Industrial relations and social dialogue

Capacity building for effective social dialogue in the European Union

Report
Updated
8 December 2021
Published
10 September 2020
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Executive summary in 22 languages
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Author(s): 
Welz, Christian; Patriarka, Marina; Foden, David; Rodriguez Contreras, Ricardo

Key findings

  • National-level bipartite social dialogue and collective bargaining lie at the heart of national industrial relations systems and should be underpinned by an appropriately supportive legal framework while respecting the principle of subsidiarity and the autonomy of the social partners.
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  • National-level bipartite social dialogue and collective bargaining lie at the heart of national industrial relations systems and should be underpinned by an appropriately supportive legal framework while respecting the principle of subsidiarity and the autonomy of the social partners.
  • Structural gaps at national level identified in the research include lack of representativeness and mandate to negotiate, limited tripartism, sectoral collective bargaining and low collective bargaining coverage, lack of social partners’ autonomy and lack of trust between the social partners and governments.
  • Elements that would foster a more effective social dialogue at national level include legislative reforms to promote social dialogue and collective bargaining, a more supportive role by the state, increase in membership, capacity and mandate to negotiate, more human and financial resources.
  • Developing the skills and expertise of the two sides of industry in relation to specific skills (such as industrial relations, negotiation, research and analysis, policymaking, advocacy, and soft and digital skills) should be supported.
  • Social partners should be assisted in their efforts to increase their membership representativeness and capacity to negotiate and implement agreements.
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Abstract

The aim of this report is to add to the discussion on how Eurofound can contribute to supporting capacity building of social partners for effective social dialogue. The report includes a review by Eurofound aimed at identifying the capacity-building needs and initiatives of social partners in relRead more

The aim of this report is to add to the discussion on how Eurofound can contribute to supporting capacity building of social partners for effective social dialogue. The report includes a review by Eurofound aimed at identifying the capacity-building needs and initiatives of social partners in relation to national frameworks for autonomous collective bargaining, involvement in European social dialogue and the European Semester, and the development of membership and services for members. It also includes the results from stakeholder consultations and two exchange seminars held in 2019, along with a set of policy pointers for further discussion.

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Formats

Research carried out prior to the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020, and published subsequently, may include data relating to the 28 EU Member States. Following this date, research only takes into account the 27 EU Member States (EU28 minus the UK), unless specified otherwise.

This report presents the results of research conducted prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe in February 2020. For this reason, the results do not take account of the outbreak.

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