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Arbeitsbeziehungen

Gewerkschaften, Arbeitgeberorganisationen und Behörden spielen eine Rolle bei der Governance der Arbeitsbeziehungen. Sie sind miteinander verbundene Teile der auf europäischer, nationaler, sektoraler, regionaler und auf Unternehmensebene bestehenden Systeme. Angesichts von Technologien und Arbeitsformen, die sich in einem ständig wandelnden wirtschaftlichen Umfeld entwickeln, waren die Systeme der Arbeitsbeziehungen in den vergangenen Jahren mit kritischen Herausforderungen konfrontiert.

In diesem Zusammenhang hat die Europäische Kommission 2015 einen „Neustart für den sozialen Dialog“ in Europa auf den Weg gebracht. In einer gemeinsamen Erklärung von Juni 2016 betonten die Kommission, der Rat der Europäischen Union und die Sozialpartner seine wesentliche Rolle als wichtiger Bestandteil der Beschäftigungs- und Sozialpolitik der EU.

Topic

Recent updates

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This 2024 annual review of minimum wages provides a synopsis of minimum wage setting during 2023 in the EU27 and Norway. It reports in detail on the processes and outcomes...

26 Juni 2024
Publication
Research report

EU context

Tätigkeiten von Eurofound

Im Laufe von über 40 Jahren hat sich Eurofound zu einem wichtigen Kompetenzzentrum für die Beobachtung und Analyse von Trends bei den Arbeitsbeziehungen entwickelt. Dazu zählen Verbindungen zwischen dem sozialen Dialog auf europäischer und nationaler Ebene. Gestützt auf die Kenntnisse seines Netzwerks europäischer Korrespondenten in den 28 EU-Mitgliedstaaten sowie Norwegen hat die Stiftung die Entwicklungen in allen Mitgliedstaaten und in der EU insgesamt erfasst. 

Wichtige Beiträge

Eurofound hat eine Reihe von vergleichenden Analysen, Artikeln und Fallstudien in den 28 EU-Mitgliedstaaten und Norwegen im Bereich Arbeitsbeziehungen erstellt sowie regelmäßig aktualisierte Datenbanken zu verwandten Themen aufgebaut.

In einer vor Kurzem durchgeführten Studie werden die zentralen Dimensionen und Indikatoren, die für die Systeme der Arbeitsbeziehungen in Europa im 21. Jahrhundert von Bedeutung sind, erfasst und erörtert. Ein weiteres Forschungsthema war die Frage, wie die Sozialpartner in der EU und Norwegen auf neue Themen, Instrumente und innovative Konzepte eingegangen sind, um auf die zahlreichen neuen politischen, rechtlichen und sozialen Herausforderungen zu reagieren, die in den letzten Jahren entstanden sind.

Arbeitsentgelt und Arbeitszeit sind nach wie Bereiche von großem Interesse und werden jährlich überprüft. Ein Teilbereich der jüngsten Aktualisierung zum Arbeitsentgelt konzentriert sich auf die Höhe des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns in der EU, ein anderer auf die Tarifverhandlungen.

Seit 2006 führt Eurofound im Auftrag der Europäischen Kommission Studien zur Repräsentativität der europäischen Sozialpartnerorganisationen durch.

Ressourcen

Berichterstattung über Entwicklungen im Arbeitsleben

Eurofound bietet systematische und vergleichbare Daten zu nationalen Systemen der Arbeitsbeziehungen und Entwicklungen im Arbeitsleben durch Beobachtungs- und Berichterstattungsinstrumente, die sich auf Beiträge seines Netzwerks von europäischen Korrespondenten in den 28 EU-Mitgliedstaaten und Norwegen stützen.

 

Key outputs

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This report examines the average weekly working hours across Europe in 2021 and 2022. It covers important developments resulting from legislative reforms in collective bargaining at national or sectoral level...

24 Oktober 2023
Publication
Research report
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Der Bericht über Mindestlöhne im Jahr 2023 wurde vor dem Hintergrund einer beispiellosen Inflation in ganz Europa erstellt. Obwohl im Zuge der Inflation die Nominallöhne in vielen Ländern angeboten wurden...

29 Juni 2023
Publication
Research report
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In diesem Bericht werden jüngste Entwicklungen und aufkommende Praktiken bei Tarifverhandlungen und deren Ergebnisse, hauptsächlich im Privatsektor, untersucht. Erfasst wurden Tarifverhandlungssysteme in 10 EU-Mitgliedstaaten, wobei auf Basis von Interviews mit...

31 August 2022
Publication
Research report
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Im Rahmen ihres Auftrags, den Dialog zwischen Arbeitgebern und Arbeitnehmern zu fördern, überwacht und analysiert Eurofound seit über 40 Jahren die Entwicklungen der Systeme der Arbeitsbeziehungen auf EU-Ebene und in...

11 Dezember 2020
Publication
Flagship report

Current and ongoing research

 

Other ongoing work

    • Social dialogue in companies, particularly linkages that can be drawn between national and EU level, to better understand of cooperation mechanisms used in decision-making and implementation in multinational companies
    • Exploration of the role of national social partners in the European semester and analysis of quality and effectiveness of their involvement
    • Summary of discussions on capacity-building social dialogue to support a meaningful and effective social dialogue
    • A flagship report on industrial relations covering topics related to both social dialogue and working life developments, including updates on collectively agreed pay
    • Representativeness studies on a variety of sectors to provide the European Commission required information to assess the representativeness of European sectoral social partner organisations
    • Highlights of recent developments of selected features of working life in so called topical updates, with one featuring statutory minimum wages
    • Updated time series in EurWORK database of wages, working time and collective disputes
    • Updated time series and update on developments in collectively agreed pay
    • Exploring the feasibility for an Industrial Action Monitor

    Eurofound expert(s)

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    Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound and focuses on comparative industrial relations, social dialogue and collective bargaining...

    Research manager,
    Working life research unit
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    Mária Sedláková is a research officer in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. She is responsible for drafting overview reports for sectoral representativeness studies, management...

    Research officer,
    Working life research unit
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    Victoria Cojocariu is a research support officer for the representativeness studies in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. She is responsible for the management of the research...

    Research support officer,
    Working life research unit
    Publications results (517)

    This article discusses the issues related to religion in the workplace, a topic that has received considerable attention in the media recently. An overview of significant cases of dispute between employers and employees is provided, as well as examples of social partners’ initiatives to accommodate

    31 July 2017

    This article discusses developments in collectively agreed wages in the European Union in 2016, putting them into the perspective of developments over the past 15 years. The tendency for growth in both nominal and real collectively agreed wages from 2015 continued. In two countries (Belgium and

    25 July 2017

    This EurWORK topical update summarises the views of European and national-level stakeholders on recent debates on implementing the principle of ‘equal pay’ for posted workers. Directive 96/71/EC foresees that posted workers must be granted the minimum standards of employment conditions applicable in

    18 July 2017

    This study provides information designed to encourage sectoral social dialogue in railways and urban public transport. The aim of Eurofound’s series of studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and supranational social partner organisations in the field of industrial

    03 April 2017

    This report provides an update on the role of national social partners in the European Semester process over the period 2015–2016, describing the main developments and changes compared with a previous Eurofound study on their involvement during the period 2011–2014.

    24 February 2017

    This study provides information designed to encourage sectoral social dialogue in the postal and courier activities sector. The aim of Eurofound’s series of studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and supranational social partner organisations in the field of industrial

    20 February 2017

    In 22 out of 28 EU Member States, a generally applicable statutory minimum wage exists; the level of this minimum wage varies greatly from one country to another. This article provides information on statutory minimum wage levels, how the minimum wage has been determined for 2017 and minimum wage

    09 February 2017

    Evidence from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Spain reveals that social partners are closely involved in setting up national strategies to manage digital change in the world of work. Up to now, this has been a high-level affair and there are only a few collective agreements or

    30 January 2017

    This study provides information designed to encourage sectoral social dialogue in the shipbuilding sector. The aim of Eurofound’s series of representativeness studies is to identify the relevant national and supranational social partner organisations in the field of industrial relations in selected

    27 January 2017

    This study provides information designed to encourage sectoral social dialogue in the sugar manufacturing sector. The aim of Eurofound’s series of representativeness studies is to identify the relevant national and supranational social partner organisations in the field of industrial relations in

    18 January 2017

    Online resources results (1688)

    Germany: New evidence on the scope of service contracts feeds into social partner debate

    In the wake of the very heated public debate on service contracts, with unions claiming that workers on such contracts are not treated as fairly as core staff, a new study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) outlines to what extent German companies use these contracts and presents their

    United Kingdom: Government launches consultation on worker representatives on company boards

    Prime Minister Theresa May first pledged to put worker representatives on the boards of UK companies in July 2016, shortly after taking office. This article outlines the evolution of the proposal, up to the launch on 29 November of the formal process of consultation on corporate governance, and

    France: Latest working life developments – Q4 2016

    The enactment of laws on labour reform, protection for whistleblowers, negotiations on unemployment insurance and the restructuring of trade unions and employer organisations are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in

    Germany: Labour Minister launches White Paper on the future of work

    Federal Labour Minister Andrea Nahles launched a White Paper at the end of November on the future of work, including the controversial issue of working time regulation. Both employers and workers’ representatives favour more flexibility than is allowed by current regulations that stipulate an eight

    Finland: HR managers regard diversity as strength for workplaces

    The Diversity Barometer 2016, a survey-based study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, explores the perceptions and attitudes of human resources professionals to diversity in Finnish workplaces. It finds that the key aspects of diversity are age and age-related issues, language and

    Croatia: New system of trade union training

    Between July 2015 and July 2016, a new system of training for union representatives and shop stewards was introduced to modernise union training and enhance social dialogue. The EDUCA project was promoted by the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH) with the support of unions from the

    Bulgaria: Recognition of nationally representative employer organisations and trade unions for 2016–2020

    The requirements for trade unions and employers’ organisations to claim representativeness have been amended to make eligibility easier to achieve. Using the new criteria, the Council of Ministers formally recognised five employer organisations and two trade unions as nationally representative in a

    Sweden: Debate on whether solidarity action should be restricted

    A long-running debate about solidarity in industrial action by workers supporting another group, even though their own union is not involved in the dispute, has flared up. There are fears that the turbulence of the 2016 bargaining round will be repeated in 2017 and employers are seeking stricter

    Germany: Union–Amazon conflict escalates in run-up to Christmas

    Since 2013, trade union ver.di has been recruiting members among employees of Amazon and has campaigned for better wages and working conditions. Amazon opposes all collective bargaining but argues that it is a socially responsible employer. A new round of stoppages by ver.di members demanding a

    Norway: Strike in rail sector settled and new rules coming down the line

    Industrial action that disrupted operations on Norwegian railways for five weeks in autumn 2016 was settled, with the government agreeing to reframe the national regulations for train drivers’ qualifications ahead of the planned privatisation of much of the rail network in 2017.


    Blogs results (18)
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    The workings of industrial relations are constantly evolving. In this blog piece, Eurofound authors Christian Welz and Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras discuss a tool that Eurofound has developed to enable this process of change to be monitored and analysed, enabling stakeholders in Member States to asse

    28 März 2018
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    Measures to promote gender pay transparency haven’t been delivered yet in half of Europe – making EU level legislative action to speed up implementation an option. In this blog, originally posted in Social Europe, Christine Aumayr-Pintar details what we know about the measures from countries that ha

    28 Februar 2018
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    Average unemployment rates continue to fall across Europe, employment is growing again in middle-paying jobs, offshoring is on the decline, the proportion of routine jobs is falling, and efforts to make work more sustainable have borne fruit.

    6 Juni 2017
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    The growth in average (nominal) pay of employees has accelerated in recent years in EU countries after a slump following the economic crisis. Similar developments show up in data on collectively agreed wages. However, higher wage growth figures do not automatically mean that all employees benefit eq

    27 Februar 2017
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    Europe has gone through significant economic change over the past decade. Businesses have had to manage the challenges posed by the financial crisis, globalisation and a rapidly changing labour market. Eurofound's new report Win-win arrangements: Innovative measures through social dialogue at compan

    3 Oktober 2016
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    On the eve of the 11th International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) European Congress, we look at the issue of representativeness in Europe, and how ensuring that workers and employers are fairly represented at EU-level is an important aspect of European democracy.

    7 September 2016
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    The European Union (EU) has strong legislation in place that protects workers from being exploited and also enables businesses to engage in fair competition. Workers are mobile and can move freely within the EU single market across borders – without being dependent upon traffickers. Yet, the latest

    3 Mai 2016
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    ​Nowadays we all know that long or excessive working hours may have serious negative impacts on a person’s health and wellbeing. Eurofound‘s new report 'Working time developments in the 21st century' suggests that if working time standards are mainly left to legislation or to be set unilaterally by

    4 März 2016

    Upcoming publications results (8)

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the graphical industry. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation

    July 2025

    This report reviews the quality of the national social partners’ involvement in the implementation of the reforms and investments shaping the digital and green transition in the context of national policymaking. These reforms and investments stem mainly from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

    March 2025

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the extractive industries sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective par

    December 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the construction sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participatio

    December 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the chemical sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participation in

    December 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the road transport sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effective participat

    December 2024

    This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the postal and courier activities sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted, their role and effec

    November 2024

    This publication comprises individual country reports on developments in working life in each of the 27 EU Member States and Norway in 2023, based on national research and survey results. The topics covered include the political context in 2023; updates on the social partners and social dialogue ins

    July 2024

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