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.

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 je raziskovalka v enoti za delovno življenje pri Eurofoundu. Odgovorna je za pripravo preglednih poročil za sektorske študije reprezentativnosti, upravljanje in nadzor kakovosti nacionalnega poročanja o odnosih med delodajalci in delojemalci, socialnem dialogu in poklicnem življenju ter razvoj projekta o kolektivnih pogajanjih, ki presegajo plačilo. Preden se je pridružila Eurofoundu, je delala kot sodelavka za tehnične raziskave v oddelku za upravljanje in tridelizem pri Mednarodni organizaciji dela v Ženevi pri vodilnem poročilu o socialnem dialogu za leto 2022. Delala je tudi kot raziskovalka na Srednjeevropskem inštitutu za študije dela v Bratislavi (2013–2020), kjer se je osredotočala na socialni dialog, kolektivna pogajanja, delovne pogoje in sociologijo dela. Maria je magistrirala iz politologije s specializacijo za primerjalno evropsko politiko na Srednjeevropski univerzi.

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Poročilo o raziskavi

19 December 2025

Collective bargaining beyond pay: An analysis of collective agreements in selected low-paid sectors

This report analyses and compares the content of 94 collective agreements in three low-paid sectors – manufacture of food, leather, textiles and clothes; residential and social care; and retail – across 11 EU Member States and Norway. The report examines how collective bargaining regulates working conditions beyond wages and how these topics have evolved between 2015 and 2022.