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)

    Three years after the adoption of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), this report reviews the quality of the social partners’ involvement in 2023 in the ongoing implementation of reforms and investments funded by that initiative. It also examines the quality of their involvement in the prepa

    26 February 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 furniture sector.

    08 December 2023

    Previous Eurofound research developed three complementary tools to examine the dynamics of industrial relations and compare how national industrial relations systems are faring in terms of quality and change over time.

    05 December 2023

    In the EU, non-compliance with statutory or negotiated minimum wages averages 6.93% or 1.3%, depending on the statistics used. The lowest national estimate is 0.01% in Belgium and the highest is 11.59% in Hungary.

    27 November 2023

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the woodworking sector.

    21 November 2023

    This study provides information to allow for an assessment of the representativeness of the national and supranational social partners at cross-industry level in the EU.

    09 November 2023

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the professional football sector.

    26 October 2023

    After a long period of price stability, inflation has made a remarkable comeback in the EU. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis spurred by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the disruption of the international supply chain, among other factors, have driven up the

    06 September 2023

    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, reichte dies in vielen Fällen nicht aus, um die Kaufkraft der Arbeitnehmer zu erhalten

    29 June 2023

    This publication comprises individual country reports on developments in working life in each of the 27 EU Member States and Norway in 2022, based on national research and survey results. The topics covered include the policy responses of governments to inflation and how inflation has featured in

    05 May 2023

    Online resources results (1688)
    Image of young women placing an order to a waiter in a cafe

    Minimum wages in Belgium

    Minimum wages in Belgium exist at national and sectoral levels and are the outcome of collective bargaining. The national minimum wage typically lags behind sectoral minimum wages in Belgium, and policymakers have been concerned about the relative decrease in the national minimum wage compared with

    ef23050.png

    Cyprus introduces a national statutory minimum wage

    On 31 August 2022, a new decree on minimum wages was published in Cyprus after a long and arduous process of negotiations and social dialogue. The ministerial decree, which came into effect on 1 January 2023, established a national minimum wage in Cyprus for the first time, a groundbreaking and cont

    image_article_minimum_wage_ef23051.png

    Minimum wage debate in Italy

    Italy has no minimum wage prescribed by law. Minimum wages are set through collective agreements at sectoral level, and the majority of employees in Italy are covered by a collective bargaining agreement in which wages are set. This article outlines the latest positions (2023) of the government and

    ef22081.png

    Measures to lessen the impact of the inflation and energy crisis on citizens

    As governments across the EU continue to implement policies to support citizens and businesses in the face of rising food and energy prices caused by the COVID-19 crisis and intensified by the war in Ukraine, this article summarises the policy responses as reported in Eurofound’s EU PolicyWatch

    image_news_item_20012023.png

    Minimum wage hikes struggle to offset inflation

    As the EU economy advanced its recovery following the pandemic, the high rate of inflation throughout 2022 meant that wage setting actors made their decisions under a cloud of uncertainty. While nominal increases in statutory minimum wages reached an all-time high, minimum wage workers in most count

    ef22067.png

    First responses to cushion the impact of inflation on citizens

    Although the worldwide pandemic situation had already disrupted supply chains and triggered increases in energy and food prices in 2021, the situation deteriorated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Governments throughout the EU had already started to intervene with policy measures in a

    ef22072.png

    Policies to support EU companies affected by the war in Ukraine

    As the war in Ukraine has intensified, the cost of food, raw materials and energy prices, already high due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has continued to rise substantially. Ahead of coordinated action at EU level, as agreed by EU energy ministers on 9 September 2022, governments across the EU have

    ef22041.png

    Minimum wages in 2022: Bigger hikes this time around

    The first overview of minimum wage setting for 2022 shows that, while some negotiations are still ongoing, virtually all EU Member States have increased their nominal statutory rates. Compared to last year, when most countries settled for cautious increases against a background of deep uncertainty

    ef21018.png

    Mixed impacts of COVID-19 on social dialogue and collective bargaining in 2020

    ​​​​​​​A first analysis of developments in working life in 2020 shows that the COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on social dialogue and collective bargaining in the EU, Norway and the UK, albeit to varying degrees. While in some countries, standard procedures were by and large maintained

    ef21061.png

    Minimum wages in 2021: Most countries settle for cautious increase

    ​​​​​​​Despite the unusually tough economic and labour market conditions, most EU Member States made nominal and real increases to their minimum wages in 2020. This is what a first overview of recent minimum wage developments reveals. Some countries lived up to earlier promises or pre-agreements


    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

    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.

    August 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.

    May 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.