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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. 

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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 januari 2024
Publication
Research report

Eurofound expert(s)

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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)

Amalgamation creates largest education and sectoral union

Traditionally, Lithuania’s trade unions in the education sector have been among the strongest in the country. Unions have staged a number of strikes and protest campaigns over the past decade, and have managed to negotiate better wages for Lithuanian teachers compared to other public sector

Restructuring plan agreed for electronics giant

On 4 June 2013, the Italian company Indesit [1] told unions that it would be introducing an industrial restructuring [2] plan to reorganise three Italian plants between 2013 and 2015. The plan includes a €70 billion investment plan to cover product and process innovation to reduce water and energy

Striking public transport workers reach agreement

In September 2012, an agreement (in Italian) [1] was signed between the managers of the public transport company in the Italian city of Genoa, Amt [2], and unions. It sets out a recovery plan for the company which was threatened with closure because of significant financial losses. [1] http://www

New industrial relations protocol for gas sector group

During the last five years, the Snam [1] group of companies has been restructuring with the support of the Ministry of Economic Development. The goal was to find structural synergies, achieve efficiency gains in the gas supply chain, and improve work organisation and human resources, both

Collective bargaining developments marked by stability

At the end of 2013, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment in the Netherlands (SZW [1]) published its annual report [2] on collective agreements in the country. The report covers developments in collective agreements in the Netherlands in 2012 and, where information is available, in 2013. [1]

Unions upbeat about post-crisis wage bargaining

On 7 January 2014, a new round of collective bargaining started in Denmark in the private sector, under the auspices of the Danish Confederation of Danish Trade Unions (LO [1]) and the Confederation of Danish Employers (DA [2]). The negotiations covers almost 600,000 employees. [1] http://www.lo.dk

General approach on posted workers agreed

The European Commission (EC [1]) has been looking at the issue of posted workers for some time. In March 2012, the Commission issued a proposal for a new Directive on the enforcement of the posted workers Directive 96/71/EC (240 KB PDF) [2]. [1] http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm [2] http://ec.europa

Above-inflation wage increase for metalworking sector

Austria’s annual main bargaining round takes place in the autumn and traditionally starts with the strong and influential metalworking industry. For the second time in a row, the Federal Economic Chamber’s (WKO [1]) six subsectoral employer organisations conducted separate negotiations, having, in

Rise in real wages in retail sector

In Austria’s retail sector, more than half a million white-collar employees, mostly women, will be covered by a new, innovative two-year collective agreement concluded between the social partners on 13 November 2013.

Strike action averted in mining industry

The mining company OKD [1], which has around 13,000 staff, faces economic difficulties (CZ1307029I [2]). In May 2013, it announced job and wage cuts the sale of part of its property. [1] http://www.okd.cz/ [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/mining-company-okd


Blogs results (2)
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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
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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 december 2020

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