Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Sea and coastal water transport

This study sets out to provide the necessary information for establishing sectoral social dialogue in the sea and coastal water transport sector. First, the report identifies the relevant national organisations on both sides of industry. Second, it analyses the sector’s relevant European organisations. The study consists of three main parts: a summary of the sector’s economic background; an analysis of the social partner organisations in all of the EU Member States(with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia), with special emphasis on their membership, their role in collective bargaining and public policy, and their national and European affiliations; and finally, an analysis of the relevant European organisations, in particular their membership composition and their capacity to negotiate. The aim of the series of studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and supranational social partner organisations in the field of industrial relations in selected sectors. The impetus for these studies arises from the goal of the European Commission to recognise the representative social partner organisations to be consulted under the EC Treaty provisions. Hence, this study is designed to provide the basic information required to establish sectoral social dialogue.