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Sociale dialoog

Sociale dialoog kan worden gedefinieerd als onderhandelingen, raadplegingen, gezamenlijke acties, besprekingen en informatie-uitwisselingen waarbij werkgevers en werknemers betrokken zijn. Een goed functionerende sociale dialoog tussen uiteenlopende actoren op diverse niveaus is een belangrijk instrument voor de totstandbrenging van arbeidsvoorwaarden. De sociale dialoog brengt de belangen van werknemers en werkgevers in evenwicht en draagt bij aan het economische concurrentievermogen en de sociale samenhang.

Recentelijk is in de beleidsdiscussie op Europees niveau naar voren gekomen dat er, voornamelijk sinds de crisis van 2008, nieuwe debatten over sociale rechtvaardigheid, democratie, kwaliteit van werk en nieuwe modellen van arbeidsverhoudingen zijn ontstaan, die een uitdaging vormen voor de traditionele arbeidsverhoudingen en systemen van sociale dialoog.

Dertig jaar na de historische inauguratie van de Europese sociale dialoog in Val Duchesse te Brussel, heeft de Commissie het proces nieuw leven ingeblazen met de lancering van een nieuwe start voor de sociale dialoog tijdens een evenement op hoog niveau dat socialepartnerorganisaties uit heel Europa op 5 maart 2015 samenbracht. De Europese sociale dialoog is een instrument van het Europees sociaal beleid, dat rechtstreeks bijdraagt aan het vormgeven van arbeidswetgeving en -beleid op EU-niveau.

Topic

Recent updates

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From January to June 2022, Eurofound supported the work of France's presidency of the Council of the EU, providing valuable research results on specific topics linked with the presidency priorities.

Web page
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From July to December 2023, Eurofound supported the work of Spain's presidency of the Council of the EU, providing valuable research results on specific topics linked with the presidency priorities.

Web page

EU context

Het werk van Eurofound

Beleidsmakers hebben solide bewijs nodig om de veranderingen op de arbeidsmarkt te begrijpen en te reageren op de veranderende dynamiek van arbeidsverhoudingen in Europa. De Stichting gebruikt gegevens en analyses van haar netwerk van correspondenten in de 28 EU-lidstaten en Noorwegen om trends en patronen in kaart te brengen en te wijzen op voorbeelden van een goed functionerende sociale dialoog op Europees en nationaal niveau.

In haar onderzoek bestudeert de Stichting aspecten zoals werknemersparticipatie, collectieve onderhandelingen, werknemersvertegenwoordiging en arbeidsverhoudingen op alle niveaus. Ze onderzoekt in welke mate arbeidsverhoudingen zich aan de opkomst van multinationals hebben aangepast. Ze vertrekt van een mondiaal perspectief door te kijken naar arbeidsverhoudingsstelsels en resultaten in economieën buiten de EU, zoals de Verenigde Staten en Japan

Belangrijkste bijdragen

De Stichting heeft in meer dan 40 jaar een grote hoeveelheid werk verricht waarmee ze de vele veranderende facetten van de sociale dialoog in Europa op diverse niveaus - bedrijfs-, nationaal, Europees en internationaal niveau - in kaart heeft gebracht.

In de laatste jaren heeft de Stichting diepgaande analyses uitgevoerd van diverse kwesties die centraal staan in de sociale dialoog, zoals: 

De representativiteitsstudies die de Stichting in meerdere sectoren heeft uitgevoerd, na een opdracht hiertoe van de Commissie in 2006, verstrekken de nodige basisinformatie voor de oprichting en werking van de Europese comités voor de sectorale sociale dialoog.

Bronnen

Het woordenboek Europese arbeidsverhoudingen, dat in 2005 is opgesteld als een online referentie-instrument voor beleidsmakers en beroepsbeoefenaars, is een waardevolle bron van informatie over werkgelegenheid en arbeidsverhoudingen in de EU. De landenprofielen betreffende het arbeidsleven verstrekken relevante contextuele informatie over structuren, instanties en regelgeving die van belang zijn voor het arbeidsleven in de lidstaten van de EU28 en Noorwegen en op EU-niveau.

De databanken collectieve salarisonderhandelingen en lonen, arbeidstijd en collectieve geschillen zijn bedoeld om onderzoekers en beleidsmakers te voorzien van kwantitatieve en kwalitatieve informatie over deze onderwerpen uit alle EU-lidstaten en Noorwegen vanaf 2000 tot heden.

Key outputs

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De afgelopen jaren was er, met uitzondering van enkele tussenliggende pieken, sprake van een algemene daling van het aantal collectieve acties in de EU-lidstaten. Tijdens de COVID-19-pandemie heeft deze tendens...

7 februari 2022
Publication
Research report
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This publication consists of individual country reports on working life during 2020 for 29 countries – the 27 EU Member States, Norway and the United Kingdom. The country reports summarise...

23 maart 2021
Publication
Other
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In het kader van zijn mandaat om de dialoog tussen de sociale partners te stimuleren, monitort en analyseert Eurofound al meer dan veertig jaar ontwikkelingen in stelsels van arbeidsverhoudingen op...

11 december 2020
Publication
Flagship report

Current and ongoing research

 

In the course of the programming period 2021–2024, Eurofound will continue regular monitoring of social dialogue, including through the EU PolicyWatch database.

Other topics addressed include:

  • Monitoring 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 
  • Research 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.

 

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
Publications results (251)

The study looks at the articulation and the complex multi-level links between European and national levels of social dialogue. It examines the factors that facilitate as well as those that hinder the successful engagement of national social partners and their ability to promote their own interests

13 July 2018

The latest European Semester cycle, covering the period 2016–2017, has highlighted a range of issues regarding the quality of involvement by the social partners in the elaboration of the 2017 National Reform Programme (NRP), as well as in the implementation of the country-specific recommendations

06 March 2018

Eurofound’s 2016 report Mapping key dimensions of industrial relations identified four key dimensions of industrial relations: industrial democracy, industrial competitiveness, social justice, and quality of work and employment. This report builds upon that earlier study, developing a dashboard of

29 January 2018

This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the actors involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for central government administration. The aim of Eurofound’s series of studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national

17 November 2017

This study provides information designed to encourage sectoral social dialogue in the tanning and leather 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 relations in

07 November 2017

This study provides information designed to encourage sectoral social dialogue in the footwear industry. 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 relations in selected

19 October 2017

Developments in Working Life in Europe is part of a series of annual reviews published by Eurofound and provides an overview of the latest developments in industrial relations and working conditions across the EU and Norway.

25 September 2017

Innovation is an important driver of improved competitiveness, productivity and growth potential. This report explores which workplace practices have the strongest links to innovative company behaviour, looking at innovation in the form of new or significantly changed products or processes, new or

22 June 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

Online resources results (435)

New national agreement on continuing training

At the end of 1996, the major trade unions and employers' associations signed the Second National Agreement on Continuing Training (II Acuerdo Nacional de Formación Continua), which was later endorsed by a tripartite agreement between these organisations and the Government. The new agreements build

Apparent breakdown of Belgian central bargaining

For the first time since 1960, the Belgian social partners have failed to reach an intersectoral pay agreement and have instead accepted government imposition of measures on employment and maximum pay increases. This development runs counter to all traditions of free collective bargaining and the

Employers and unions adopt positions on labour market reform

Employers and unions want to reduce the amount of temporary recruitment and the number of types of employment contract. They also want to increase their freedom to negotiate labour market issues through collective bargaining. These are the key issues in the current debate over a new round of labour

The 1997 bargaining round previewed

The majority of Norwegian wage agreements are of two years' duration, and the current settlements will expire during 1998. However, issues relating to remuneration will be renegotiated at central level in 1997. Most of the agreements between LO (the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions or

Unemployment as the focus for collective bargaining at national level

In recent years pressure has mounted on all parties involved to rethink and revise the traditional policies and practices of Greek industrial relations as well as to promote social dialogue between employers and employees. As a result of changing conditions, some believe that a new era in industrial


Blogs results (6)

The COVID-19 pandemic made us acutely aware of how dependent our society is on certain essential workers. We felt deep gratitude towards workers in healthcare especially, because they worked ceaselessly in often-difficult conditions.

22 november 2023
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Decision-makers approached minimum wage setting for 2021 cautiously due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Despite this, nominal statutory minimum wages rose in most Member States and the UK, although at lower rates than in recent years.

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In the context of the ongoing trend of a fall in collective bargaining coverage, and recent calls at EU level to promote collective bargaining coverage as an instrument to support fair and decent wages, new data from Eurofound’s fourth European Company Survey (ECS) show that two-thirds of workers (i

28 oktober 2020
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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 maart 2018
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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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The new European Commission (EC) under President Jean-Claude Juncker is committed to re-launching social dialogue and a first step was taken with the organisation of a high-level conference in Brussels on 5 March. The aim of the conference was to discuss concrete ways to strengthen social dialogue w

20 april 2015
Upcoming publications results (7)

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

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