parepare Nusantara Port comprises both functional and dysfunctional effects.

Extending the professional borders or maintaining the status quo? Union membership as boundary work

Disruption and changes within the profession of journalism instigate boundary disputes. In this article, we analyse boundary work ‘in the making’, with the debate about membership rules within the Norwegian Union of Journalists as a case. The research question asked is: How do positioning and rhetoric in the membership debate evoke boundary struggles in journalism, and how do they reflect the internal professional hierarchy? Theoretically anchored in the sociology of professions, this study is based on qualitative text analysis of debate articles in the specialist magazines Journalisten and Medier24, as well as qualitative interviews. The findings suggest two main positions. On the one hand, a struggle to protect pure professional identity, values, and integrity. On the other, arguments regarding union power and impact and the contention that in today’s digital media landscape journalism in practice involves a wide range of competencies. The two positions suggest a tension between white-collar professionalism and blue-collar unionism. This study contributes to our understanding of the shifting boundaries of journalism, and how changes in external conditions also impact upon internal professional identity.

Explaining Union Decline: Remaking Power Relations in the Pilbara Iron Ore Industry

How have scholars tried to explain marked union membership decline in the Global North, and how have they assessed consequent “union renewal” strategies? In this journal in 2020, Bowden argued that most accounts of unionism failed to explain decline, relied too much on state policy as causation and were too optimistic about those renewal strategies. One way to respond to these important general claims is to assess, as this article does, a striking and important local instance of decline and unsuccessful strategy – Pilbara unionism, once an archetype of mining workers’ power – and to do so over the entire history of an industry. In explaining the fall of the Pilbara mining unions, which for 20 years until 1986 had seemed so strong, “power resources” and geography itself were remade by capital in ways that were entwined with, but did not always rely on, state action. This argument recasts debate about decline in two ways: by drawing on a longer timeframe than is common in industrial relations scholarship and by adopting a more theoretically explicit, and inter-disciplinary, framing than is usual in the labour historiography addressing these issues. The explanation offered here shows how, after just 20 years of mining, union power in the Pilbara unravelled. Employer strategy, the precise nature and timing of state intervention, and the geographically textured nature of employer and union power explain the rise and fall of these unions.

Special Aspects of Legal Regulation of a State Order in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Member States

Special Aspects of Legal Regulation of a State Order in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Member States

Enforcing intra-EU ICSID arbitration awards in a post-Achmea world in Europe: could the European Court of Human Rights assist in resolving the deadlock?

Abstract When, at the enforcement stage, a European Union (‘EU’) Member State’s national court refuses to recognize and/or enforce a final intra-EU arbitration award rendered as per the ICSID Convention on the basis of the Court of Justice of the EU (‘CJEU’)’s decision in Slowakische Republik v Achmea BV, the right to the peaceful enjoyment of possessions, guaranteed by article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (‘A1P1’) of the European Convention on Human Rights (the ‘ECHR’), may be infringed. This article explores that issue. First, and by way of context, it explains the development of the so-called ‘intra-EU objection’ in the context of investor–State arbitration, culminating in the CJEU’s seminal ruling in Achmea and its progenies. Second, it provides an overview of various efforts to enforce intra-EU awards post-Achmea, focusing on ICSID Convention awards that have cleared any post-award remedies under the Convention, and how national courts have approached this. Third, it details how A1P1 of the ECHR might apply to the non-enforcement of intra-EU ICSID awards—engaging in a detailed analysis of the tests that would be applied by the European Court of Human Rights in such an instance. Finally, it discusses the potential remedy before the Court and the consequences for a finding of violation. While this article is focused on final and enforceable ICSID Convention awards, the analysis may be relevant to other intra-EU enforcement scenarios, subject to the specific factual circumstances in those scenarios.

CONVERGENCE IN TERMS OF NON-PERFORMING LOANS IN THE BANKING SECTOR: EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

This study aims to reveal the convergence among the member countries of the European Union (member and candidate) within the framework of the economic integration process based on the non-performing loan ratios of banks operating in the member countries. For this purpose, analyses were conducted with the Result of Updated Panic LM Test (Dummy Breaks, Factor) procedure developed by Payne et al. (2022) using the non-performing loan ratios for the period 1997–2022 in the European Union countries. Because of the analyses, convergence was found at various levels of significance among “Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Spain, and Turkiye”. Moreover, when the break periods are evaluated, it is observed that the regulations in the banking sector affect convergence relations. This study is expected to make important contributions to decision makers, national policy makers, and the banking sector in terms of banking sector standards. This study also contributes to the literature as it is the first study that deals with convergence based on non-performing loans (NPLs).

Citizens’ Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Innovations: Evidence from Six European Union Member States

Citizens’ Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Innovations: Evidence from Six European Union Member States

Serotype distribution of invasive pneumococcal disease from countries of the WHO Africa, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific regions: a systematic literature review from 2010 to 2021.

Most publications on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) serotype distribution are from about 20 countries (Australia, Canada, China, European Union members, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and USA). Here, we reviewed the literature among underrepresented countries in the Americas (AMRO), Africa (AFRO), Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), South-East Asia (SEARO), and Western Pacific (WPRO) WHO regions. We performed a systematic review of the most recent IPD serotype surveillance publications (from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2021, Medline/Embase) in those WHO regions. Selection criteria were delineated by contemporality, within-country geographical scope, and number of samples. Reported serotype distributions for each country were stratified by age group, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) serotype category (considering undifferentiated serotypes), and PCV program period (pre-PCV, intermediate, or PCVhv [higher valency PCV formulation]). Pre-PCV period pooled data estimated PCV serotype category distribution by age group across WHO regions, while for the PCVhv period, country-level dataset tables were prepared. Of 2,793 publications screened, 107 were included (58 pediatric, 11 adult, 37 all ages, and one comprising every age group). One-third of eligible countries (51/135) published serotype distribution, ranging from 30 to 43% by WHO region. Considering number of samples per WHO region, a few countries prevailed: AMRO (Brazil), AFRO (South Africa, Malawi, and Burkina Faso), and WPRO (Taiwan). In the pre-PCV period, PCV13 formulation serotypes predominated: ranging from 74 to 85% in children and 58-86% in adults in the different WHO regions. The PCVhv period represented half of the most recent IPD surveillance by countries (26/51). Undifferentiated serotypes represented >20% of IPD from most countries (34/51). Ubiquity of undifferentiated serotypes among the publications could constrain estimates of PCV program impact and of serotype coverage for newer PCVhv formulations; consequently, we recommend that countries favor techniques that identify serotypes specifically and, rather than reporting PCV formulation serotype distributions, provide serotype results individually. The protocol has been prospectively registered at PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42021278501. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=278501.

Youth and their participation in the political process

Youth people are the most important basis for the development of social and political systems and heritage change in different societies, so that their influence and dominance over various areas of life appears strongly, especially with regard to lifestyle, thinking, behavior and their point of view in the way of managing the political system. young people plays a powerful role in their Participation in the Political process, such as participation and representation in the electoral process, Pressure on the political system to achieve their demands, who were always been on the forefront of political, cultural and social changes and They were part of the process of changing and rebuilding political systems , when their demands are not met and they do not feel their presence in the political sphere, they do not allow political stability and continuity, so their presence and role appear strongly in society. this research is quantitative research, and the aim of the research is to display the active participation of young people in the political process. The research community is represented by universities and institutes in Erbil, sample research study from university and institute students through data collected from a data collection questionnaire. As a result of this research, we have found that 17.4 % members in student unions and youth organizations. However, 82.6% were not members of any organization, and only 29.4% of the participants were members of political parties. With regard to their active participation in the political process, it is interesting to note that 60.7% of the respondents do not have information about single-constituency and multiple-constituency system for the elections in the Kurdistan Region.

Towards the adoption of climate change acts in the Visegrad Group countries

AbstractThe majority of Western European countries have adopted a framework climate law (a climate change act [CCA]) to serve as a comprehensive basis for their climate policy and set economy‐wide climate targets. By contrast, among the new European Union Member States, only Malta and Hungary have adopted such a CCA. In Czechia, Poland and Slovakia, a draft CCA exists, yet their adoption is uncertain. This article therefore focuses on countries of the Visegrad Group (Czechia, Poland and Slovakia) and examines the chances of adopting an effective CCA in these countries, taking into account trends, pressures and needs. The article proposes elements that these climate laws should contain, considering the specific situation in these States.

Profiling Practices in the Context of Anti-Terrorism Prevention Strategies: Acceptable or Controversial Anticipatory Measures

In the face of the constant threat and severity of terrorist acts that continue to claim an increasing number of victims, the international community is incessantly exposed to such dangers. Anticipating certain early interventions conducted by security and law enforcement services in the European Union member states, such as profiling practices, has become essential for identifying individuals on the path to radicalization or violent extremism.

Analysis of Export Competitiveness of Agri-Food Products at the EU-27 Level through the Perspective of Technical Complexity

This paper aims to identify the export competitiveness of agri-food products at the level of the European Union Member States, considering indicators/elements belonging to technical innovation (technical complexity) as well as qualitative elements. The main research problem is to examine the differences in the technical complexity of agri-food exports (EXPY) between EU Member States. Through detailed analysis of product categories and Member States’ performance, we have identified significant differences in the technical complexity of exports. Products such as dairy, meat, cereal and vegetable preparations were associated with high technical complexity, while fruit, tobacco and oils were classified in the low technical complexity category. We also identified Member States with exports characterised by high technical complexity, including Cyprus, Ireland and Luxembourg, and those with low technical complexity, such as Slovakia, Latvia and Croatia. These findings suggest the influence of various factors, such as economic specialisation, natural resources and R&D investment on shaping the agri-food export landscape in the European Union. In-depth analysis of these issues provides significant insights for understanding the economic and technical dynamics in the European agri-food sector.

Molecular Hosts for the Sensing and Separation of 99TcO4.

In recent years, European Union member states have hastened energy policy deliberations to address supply and sustainability concerns, placing a significant emphasis on nuclear energy as a means to achieve decarbonization goals. However, despite its significant role in power generation, nuclear energy faces significant challenges linked to fuel reprocessing and waste disposal, that hinder its broader expansion. In this context, the separation of technetium represents a concerning issue. Indeed, technetium's catalytic activity can impede the extraction of uranium, neptunium, and plutonium, affecting waste reprocessing efficiency. Additionally, the stable form of technetium in aerobic conditions, pertechnetate (TcO4 -), poses risks of groundwater contamination due to its mobility and solubility. Hence, sensing and separation of TcO4 - is imperative for both nuclear fuel processing and minimising radioactive contamination in the environment. However, the binding of TcO4 - and its separation from contaminated solutions present challenges due to the acidic (or basic) waste components and the high ionic strength in real matrices. Supramolecular chemists have addressed these issues by designing receptors inspired by molecular recognition principles. This article explores recent advancements and future directions in TcO4 - sensing and separation (using extraction and sorption) with a focus on molecular hosts. Metal-organic receptors will also be discussed.

Powderly and the worker awakening: speaking to the South in 1885

ABSTRACT Throughout his 1885 speaking tour across the South, Terence Powderly both respected and challenged the region’s color line. Dedicated to growing the Knights of Labor (KOL) membership in the rapidly industrializing South, Powderly asked white and black workers to recognize their common cause in protesting their new wage slavery. Recognizing that the KOL’s vision of a cooperative commonwealth depended on a racially unified and enlarged union membership, Powderly pushed the notion of worker equality while respecting the South’s views of social inequality. His variegated approach to racial relations at speaking engagements across seven southern states over a four-week period reflected both a pragmatic approach to growing union membership and a moral courage in pressing against the south’s racial boundaries.

Emergency room visits (ERVs) among occupational groups associated with ambient conditions in Taiwan.

This population-based study explored emergency room visits (ERVs) from all-causes, circulatory and respiratory diseases among different occupational groups in Taiwan associated with ambient average temperature. Daily area-age-sex specific ERVs records were obtained from the Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare from 2009 to 2018. Distributed lag-nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to estimate the exposure-response relationships between daily average temperature and ERVs for all-causes, circulatory and respiratory diseases by occupational groups. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool the overall cumulative relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The exposure-response curves showed ERVs of all-cause and respiratory diseases increased with rising temperature across all occupational groups. These effects were consistently stronger among younger (20-64 years old) and outdoor workers. In contrast, ERVs risk from circulatory diseases increased significantly during cold snaps, with a substantially higher risk for female workers. Interestingly, female workers, regardless of indoor or outdoor work, consistently showed a higher risk of respiratory ERVs during hot weather compared to males. Younger workers (20-64 years old) exhibited a higher risk of ERVs, likely due to job profiles with greater exposure to extreme temperatures. Notably, the highest risk of all-causes ERVs was observed in outdoor male laborers (union members), followed by farmers and private employees, with the lowest risk among indoor workers. Conversely, female indoor workers and female farmers faced the highest risk of respiratory ERVs. Again, female farmers with consistent outdoor exposure had the highest risk of circulatory ERVs during cold conditions. Our findings highlighted the complexity of temperature-related health risks associated with different occupational contexts. The population-level insights into vulnerable occupational groups could provide valuable comprehension for policymakers and healthcare practitioners.

Avoiding or Accepting the Unknown: Asylum in the European Union

Many scholars have already dedicated their attention to the perceived migration crisis in Europe and related phenomena. The objective of the present paper is to examine tendencies of selected European national cultures to accept diversity and people with a migration background. The research hypothesis posits that countries with low Uncertainty Avoidance Index are more likely to accept migrants and refugees in their territory; while, on the contrary, countries that have relatively higher Uncertainty Avoidance Index tend to be more sceptical in regard to accepting migrants and refugees. In the study a variety of qualitative and mixed research methods (such as qualitative desk research, comparative analysis, and cluster analysis) are used. Firstly, applying the Uncertainty Avoidance Dimension by Hofstede, the European Union Member States are separated into four clusters according to their ranking within the Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Next, utilising data collected within the project MAGYC, the EU Member States are ranked according to the number of asylum centres, detention centres or similar facilities per capita. Finally, the countries with the highest Uncertainty Avoidance Index and the lowest number of asylum centres per capita are compared providing a comparison of the countries with the lowest Index and the highest number of asylum facilities per capita. The constructed simplified model allows for answering the question whether certain relation between inclination to avoid the unknown and the willingness of national cultures to accept migrants and refugees exists, concluding that the hypothesis is valid only in the case of several countries.

Long-term impact of basin-wide wastewater management on faecal pollution levels along the entire Danube River

The Danube River is, at 2857 km, the second longest river in Europe and the most international river in the world with 19 countries in its catchment. Along the entire river, faecal pollution levels are mainly influenced by point-source emissions from treated and untreated sewage of municipal origin under base-flow conditions. In the past 2 decades, large investments in wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure were made in the European Union (EU) Member States located in the Danube River Basin (DRB). Overall, the share of population equivalents with appropriately biologically treated wastewater (without disinfection) has increased from 69% to more than 85%. The proportion of tertiary treatment has risen from 46 to 73%. In contrast, no comparable improvements of wastewater infrastructure took place in non-EU Member States in the middle and lower DRB, where a substantial amount of untreated wastewater is still directly discharged into the Danube River. Faecal pollution levels along the whole Danube River and the confluence sites of the most important tributaries were monitored during four Danube River expeditions, the Joint Danube Surveys (JDS). During all four surveys, the longitudinal patterns of faecal pollution were highly consistent, with generally lower levels in the upper section and elevated levels and major hotspots in the middle and lower sections of the Danube River. From 2001 to 2019, a significant decrease in faecal pollution levels could be observed in all three sections with average reduction rates between 72 and 86%. Despite this general improvement in microbiological water quality, no such decreases were observed for the highly polluted stretch in Central Serbia. Further improvements in microbiological water quality can be expected for the next decades on the basis of further investments in wastewater infrastructure in the EU Member States, in the middle and lower DRB. In the upper DRB, and due to the high compliance level as regards collection and treatment, improvements can further be achieved by upgrading sewage treatment plants with quaternary treatment steps as well as by preventing combined sewer overflows. The accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU would also significantly boost investments in wastewater infrastructure and water quality improvements in the middle section of the Danube. Continuing whole-river expeditions such as the Joint Danube Surveys is highly recommended to monitor the developments in water quality in the future.

Stała Współpraca Strukturalna (PESCO) jako przykład dyferencjalizmu eksperymentalnego w Unii Europejskiej

POLAND IN THE EUROPEAN UNION TOWARDS EUROSCEPTIC SELF-ISOLATION By joining the European Union on 1 May 2004, Poland symbolically finalized the transformation process from the position of a nation state (NS) towards a member state (MS). The European Union Member States, in addition to being the main actors of the integration process, are also affected by various natural centrifugal forces in this atypical international organization. It results from selfishness and particularism of the states as well as from natural national selfinterests, on which stable national preferences are clearly defined and exposed by member states. From the perspective of the transformation process of Poland as the largest and most important EU member state located in Central and Eastern Europe, we can distinguish two periods: 1. 2004-2015. At that time, Poland strongly supported the European Commission (EC) and the Community method, which gives the EC a central role in the decision-making process. This period can be defined by the process of transition from a nation state to a Member State. 2. From 2015, when Poland was ruled by anti-liberal and more Eurosceptic government. This period, in turn, can be defined by the hybrid accumulation of features of a national state and a Member State, which makes us deal with a national member state (NMS). However, the tendency that can be observed runs in the direction of a backward transformation from a Member State to a nation-state. The subject of this study is only the second period in the European policy of Poland expressed by the accumulation of the features of NS and MS with a tendency in the reverse direction of transformation from a Member State to a nation- state. The main research thesis focuses on the statement that after 2015 Poland in the European Union drifts towards Eurosceptic self-isolation.

Legal provisions for the facilitation of the transition to a circular economy in the Polish legal system

The transition to a circular economy (CE) is a priority objective for European Union (EU) Member States. Specifically, this goal is stated in the 8th Environmental Action Programme (which outlines a programme until 2030), the European Green Deal, European Commission communications, and the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC as amended by Directive 2018/851. As a member of the EU, Poland is obliged to align its waste management practices with the CE; this work is reflected in legislative changes related to waste, packaging, and the municipal maintenance of cleanliness and order. This article presents the legal status of the transition to a CE in Poland, including the established legal instruments. The Polish legal system has developed measures to protect the environment, life, and human health by preventing and reducing waste and improving the efficiency of raw material use. Waste management is consistent with the waste hierarchy, with a focus on maximising recovery (material and organic recycling, energy recovery), an extended producer responsibility system, and strict requirements for recovery and recycling rates, with a particular focus on plastic packaging. In Poland, the CE Roadmap—which includes a legislative toolkit on sustainable industrial production, sustainable consumption, bioeconomy, new business models, and CE implementation and monitoring – has been developed for the transformation toward a CE. Poland’s priorities in this regard include: (1) innovation, strengthening cooperation between industry and the scientific sector, resulting in the implementation of innovative solutions in the economy; (2) creating a European market for secondary raw materials, where their movement would be easier; (3) ensuring the high quality of secondary raw materials that results from sustainable production and consumption; and (4) developing the service sector.

The problem of refugees and asylum seekers in the axis of Turkey-EU relations: opportunities and challenges

The European Union membership negotiations between Turkey and the European Union have been continuing since 1999. As no result has been obtained from the negotiations yet, it is not thought that Turkey will become a member of the union in the near future. While the process was going on, there were internal turmoil in the countries neighboring Turkey and as a result of this, especially Turkey and the member countries of the union started to receive immigration. The aim of this study is to examine the situation of individuals who had to migrate to Turkey and the member states of the European Union and to analyze the effects of this situation on the relations between the two parties.