Database of coded collective agreements in selected low-paid sectors

This database provides access to the coded content of collective agreements from selected Member States and Norway. It presents an overview of the main topics and sub-topic covered in collective agreements beyond the topic of pay and compares how they have changed over time.

Background

Background

The database was developed by Eurofound as a part of the project ‘Collective bargaining beyond pay’ (2023-2025). It analyses and compares 94 collective agreements across three low-paid sectors (manufacture of food, leather, textiles and clothes; residential and social care; retail) in 11 EU Member States - Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia - and Norway. The research builds on Eurofound’s database of collective agreements related to low-paid workers, collected for the Agency’s pilot project on minimum wages and looks ‘beyond’ wage-setting at other topics featured in the collective agreements. Over 13,000 clauses were coded, analysed and grouped into key topics and sub-topics. The database shows how these topics have developed over time by comparing two versions of the same collective agreement, valid in 2015 (or closest year available) and in 2022 (or lates year available). Collective agreements were selected base on the sub-sample available in the Database on minimum wages for low-paid workers in collective agreements prior to its 2025 update.

The following experts at Eurofound can be contacted for questions relating to the database.

Mária Sedláková

Research officer
Working life research unit

Mária Sedláková è ricercatrice presso l'unità Working Life di Eurofound. È responsabile della redazione di rapporti di sintesi per studi di rappresentatività settoriale, della gestione e del controllo di qualità della rendicontazione nazionale sulle relazioni industriali, il dialogo sociale e la vita lavorativa e dello sviluppo di un progetto sulla contrattazione collettiva oltre la retribuzione. Prima di entrare a far parte di Eurofound, ha lavorato come responsabile della ricerca tecnica presso il dipartimento Governance e tripartismo dell'Organizzazione internazionale del lavoro a Ginevra sulla relazione faro 2022 sul dialogo sociale. Ha anche lavorato come ricercatrice presso l'Istituto centrale europeo di studi sul lavoro di Bratislava (2013-2020), concentrandosi sul dialogo sociale, la contrattazione collettiva, le condizioni di lavoro e la sociologia del lavoro. Maria ha conseguito un Master in Scienze Politiche con specializzazione in Politica Europea Comparata presso la Central European University.

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European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies