Industrial relations and social dialogue
Industrial relations and social dialogue is one of Eurofound's main operational activities for its 2025–2028 programming period. Building on the past 50 years of research, Eurofound continues to function as a centre of expertise for monitoring and analysing developments in industrial relations and social dialogue at European and national levels and promoting dialogue between management and labour. This research activity responds to the need to support social dialogue and provide comparative data on national institutional settings and developments as well as European-level developments.
Research focus
Eurofound’s research priorities are shaped by the opportunities and challenges arising from four mega-drivers: demographic change, climate change, technological change and re-globalisation. In the area of industrial relations and social dialogue, the Agency also continues to monitor, report and analyse developments in this area at sector and, as far as feasible, company levels.
As part of this research activity, Eurofound carries out sectoral representativeness studies, at the request of the European Commission. Research also builds on the knowledge around the degree and form of the social partners’ involvement in national tripartite policymaking in the context of the European Semester.
Drawing on the expertise of the Network of Eurofound Correspondents, regular updating of the EU PolicyWatch database offers examples of collective agreements, company cases and other initiatives, and captures how national governments involve the social partners in policymaking.
Preparations are underway for the 2026 edition of the Tripartite Exchange Seminar, in cooperation with the relevant partners.
Events
Informal meeting of the Employment Committee (EMCO)
Informal meeting of employment and social affairs ministers (EPSCO)
Joint event: Enhancing quality of work and life through effective social dialogue in the Western Balkans
6th UNI Europa Conference
Visit of the Belgian Federal Public Service Employment
All content
This list provides access to all Eurofound outputs published on this subject.
Eurofound expert
Christine Aumayr-Pintar
Senior research managerChristine Aumayr-Pintar is a senior research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. She coordinates Eurofound’s research on social dialogue and industrial relations and oversees the Network of Eurofound Correspondents (NEC). Her primary research expertise – approached from a comparative EU-wide standpoint – centres on minimum wages, collectively negotiated pay and gender pay transparency. Prior to joining Eurofound in 2009 she was a labour markets and regional economics researcher at Joanneum Research in Austria. She earned a Master's degree in Economics and a PhD in Social Science/Economics having studied economics in Graz, Vienna and Jönköping.
Topics of expertise
