Database of wages, working time and collective disputes
Source: Eurofound
This database aims to provide researchers and policymakers with a set of country-level data on wages, working time and collective disputes. It covers both the systems that are currently in place (such as legislation or collective bargaining agreements) and some outcomes (such as the level of collectively agreed pay or working time). Short, qualitative descriptions have been added to the data to facilitate a better understanding. The database covers the 27 EU Member States and Norway and provides time series from 2000 to 2019.
- Dataset: Database on wages, working time and collective disputes, version 3.0
- Codebook: EurWORK database, version 3.0
The discontinued variables are listed in the codebook.
Contents overview
Sources and methodology
Sources
Many of the variables presented in the database have been compiled or presented in previous projects, as follows:
- OECD and AIAS database on Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts
- The variables related to the setting of working time closely mirror those for pay setting.
- The data on collectively agreed pay outcomes have been compiled over several years via the EurWORK series: ‘Developments in collectively agreed pay’ (the most recent being Developments in collectively agreed pay 2000-2017).
- Data on collectively agreed and statutory working time have been compiled in the EurWORK series: ‘Developments in collectively agreed working time’ (the most recent being Working time in 2019–2020.
- European Public Service Union: The right to strike – Country factsheets.
Further qualitative information on national systems of collective bargaining in the areas of pay and working time, as well as dispute resolution mechanisms can be found in EurWORK's working life country profiles.
Process of data generation and validation
For the system-related variables, Eurofound drew up a questionnaire which was discussed with some members of Eurofound's network of European correspondents in a workshop in Amsterdam in November 2015. National experts from the full network subsequently completed the questionnaire. On the basis of ICTWSS data, correspondents were asked to validate the figures provided and to give reasons in cases where they opted to use different data. An internal revision took place at Eurofound, with further queries sent to correspondents, before the process for the data generation in version 1.0 was completed. The national contributors to the 3.0 version are listed in the codebook.
The data will be reviewed and validated in future years, with updates planned for every second year.
Suggested citation and contact
When using the data, please cite as: Eurofound (2021), EurWORK’s database on wages, working time and collective disputes, version 3.0, December 2021.
Users of the database are invited to send their observations, comments or questions to Christine Aumayr-Pintar (cau@eurofound.europa.eu).
Eurofound research team version 3.0: Christine Aumayr-Pintar, Matthias Rasche, Jakub Kostolny, Maria Cantero and Jorge Cabrita. The team also wish to thank Prof. Kea Tijdens, AIAS, University of Amsterdam, for helpful comments on the revised questionnaire.
In light of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020, it should be noted that data published on the Eurofound website may include the 28 EU Member States, as the UK was covered in earlier research. This will be progressively amended to reflect the current composition of the 27 EU Member States.