Liigu edasi põhisisu juurde
agreements.jpg

Agreements

Agreements are the outcome of collective bargaining and social dialogue processes. Social partners are encouraged to negotiate and conclude collective agreements  that can then be implemented at European, national, regional, sectoral or company level.  Increasingly Union labour laws are shaped by agreements that the parties voluntarily enter into and by soft law mechanisms. 

Topic

Recent updates

ef22064_card_cover.png

In this pilot project, Eurofound successfully established the feasibility of, and piloted, an EU-wide database of minimum pay rates contained in collective agreements related to low-paid workers. A conceptual and...

26 jaanuar 2024
Publication
Research report

Eurofound expert(s)

christine-aumayr-2023.png

Christine Aumayr-Pintar is a senior research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. Her current research topics include minimum wages, collectively agreed wages and gender...

Senior research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (40)

In 2010, average collectively agreed weekly working time in the European Union stood at 38 hours. The figure was 0.4 hours lower in the pre-2004 EU15 and 1.7 hours higher in the new Member States. Agreed normal annual working time averages around 1,708 hours – around 1,693 hours in the EU15 and 1

27 July 2011

In 2009, average collectively agreed weekly working time in the European Union stood at 38.7 hours. The figure was 0.8 hours lower in the pre-2004 EU15 and 0.9 hours higher in the new Member States. Agreed normal annual working time averages around 1,750 hours – just above 1,700 in the EU15 and a

25 July 2010

EIRO’s annual analysis of pay trends finds that the average collectively agreed nominal wage increase across the EU fell from 5% in 2008 to 4.2% in 2009. In the former EU15, the average nominal increase declined from 3.8% in 2008 to 3.1% in 2009, while in the 12 new Member States that joined the EU

23 June 2010

EIRO’s annual analysis of pay trends finds that the average collectively agreed nominal wage increase across the EU fell from 7% in 2007 to 6.6% in 2008. Taking into account inflation, which rose strongly in 2008, the rate of real pay increase across the EU fell sharply, from 3.6% in 2007 to 1.3% in

03 September 2009

In 2008, average collectively agreed weekly working time in the European Union stood at 38.6 hours; agreed normal annual working time averaged about 1,740 hours. Of the three economic sectors examined in this study, agreed weekly working hours are highest in metalworking (38.7), followed by the

23 July 2009

Transnational Framework Agreements are a new industrial relations instrument that encourages the recognition of social partnership across national borders and could lead to new forms of social regulation at global level. The rationale for taking the initiative to negotiate such agreements can be

22 June 2009

The review of pay trends in Europe in 2006 and 2007 finds that average collectively-agreed nominal wage increases across the EU rose from 5.6% in 2006 to 7% in 2007. However, taking into account rising inflation, the rate of real increase fell from 2.7% in 2006 to 2.3% in 2007. During the period

03 August 2008

This review of working time developments in Europe in 2005 and 2006 finds that over the period the average collectively agreed weekly working time in the EU was 38.7 hours, while agreed normal annual working time averaged around 1,750 hours. Of the eight sectors and occupational groups examined in

18 July 2007

This review of pay trends in Europe in 2005 and 2006 finds that average collectively-agreed nominal wage increases across the EU rose from 4.9% in 2005 to 5.6% in 2006. When inflation is taken into account, the rate of real increase rose from 1.9% in 2005 to 2.7% in 2006. However, the data show that

01 July 2007

Increasingly, corporate decision-making takes place at transnational level; however, employees’ rights to information and consultation are still defined at national level. To bridge this gap, a 1994 Directive was adopted, aimed at promoting voluntary agreements on the constitution and operation of

12 March 2007

Online resources results (321)

New agreement to combat youth unemployment

The Swedish Union of Metalworkers (IF Metall [1]) signed the agreement on 23 November 2010 with: [1] http://www.ifmetall.se

Pay rises and new minimum wage in metalworking and retail sectors

Before the start of Austria’s annual collective bargaining round in autumn 2010, expectations on organised labour’s side were high. With the economy having almost completely recovered, wage increases above the inflation rate (1.9% in November 2010) were anticipated, in contrast with the marginal

Social partners discuss renewal of national agreement

The national agreement was signed on 28 October 2009 (*LT0911019I* [1]) between the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (LRV [2]) and the following social partners: [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/national-agreement-to-combat-economic-downturn-finally-signed [2]

National agreements for home-based workers and telework

On 24 November 2010, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Boyko Borisov, and the Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Totyu Mladenov, trade unions and employer associations signed two national agreements, one regulating homeworking [1] and a second dealing with the organisation and

New agreement in the hotel industry

On 7 September 2010, following a difficult round of bargaining (both during the direct talks and at the subsequent mediation stage) that lasted for almost two years, trade unions and employer organisations representing hotel workers accepted the revised mediation proposal (*CY1006019I* [1]) put

Several large companies sign agreements on teleworking

Unlike other European countries, France has been reluctant to develop the system of teleworking. According to a DARES report (in French, 204Kb PDF) [1] published in December 2004, only 2% of French workers practised this type of working arrangement in 2003 and only 5% worked away from their office

Chemical industry’s positive view on working life and demography agreement

The German Federation of Chemical Employers’ Associations (BAVC [1]) and the Mining, Chemicals and Energy Industrial Union (IG BCE [2]) signed their agreement (in German) [3] on working life and demography in April 2008. BAVC and IG BCE stressed that, as a result of the need to remain competitive

Autumn 2010 collective bargaining round

So far, new collective agreements for approximately 300,000 employees have been made this autumn in Finland. The autumn 2010 bargaining round has been taking place in the context of a severe economic crisis which has weakened the competitiveness of many Finnish companies. At the same time, the

Pact on apprenticeships prolonged until 2014

The pact on apprenticeships (/Ausbildungspakt/) was introduced in 2004 by the federal government and representatives of German employers and business organisations to avoid the introduction of a training levy which was being discussed by the governing coalition at that time (*DE0407105F* [1]). The

Employers and trade unions agree on increase in insurance contributions for 2011

Specific occupational base rates for calculation of social security contributions were introduced in 2003 by the Bulgarian parliament. These social insurance thresholds (*BG0307101F* [1]) were brought in to counter the practice of employers calculating workers’ contributions on the basis of the


Blogs results (2)
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 juuni 2022
ef20082.png

Whatever the benefits of telework – and there are many, including more flexible working time, increased productivity and less commuting – there are drawbacks, as many of the one-third of Europeans who were exclusively working from home during the pandemic will attest. Primary among these is the ‘alw

3 detsember 2020

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.