Social dialogue and collective bargaining in the hospital sector during the COVID-19 pandemic

In countries with a long-standing tradition of cooperation between the social partners, social dialogue and collective bargaining played a prominent role in addressing some of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the hospital sector. Negotiations between the social partners were crucial for, among other issues, agreeing the changes to work organisation required to tackle the health crisis and the successful allocation of additional funding and resources.

During the COVID-19 crisis, social dialogue and collective bargaining were essential in finding solutions to the challenges in the hospital sector in some countries where they usually do not play a prominent role. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia and Malta, for example, saw a boost in social dialogue in the hospital sector. Conversely, in the countries most affected by austerity measures in the health sector following the 2007–2008 financial crisis – namely Greece, Portugal and Spain – and whose healthcare systems had not fully recovered from the staff cuts and pay freezes of that period, governments implemented legislation without the involvement of the social partners, who played a limited role in managing the overall response.

The pandemic saw the social partners in the hospital sector engaging in topics beyond the traditional issues of pay and working time. The need to secure workforce capacity in hospitals often required their involvement in the adaptation of work organisation practices and the reallocation of staff and in other measures related to the protection of staff health and safety.

The pandemic exacerbated existing staff shortages and is likely to lead to greater international competition for the recruitment of health workers. The social partners in this sector are increasingly concerned about the impact that high levels of stress and workload may have on staff retention, as these are factors often associated with workers’ intentions to leave the sector.

The findings reveal that where social dialogue and collective bargaining played a prominent role in addressing the challenges faced by the hospital sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, the responses were better and more quickly developed. This highlights how well-functioning social dialogue and collective bargaining are crucial to a strong hospital sector and can increase the EU’s preparedness for potential future health crises.