Direkt zum Inhalt
topic_industrialrelations.jpg

Arbeitsbeziehungen

Gewerkschaften, Arbeitgeberorganisationen und Behörden spielen eine Rolle bei der Governance der Arbeitsbeziehungen. Sie sind miteinander verbundene Teile der auf europäischer, nationaler, sektoraler, regionaler und auf Unternehmensebene bestehenden Systeme. Angesichts von Technologien und Arbeitsformen, die sich in einem ständig wandelnden wirtschaftlichen Umfeld entwickeln, waren die Systeme der Arbeitsbeziehungen in den vergangenen Jahren mit kritischen Herausforderungen konfrontiert.

In diesem Zusammenhang hat die Europäische Kommission 2015 einen „Neustart für den sozialen Dialog“ in Europa auf den Weg gebracht. In einer gemeinsamen Erklärung von Juni 2016 betonten die Kommission, der Rat der Europäischen Union und die Sozialpartner seine wesentliche Rolle als wichtiger Bestandteil der Beschäftigungs- und Sozialpolitik der EU.

Topic

Recent updates

EU context

Tätigkeiten von Eurofound

Im Laufe von über 40 Jahren hat sich Eurofound zu einem wichtigen Kompetenzzentrum für die Beobachtung und Analyse von Trends bei den Arbeitsbeziehungen entwickelt. Dazu zählen Verbindungen zwischen dem sozialen Dialog auf europäischer und nationaler Ebene. Gestützt auf die Kenntnisse seines Netzwerks europäischer Korrespondenten in den 28 EU-Mitgliedstaaten sowie Norwegen hat die Stiftung die Entwicklungen in allen Mitgliedstaaten und in der EU insgesamt erfasst. 

Wichtige Beiträge

Eurofound hat eine Reihe von vergleichenden Analysen, Artikeln und Fallstudien in den 28 EU-Mitgliedstaaten und Norwegen im Bereich Arbeitsbeziehungen erstellt sowie regelmäßig aktualisierte Datenbanken zu verwandten Themen aufgebaut.

In einer vor Kurzem durchgeführten Studie werden die zentralen Dimensionen und Indikatoren, die für die Systeme der Arbeitsbeziehungen in Europa im 21. Jahrhundert von Bedeutung sind, erfasst und erörtert. Ein weiteres Forschungsthema war die Frage, wie die Sozialpartner in der EU und Norwegen auf neue Themen, Instrumente und innovative Konzepte eingegangen sind, um auf die zahlreichen neuen politischen, rechtlichen und sozialen Herausforderungen zu reagieren, die in den letzten Jahren entstanden sind.

Arbeitsentgelt und Arbeitszeit sind nach wie Bereiche von großem Interesse und werden jährlich überprüft. Ein Teilbereich der jüngsten Aktualisierung zum Arbeitsentgelt konzentriert sich auf die Höhe des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns in der EU, ein anderer auf die Tarifverhandlungen.

Seit 2006 führt Eurofound im Auftrag der Europäischen Kommission Studien zur Repräsentativität der europäischen Sozialpartnerorganisationen durch.

Ressourcen

Berichterstattung über Entwicklungen im Arbeitsleben

Eurofound bietet systematische und vergleichbare Daten zu nationalen Systemen der Arbeitsbeziehungen und Entwicklungen im Arbeitsleben durch Beobachtungs- und Berichterstattungsinstrumente, die sich auf Beiträge seines Netzwerks von europäischen Korrespondenten in den 28 EU-Mitgliedstaaten und Norwegen stützen.

 

Key outputs

ef23007-card-cover.png

This report examines the average weekly working hours across Europe in 2021 and 2022. It covers important developments resulting from legislative reforms in collective bargaining at national or sectoral level...

24 Oktober 2023
Publication
Research report
ef23019_card_cover.png

Der Bericht über Mindestlöhne im Jahr 2023 wurde vor dem Hintergrund einer beispiellosen Inflation in ganz Europa erstellt. Obwohl im Zuge der Inflation die Nominallöhne in vielen Ländern angeboten wurden...

29 Juni 2023
Publication
Research report
ef21046_card_cover.png

In diesem Bericht werden jüngste Entwicklungen und aufkommende Praktiken bei Tarifverhandlungen und deren Ergebnisse, hauptsächlich im Privatsektor, untersucht. Erfasst wurden Tarifverhandlungssysteme in 10 EU-Mitgliedstaaten, wobei auf Basis von Interviews mit...

31 August 2022
Publication
Research report
ef20023_card_cover.png

Im Rahmen ihres Auftrags, den Dialog zwischen Arbeitgebern und Arbeitnehmern zu fördern, überwacht und analysiert Eurofound seit über 40 Jahren die Entwicklungen der Systeme der Arbeitsbeziehungen auf EU-Ebene und in...

11 Dezember 2020
Publication
Flagship report

Current and ongoing research

 

Other ongoing work

    • Social dialogue in companies, particularly linkages that can be drawn between national and EU level, to better understand of cooperation mechanisms used in decision-making and implementation in multinational companies
    • Exploration of the role of national social partners in the European semester and analysis of quality and effectiveness of their involvement
    • Summary of discussions on capacity-building social dialogue to support a meaningful and effective social dialogue
    • A flagship report on industrial relations covering topics related to both social dialogue and working life developments, including updates on collectively agreed pay
    • Representativeness studies on a variety of sectors to provide the European Commission required information to assess the representativeness of European sectoral social partner organisations
    • Highlights of recent developments of selected features of working life in so called topical updates, with one featuring statutory minimum wages
    • Updated time series in EurWORK database of wages, working time and collective disputes
    • Updated time series and update on developments in collectively agreed pay
    • Exploring the feasibility for an Industrial Action Monitor

    Eurofound expert(s)

    ricardo-rodriguez-contreras-2023.png

    Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound and focuses on comparative industrial relations, social dialogue and collective bargaining...

    Research manager,
    Working life research unit
    victoria-cojocariu-2023.png

    Victoria Cojocariu is a research support officer for the representativeness studies in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. She is responsible for the management of the research...

    Research support officer,
    Working life research unit
    Publications results (516)

    This study examines the interaction between social dialogue practices and human resources management (HRM) policies in European multinational companies (MNCs). It looks at the changing role of HRM and its interaction with European Works Councils (EWCs), which can act as a link between different

    16 June 2020

    This report investigates the quality of the national social partners’ involvement in designing and implementing reforms and policies in the context of the European Semester 2018–2019 and in the elaboration of the National Reform Programmes. As previously reported by Eurofound, there is a positive

    09 June 2020

    Living and working in Europe, Eurofound’s 2019 yearbook, provides a snapshot of the latest developments in the work and lives of Europeans as explored in the Agency’s research activities over the course of 2019. The range of topics as a result is broad, from the growing diversity of employment

    08 June 2020

    This report, as part of an annual series on minimum wages, summarises the key developments during 2019 and early 2020 around the EU initiative on fair wages and puts the national debates on setting the rates for 2020 and beyond in this context. The report features how minimum wages were set and the

    04 June 2020

    The debate about the posting of workers in the EU, its economic and social consequences, and ways to manage it is hampered by the fact that reliable, comparable data on the phenomenon are lacking. Accurate statistics on the number of posted workers, their characteristics and working conditions are s

    20 January 2020

    Female entrepreneurs represent just a small proportion of the total number of entrepreneurs in the European Union today. Some of the hurdles facing female entrepreneurs – or would-be entrepreneurs – are related to getting adequate funding, access to the right networks, and finding the right

    19 December 2019

    European sectoral social dialogue plays an important role in promoting dialogue between the social partners in industrial sectors at European level. There are currently 43 European sectoral social dialogue committees that bring together the social partners from the EU Member States – representatives

    06 December 2019

    This study provides information to allow for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the industrial cleaning sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective

    21 November 2019

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the ICT and telecommunications sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and

    05 November 2019

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the private security sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective

    05 November 2019

    Online resources results (1688)

    Norway: Equal treatment of temporary agency workers

    An evaluation of the implementation of Norwegian regulations transposing the directive on temporary agency work concluded that the ‘equal treatment’ principle had led to more equality, in practice, but that challenges remained in smaller temporary work agencies and where agencies were hiring out

    Greece: Public opinion and social dialogue on labour market reforms

    Ahead of further negotiations on the terms of the Greek bailout, two recent surveys are directly linked to the issues under negotiation and reflect the views of public opinion. The government has also organised tripartite meetings with social partners in an attempt to seek mutually acceptable

    Czech Republic: Paternity leave set to be introduced in early 2017

    Proposed paternity leave legislation is currently under debate in Parliament and is likely to be implemented in the Czech Republic in the spring of 2017.

    Estonia: Latest working life developments – Q2 2016

    Changes to labour market laws to make it easier to hire workers (especially ICT specialists) and a focus on ways to reduce the gender pay gap are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Estonia in the second quarter of

    Finland: Tripartite Competitiveness Pact signed

    The ‘Competitiveness Pact’, a tripartite labour market agreement, was signed in June 2016 after over a year of difficult negotiations. The Pact involves a nationally and internationally exceptional deterioration of workers’ terms and conditions. The negotiation process had disruptive repercussions

    Norway: New legislation on temporary layoffs

    New regulations on temporary layoffs have been introduced by the Norwegian Government at the request of the social partners. The new legislation extends the maximum duration of temporary layoffs, aiming to avoid unnecessary direct layoffs in a time of rising unemployment.

    Romania: Protests over proposed law on wage-setting in the public sector

    A new emergency bill on public sector employees’ wage-setting was adopted on 8 June 2016, despite opposition and protest from trade unions.

    Slovakia: Latest working life developments – Q2 2016

    Collective agreements in the metal industry, the settlement of a dispute in a transport company, a new law on posting of workers and figures on workplace accidents are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Slovakia in

    Belgium: Latest working life developments – Q2 2016

    Strikes over the government’s austerity measures, agreements providing better conditions for prison guards and more stability for temporary workers, and the end of the ‘wage index jump’ are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working

    Germany: Latest working life developments – Q2 2016

    The strong stability of industrial relations in the face of controversy over migration policies, the rise of right-wing populist campaigns and responses to the vote on Brexit are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in


    Blogs results (18)
    ef22069.png

    Minimum wages have risen significantly in 2022, as the EU Member States leave behind the cautious mood of the pandemic. However, rising inflation is eating up these wage increases, and only flexibility in the regular minimum wage setting processes may avoid generalised losses in purchasing power

    15 Juni 2022
    image_blog_collective_bargaining_28102020.png

    In the context of the ongoing trend of a fall in collective bargaining coverage, and recent calls at EU level to promote collective bargaining coverage as an instrument to support fair and decent wages, new data from Eurofound’s fourth European Company Survey (ECS) show that two-thirds of workers

    28 Oktober 2020
    image_blog_minimum_wages_10032020.png

    The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is having drastic consequences for the world of work. In most European countries workers who are not delivering essential ‘frontline’ services are being asked to stay home. Unfortunately many are out of work, while many of those who are not are minimum-wage and low

    1 April 2020
    main_image_blog_ef20039.png

    As one of their ‘100 days in office’ initiatives, the new European Commission intends to propose an initiative for an EU minimum wage. The aim is that by 2024 every worker in the EU should earn a fair and adequate wage, no matter where they live.

    15 Januar 2020
    image_blog_unions_20112019.png

    Trade unions in many EU Member States face the issue of declining membership. This is a fundamental challenge for organised labour, but it is premature to speak about the redundancy unions: when it comes to important decisions affecting the workplace, restructuring being one, trade unions remain a

    20 November 2019
    image_blog_100_years_12112019.png

    The International Labour Organization (ILO) met for the first time 100 years ago, and right at the top of the agenda for discussion for this new specialised UN agency was the 8-hour working day. This discussion subsequently resulted in the Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, which stated that ‘The

    12 November 2019
    image_blog_joint_cross_border_inspections_17072019.png

    The European Platform Tackling Undeclared Work last year documented the case of a Dutch temporary work agency that hired workers of various nationalities to work for a construction company in Belgium. The wages were suspiciously low, and the Belgian Labour Inspectorate believed that EU law

    17 Juli 2019
    ef19051.png

    The votes have been cast, tallied and declared and we can now see the political landscape of the new European Parliament. It is a complex picture: there has been growth of far-right and populist parties, but well short of what was projected, and at the same time there has been a boost for pro

    seniority-based-entitlements-blog.jpg

    Seniority entitlements have largely been on the decline since the 1990s, and have been gradually phased-out from legislation in Europe, as well as in collective agreements. However, it would be premature to dismiss seniority-based entitlements as a thing of the past, as they remain in force across

    17 April 2019
    image1_what_about_men_blog_27042018.jpg

    In this blog piece, originally published in Social Europe, Karel Fric and Camilla Galli da Bino look at the issue of discrimination against men in the workplace in Europe, and the current lack of research in this area.

    1 Mai 2018

    Upcoming publications results (9)

    This report reviews the quality of the national social partners’ involvement in the implementation of the reforms and investments shaping the digital and green transition in the context of national policymaking. These reforms and investments stem mainly from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

    March 2025

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the extractive industries sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective par

    November 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the construction sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participatio

    November 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the chemical sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in

    November 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the road transport sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participat

    November 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the postal and courier activities sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effec

    November 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the graphical industry. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation

    November 2024

    This publication comprises individual country reports on developments in working life in each of the 27 EU Member States and Norway in 2023, based on national research and survey results.

    June 2024

    The 2024 annual review of minimum wages presents the most recent rates of national minimum wages and recalls how they were set and agreed upon during 2023. It includes information on minimum wages set in sectoral collective agreements in countries without national minimum wages.

    June 2024

    Disclaimer

    When freely submitting your request, you are consenting Eurofound in handling your personal data to reply to you. Your request will be handled in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data. More information, please read the Data Protection Notice.