Thirty years of social dialogue in the

European Union

European Journalism Centre

4 March 2015 _ Brussels

Christian Welz

christian.welz@eurofound.europa.eu

Outline

1. Background & context

Key milestones of the ESD

• 1985: Val Duchesse

• 1987: Single European Act (art. 118b EC)

• 1989: Community Charter & Social Action programme

• 1991: Social partner agreement

• 1993: Treaty of Maastricht (art. 3/4 ASP)

• 1996: Parental leave agreement

• 1997: Treaty of Amsterdam (art. 138/139 EC)

• 2002: Telework agreement

• 2009: Treaty of Lisbon (art. 154/155 TFEU)

• 2010: Inclusive labour markets agreement

European

industrial

relations

EMP

EC

TU“bargaining in the shadow of the law”

cross-industry SD sectoral SDcompany SD

EWC / SE / EFA

Cross-industry sectoral company

national social dialogue

European social dialogue - level linkages

• articles 152, 154 and 155 TFEU

• developed in a number of EC communications

and decisions

• discussions, consultations, negotiations and

joint actions undertaken by the social partner

organisations

• representing the two sides of industry

(employers and trade unions)

• at EU level (limited to Member States)

Definitions of social dialogue

2. actors

Employers

- BUSINESSEUROPE

- European Centre of Employers and Enterprises

providing Public Services (CEEP)

- European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized

Enterprises (UEAPME)

Trade unions

- European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)

- CEC-European Managers

- EUROCADRES (Council of European Professional and

Managerial Staff)

cross - industry

environment

political

legal

economic

societal

actors

BUSINESSEUROPE

UEAPME

CEEP

ETUC

43 sect. SD

committees

nat. soc. partners

--------------------------

EU institutions

nat. institutions

processes

European social

dialogue

under EU law

154/155 TFEU

outcomes

framework

agreements

EU labour

law

implementation

a) Council decision

b) nat. procedures + practices

specific to SP and MS

inputs outputs

43 Sectoral Social Dialogue

Committees

- Agriculture

- Audiovisual

- Banking

-Catering

- Central Admin

- Chemical

industry

- Civil aviation

- Cleaning

Industry

- Commerce

-Construction

- Education

-Electricity

- Extractive

Industries

- Food and Drink

-Football

- Footwear

- Furniture

- Gas

- Graphical sector

- Horeca

- Hospitals

- Inland Waterways

- Insurance

- Local and regional

Government

- Live performance

- Maritime Transport

- Metal

- Paper

- Personal services

- Ports

- Postal services

- Private security

- Railways

- Road transport

- Sea fisheries

- Sea Transport

- Shipbuilding

- Steel

- Sports

- Sugar

- Tanning and leather

- Telecommunications

- Temporary agency work

- Textile and clothing

- Woodworking

• EFBWW European Federation of Building and Woodworkers

• ECF European Federation of Food Workers

• EFFAT European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions

• EPSU European Federation of Public Service Unions

• FST Federation of Transport Workers

• ETUCE European Committee for Education

• UNI-Europa Union Network International

• EEA European Alliance of Media and Entertainment

• industriALL ETUF-TCL + EMCEF + EMF

• ……

• EFJ European Federation of Journalists

sectoral: 16 industry federations

• CEEMET Council of European Employers of the

Metal, Engineering and Technology-

Based Industries

• Eurociett European Organisation of CIETT

(International Confederation of

Private Employment Agencies)

• FERCO Federation of Contract Catering

Organisations

• HOSPEEM European Hospital and Healthcare

Employers Association

• EBU European Broadcasting Union

• AER Association of European Radios

• ……

sectoral: 66 employers organisations

3. processes

bipartite

• autonomous dialogue between employers'

organisations and workers' organisations

tripartite

• EU tripartite social dialogue involves the EU (EC,

and where appropriate, Council and European

Council) as well as the social partners

Forms of European social dialogue

bipartite dialogueemployers – trade unions

tripartite

concertationpublic authorities

(EC, Council)

+

trade unions + employers

European Social Dialogue

sectoral

covering workers + employers

of 43 specific sectors

=> 75% of the workforce /

+ 145 mio. workers

cross-industry

covering the economy

as a whole

workers +

employers

Forms of European social dialogue

Social dialogue under articles 154/155 TFEU

proposal in the

social policy field

where appropriate,

Commission follow-up

where appropriate,

Commission follow-up

Commission art. 155art. 154

1. consultation

on the direction

opinion

2. consultation on the

content

opinion

failure

if Community action

is desirable

negotiation

nine months,

unless extended

agreement

social partners

Agreement implementation

autonomous route

according to procedures and

practices specific

to management and labour

and the Member States

legislative route

1. submitted to the EC

2. EC makes proposal

3. Council decision

= extension erga omnes

4. EP informed

5. EESC/CoR not involved

4. outcomes

Categories of texts

Outcomes of the European social

dialogue

Outcomes of the European cross-industry

social dialogue

Agreements implemented by Council

decision

[implementation by Member States/

monitoring by the Commission]

1. Framework agreement on parental

leave (1995)

2. Framework agreement on part-time

work (1997)

3. Framework agreement on fixed-term

work (1999)

4. Revised framework agreement on

parental leave (2009)

Autonomous agreements implemented

by procedures and practices specific to

management and labour and the

Member States

[implementation and monitoring by the

social partners]

1. Framework agreement on telework

(2002)

2. Framework agreement on work-

related stress (2004)

3. Framework agreement on harassment

and violence at work (2007)

4. Framework agreement on active

inclusion (2010)

1. Agreement on fishing 2012

2. Health & safety in haidressing 2012

3. WT inland waterways 2012

4. Prevention from sharp injuries 2009

5. Parental leave (rvd.) 2009

6. Maritime Labour Convention 2008

7. WC mobile railway workers 2004

8. WT mobile staff aviation 2000

9. Fixed-term work 1999

10. WT seafarers 1998

11. Part-time work 1997

12. Parental leave 1995

Agreements: Council decision

sectoral / cross sector

1. Minimum contract requirements footbal 2012

2. Inclusive labour markets 2012

3. Certificate for hairdressers 2009

4. Combatting violence & harassment 2007

5. Crystalline silica 2006

6. Combatting stress 2004

7. Driving license railways cross-border services 2004

8. Telework 2002

Autonomous agreements

multi / sectoral / cross sector

heteronomousautonomous

soft law

hard law

FI, SE

NL LV, IE , UK

AT, DE, DK, EL, ES, IT

BE, FR, LU

CZ, HU, SKPL PT, SI

tripartite processbipartite process social partner

consultation

legislation without

SP consultation

code of

practice/

guidance

collective

agreement

legislation

extension

of CA

voluntary

agreement

Telework agreement: implementation

Failures of the European social dialogue

1. European Works Councils

2. Reversal of burden of proof

3. Information and consultation

4. Temporary agency work

5. Revision of the WT directive

5. Current challenges