30 years of European social dialogue since its launch in Val Duchesse in Brussels,eprésentativité des partenaires sociaux européens interprofessionnels, les partenaires patronaux,European social dialogue, European Union, social dialogue, industrial relations, IR, European industrial relations, social policy, Val Duchesse, employers, trade unions, collective bargaining union, European works councils, European framework agreements, European company statute, représentativité, partenaires sociaux européens interprofessionnels, syndicats

1. Thirty years of social dialogue in the
European Union
European Journalism Centre
4 March 2015 _ Brussels
Christian Welz
christian.welz@eurofound.europa.eu

2. Outline

3. 1. Background & context

4. 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

5. European
industrial
relations
EMP
EC
TU“bargaining in the shadow of the law”

6. cross-industry SD sectoral SD
company SD
EWC / SE / EFA
Cross-industry sectoral company
national social dialogue
European social dialogue - level linkages

7. • 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

8. 2. actors

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. • 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

13. • 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

14. 3. processes

15. 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

16. bipartite dialogue
employers – trade unions
tripartite
concertation
public 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 4. outcomes

20. Categories of texts

21. Outcomes of the European social
dialogue

22. 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)

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 5. Current challenges