Trade Unions
The French System of Collective Bargaining
Collective bargaining in France was generalised by law in 1950, which established the industry as the main level for bargaining. In 1971, collective bargaining at the ‘inter-professional’ (cross-industry) level was also established. Finally, the ‘Auroux laws’ of 1982 imposed an annual obligation to bargain about wages and working time at the workplace or company level [...]
Social Dialogue between strong Social Partners: Vital for Democracy, Vital for Europe
In most EU member states, social dialogue between trade unions and employers is an essential feature of the democratic process. Trade unions and employers negotiate pay and working conditions, and, in some countries, they also have a say in social security arrangements or have key roles in other areas. They help government manage the economy, [...]
Collective Bargaining in the UK and EU
The system of industrial relations in the UK is traditionally characterised by voluntary relations between the social partners, with a minimal level of interference from the state. Since 1979 there has been a shift to increased legal restrictions on trade unions combined with legally established employment rights, mainly as a result of EU directives. Today [...]
European Collective Bargaining Coordination in the Metal and Electronic Industries during the Economic Crisis
Austerity measures from various European Governments in the midst of the deepest economic crisis of the last 80 years include drastic wage cuts for employees. Could this mark the end of coordinated collective bargaining of European Trade Unions? Prior to the introduction of European monetary union, from the mid 90s the European trade unions had [...]
The Polish System of Collective Bargaining
The Polish Labour Code (Chapter XI of Act of 26 June 1974) provides legal regulations for collective bargaining in Poland at two levels. The company agreements are negotiated between an employer or one or more regional trade union organisations at company level. The company level remains the predominant level of collective negotiations in Poland. According [...]
The current Crisis reveals both: The Importance and the Limitations of the transnational Coordination of Collective Bargaining Policies
The deepening of economic integration of the European Union, which gained further momentum with the introduction of European Monetary Union and the ‘eastern’ enlargement of the EU, has been a major driving force for European trade unions to intensify their efforts to coordinate collective bargaining policies across borders. The rationale for unions to embark on [...]
After the Crisis: Employment Relations for Sustained Recovery and Growth
Strengthening labour relations and workplace innovations are prerequisites for sustained recovery and future growth. Enabling workers and unions to negotiate wage growth in line with enhanced productivity growth requires the dissemination of high-performance working practices that engage workers, a raising of minimum standards, and substantial changes to labour law. The global economic crisis had its [...]
After the Financial Market Crisis – A Trade Union Agenda
Now that financial institutions are being subsidised by taxpayers and speculative trading is back to pre-crisis levels, breaking the economic boom-and-bust cycles should become a high priority for the European trade union movement. This needs to be underpinned by broad coalition-building, campaigns and targeted lobby work in member states. Rahm Emanuel, White House chief-of-staff, after [...]
Time for a twenty-first Century Social Democracy
Social democrats need a new understanding of the historic compromises that are necessary for the practice of power. The German election defeat followed on from losses for social democratic parties in the European Parliament elections. To be sure, socialists kept power in Portugal and Norway, but without a majority of votes. And PASOK’s win in Greece was based on a new [...]
No Freedom Without Solidarity!
Do you remember the moment when communism fell in Eastern Europe? Most people will recall the dramatic events in Berlin in November 1989. Perhaps they will remember the overthrow of Ceaucescu in Romania or when Yeltsin defeated the coup in Moscow two years later. Yet communism ended here, in Poland, when twenty years ago the [...]
Interview – ‘The only solution is to refuse to comply with ECJ rulings’
In recent judgements undermining the right to strike and compliance with collective agreements, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has dealt a fresh blow to hopes for a ‘Social Europe’. Political scientist Fritz Scharpf explains the reasoning behind rulings from Europe’s highest court – and explores what can be done to oppose them. Herr Scharpf, [...]
European Court of Justice (ECJ) and Social Europe: A Divorce based on Irreconcilable Differences?
In a recent interview with Mitbestimmung, Professor Fritz Scharpf, one of Europe’s most prominent social scientists, spoke about the radicalising effects of the recent ECJ rulings in the Viking, Laval, Rüffert and Commission vs Luxembourg cases: ‘the basic treaty freedoms are now deemed not just to prevent protectionist discrimination against foreign suppliers but more broadly [...]
