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 este ofițer de cercetare în cadrul unității de viață profesională din cadrul Eurofound. Ea este responsabilă de elaborarea rapoartelor de ansamblu pentru studiile de reprezentativitate sectorială, managementul și controlul calității raportărilor naționale privind relațiile de muncă, dialogul social și viața profesională și dezvoltarea unui proiect privind negocierea colectivă dincolo de remunerare. Înainte de a se alătura Eurofound, a lucrat ca ofițer de cercetare tehnică în cadrul Departamentului de guvernanță și tripartism al Organizației Internaționale a Muncii de la Geneva pentru Raportul emblematic al dialogului social 2022. De asemenea, a lucrat ca cercetător la Institutul Central European de Studii ale Muncii din Bratislava (2013-2020), concentrându-se pe dialog social, negociere colectivă, condiții de muncă și sociologia muncii. Maria deține un master în științe politice cu specializare în politică europeană comparată de la Universitatea Central Europeană.

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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