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EIRO sectoral representativeness studies: methodology

Methodology

The first step is a discussion with the relevant parties at European level to agree on the definition of the sector to be studied. The sector is defined in terms of the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (Nomenclature statistique des activités économiques dans la Communauté européenne, NACE) to ensure the cross national comparability of the findings. However, the scope of the trade unions and employer organisations and the areas covered by the collective agreements often do not correspond exactly to the NACE definitions.

Data at national level is collected by the EIRO national correspondents on the basis of a questionnaire, which is published online together with the overview report and national reports.

Representatives of sectoral social partners – at both European and national level - are involved, consulted and required to comment on the information and data collected by the EIRO national correspondents during the preparation of the national and overview reports. This is done to ensure that all the interested parties are given the opportunity to contribute to the quality of the reports.

All final national reports are checked and validated by national level sectoral social partners. The overview report is evaluated at a formal meeting with representatives of the European sectoral social partners, the European Commission and Eurofound’s tripartite Advisory Committee on industrial relations.

Which organisations are included in the studies?

A European association is deemed to be a sector-related social partner, if

1. it is on the Commission‘s list of social partner organizations consulted on behalf of the sector under article 154 TFEU
2. and/or if it participates in the sector-related European Social Dialogue
3. or it has requested to be consulted by the EC under art. 154 TFEU

The representativeness of European level sectoral associations is assessed against the number and characteristics of their members at national level. Therefore, a national association is included in the studies, if it relates to the sector (in one of the four ways indicated below) and is either regularly involved in collective bargaining at national/sectoral level or is affiliated to any relevant European social partner organisation.

Defining relationship to the sector

The studies therefore analyse all national trade unions, employer organisations and multi-employer collective agreements that are sector-related in terms of any of the following four aspects or patterns:

• congruence – the domain of the organisation or scope of the collective agreement must be identical to the NACE demarcation;
• sectionalism – the domain or scope covers only a certain part of the sector, as defined by the NACE demarcation, while no group outside the sector is covered;
• overlap – the domain or scope covers the entire sector, along with parts of one or more other sectors. Studies do not include general associations that do not deal with sector-specific matters;
• sectional overlap – the domain or scope covers part of the given sector, as well as parts of one or more other sectors.

This example refers to the trade unions in the postal sector and their relationship to the sector:

Source: Dynamics of the European sectoral social dialogue (2008), page 37