Sectoral employer federations
The sectoral organisation of employers at EU level is much less developed than on the trade union side, where industry federations are constitutionally integrated into the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). In contrast, employer organisations are highly centralised in the Union of Industrial and Employer Confederations of Europe (UNICE), the European Union of Handicraft and Small and Medium Enterprises (UEAPME) and the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP), which engage with ETUC in intersectoral social dialogue and negotiations at EU level.
Although intersectoral organisations of employers dominate, there are sectoral employer federations at EU level. The first example is the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC), founded in 1905 as the International Federation of Building and Public Works, which is the organisation of employers involved in social dialogue with the European Federation of Building and Wood Workers, the EU level sectoral organisation of workers in the construction industry. It is recognised as representative by the Commission, although it does not represent small and medium firms in every Member State. The second example is the Western European Metal Trades Employer organisation (WEM) which was founded on an ad-hoc basis in 1962 and formalised in 1970. It represents metalworking employer organisations in nine of the Member States and others outside the EC. Its federated members are recognised as being responsible for the conclusion of the collective agreements in the metal industry of the countries concerned.
On the employer side, sectoral organisations at EU level mainly engage in trade promotion, or lobbying for business interests. There is much less in the way of social dialogue with their equivalent organisations, the European industry federations affiliated to ETUC. The European Commission has sought to promote such engagement by establishing sectoral social dialogue committees. The establishment of such European sectoral social dialogue committees may stimulate further development of sectoral employer federations.
See also: coordination of collective bargaining; cross-border trade union cooperation; Doorn group; employer organisations; European social dialogue; EU system of industrial relations; UEAPME.