An attempt to revitalize social dialogue and national industrial relations systems in some of
the CEECs
State of Play of Industrial Relations in Europe
Budapest, 20 September 2016Christian Welz
Outline
A.State of Play of IR in Europe
B. Impact of the crisis on IR regimes
C.Discussionsources: EC, Eurofound, Eurostat
A. State of play off iR in Europe
Definition(s) of industrial relations
industrial relations (IR) “the focal point of the field (…) is the employee-employer
relationship.” (US Social Science Research Council 1928)
“(…) the consecrated euphemism for the permanent conflict, now acute, now subdued, between capital and labour.”(Miliband,1969, 80, cited by Blyton/Turnbull, 2004, 9)
“The central concern of IR is the collective regulation (governance) of work and employment.” (Sisson 2010)
Definition(s) of industrial relations
industrial relations (IR)
“collective and individual governance of work and employment”
Eurofound (2016), Mapping key dimensions of industrial relations, Dublin.
environment
political
legal
economic
societal
actors
employers
trade unions
governments
processes
collectivebargainingparticipation
industrialactionsettlement of disputes
outcomes
collective agreements
labour legislation
outputs > impacts > inputs
pay, WT, productivity, employment, job security, labour peace…
inputs outputs
System of Industrial Relations
7
5 IR clusters
Centre-East
South
Centre-West
North
West
Trade Unions
Intersectoral level
Government
Employers
Intersectoral level
Sectoral level Sectoral level
Company level
Levels of CB - wages
Company level
BelgiumFinland
AustriaDenmark1France1GermanyGreeceIreland1ItalyLuxembourg1NetherlandsPortugal1Spain1Sweden1
Denmark2France2Ireland2Luxembourg2 Portugal2Spain2Sweden2UK
Trade Unions
Intersectoral level
Government
Employers
Intersectoral level
Sectoral level Sectoral level
Company level
Levels of CB - wages
Company level
Slovenia 1
Bulagaria1Cyprus 1Slovakia 1Slovenia 2
Bulgaria2CroatiaCyprus 2Czech Rep.EstoniaHungaryLatviaLithuaniaMaltaPolandRomaniaSlovakia 2
Trade Union density rates 2016 in %
Employer density rates 2013
Eurofound 2015
Membership of employers’ organisations participating in collective bargaining (%)
Collective bargaining coverage 2002 - 2013
National peak level social partner organisationsEurofound 2014
Different concepts of representativeness
different concepts examples
mutual recognition UK, Ireland
capacity to negotiate Germany, Austria
industrial democracy (elections) France, Luxemburg
organisational strength (membership) Poland, Romania
B. Impact of the crisis on IR regimes
Actors
Impact Member State
successful tripartite negotiation (8-10) BE, BG, CZ, EE, FR, LT, LV, NL, PL, PT
breakdown of tripartite negotiations (10---) BE(2011/12), ES, FI, GR, HR, HU, IE, IT, LU, PL(2011/12), SI
reorganisation of public actors and bodies ES, GR, HR, HU, IE, LU, RO
decline in trade union density CY, BG, DK, EE, IE, LT, LV, SE, SI, SK, UK
halt in trade union density decline/increase in trade union density
AT, CZ, DE, EE (for transport), LT
changes to membership of employer bodies CY (increase), DE (increase in members not bound by CA), LT (first decline then increase)
Processes
PROCESSES - SUMMARY
Type of change MSMain level(s) of bargaining: Decentralisation AT BG CY EL ES FR IE IT RO SI Recentralisation BE FIHorizontal coordination across bargaining units
AT ES HU IE RO SE SK
Linkages between levels of bargaining Ordering between levels EL ES PTOpening and opt-out clauses AT BG CY DE EL ES FI FR IE IT NO PT
SE SIExtending bargaining competence EL FR HU PT ROReach and continuity of bargaining Extension procedures EL IE SK PT ROIncreased / changed use of existing procedures
BG DE IT
Continuation beyond expiry EE EL ES HR PTMinimum wage setting and indexation mechanisms
Minimum wage setting CY DE EL ES HR HU IE PL PT SI SKIndexation BE CY ES IT LU
Country Multi-employer (MEB) or Single-employer (SEB) bargaining prevalent 2008 2011
Austria MEB MEBBelgium MEB MEBBulgaria Mixed MixedCroatia MEB MEB
Cyprus Mixed MixedCzech Republic SEB SEBDenmark MEB MEBEstonia SEB SEBFinland MEB MEB
France MEB MEBGermany MEB MEBGreece MEB MEBHungary SEB SEB
Ireland MEB SEBItaly MEB MEBLatvia SEB SEBLithuania SEB SEBLuxembourg MEB MEBMalta SEB SEBNetherlands MEB MEBNorway MEB MEBPoland SEB SEBPortugal MEB MEB
Romania MEB SEBSlovakia Mixed MixedSlovenia MEB MEBSpain MEB MEBSweden MEB MEBUnited Kingdom SEB SEB
Company level
Sector level
National level
AT
CY
EL
IT
BG
ES
FR
FI
RO
Trends in main levels of CB
BE
PT
• continental Western, central Eastern and Nordic IR regimes apply the favourability’ principle to govern the relationship between different levels of CB CAs at lower levels can only improve on standards established by higher levels exceptions: IE and the UK > reflecting their different legal tradition based on voluntarism
• FR FR made changes already in 2004 (loi Fillon)
• ES 2011 law inverted the principle as between sector or provincial agreements and company
agreementsEL 2011 law inverts the principle between the sector and company levels for the duration of
the financial assistance until at least 2015• PT
2012 Labour Code inverts the principle, but allows EOs and TUs to negotiate a clause in higher-level CA reverting to the favourability principle
Ordering / favourability principle
opening clauses in sector/cross-sector CAs provide scope for further negotiation on aspects of wages at company level
opt-out clauses permit derogation under certain conditions from the wage standards specified in the sector/cross-sector CA
changes in opening clauses 6 MSAT, DE, FI, IT, PT, SE
changes in opt-out clauses 8 MSBG, CY, EL, ES, FR, IE, IT, SI
•
Changes in opening/opt-out clauses
• changes: EL, FR, HU, PT and RO
• EL under 2011 legislation, CAs can be concluded in companies with
fewer than 50 employees with unspecified ‘associations of persons’ these must represent at least 60% of the employees concerned
• RO legislation (2011) introduces harder criteria for trade TU
representativeness where TUs do not meet the new criteria at company level, EOs can
now negotiate CAs with unspecified elected employee reps
Extension of CB competence
Extension mechanisms
of the 28 MS > 23 MS have extension mechanisms or a functional equivalent (IT)
no legal procedure for extending collective agreements in
CY, DK, MT SE and UK changes to either extension procedures or in their use
in 8 MSBG, DE, EL, IE, PT, RO, SK, IT
clauses providing for agreements to continue to have effect beyond the date of expiry until a new agreement is concluded are intended to protect workers should employers refuse to negotiate a renewal
they are found in a 9 MS at least AT, DK, EE, EL, ES, HR, PT, SE, SK
changes have been made to such provisions in 5 MS EE, EL, ES, HR, PT
Continuation of CAs beyond expiry
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
sector CA194
164 166 115 46 46 72
companyCA
97 87 64 55 39 49 80
total CA 291 251 230 170 85 95 152
extension 137 102 116 17 12 9 13
coverage /in 1000 pers.
1,895 1,397 1,407 1,237 328 243 246
No. of CAs in PT
• change has been concentrated amongst 6 MS, whose WSMs have each undergone multiple changes CY, EL, ES, IE, PT, RO been in receipt of financial assistance packages from the ‘troika’ changes in WSMs were required in all except ES
• in a further 4 MS there have been some changes to WSMs HR, HU, IT and SI change primarily driven by domestic actors > governments or SP
• in a majority of 18 MS WSMs have seen few or no changes since 2008
Conclusions
• impact of the ‘troika’ in inducing changes to WSMsamongst those countries receiving financial assistance packages is clear
• government-imposed measures in these countries have substantially reconfigured WSMs
Conclusions
C. Discussion
• “By viewing labour as a commodity, we at once get rid of the moral basis on which the relation of employer and employed should stand, and make the so-called law of the market the sole regulator of that relation.”
• (Dr John Kells Ingram, address to the British TUC in Dublin 1880)
Discussion > labour = commodity?
• Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914: section 6)
• 'that the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce'. Samuel Gompers – leader of the American Federation of Labour for
20 years was inspired by Ingram
Discussion
• Treaty of Versailles (1919: article 427)
first principle of the new ILO pro- claimed ‘ that labour should not be regarded merely as a commodity or article of commerce
introduced by British delegation Gompers > personal defeat
• ILO DECLARATION OF PHILADELPHIA (10 May 1944) labour is not a commodity
Discussion
• towards a re-commodification of labour ?
• Labour is not a commodity > clause is not in the EU Treaties
• yet Albany case (1996)
• Albany used the competition rules in article 81(1) EC (now article 101(1) TFEU) claiming that mandatory pension scheme compromised their competitiveness
•
Discussion
• ECJ• “ social policy objectives pursued by CAs would be seriously
undermined if management and labour were subject to Article 85(1) “
• Advocate General Jacobs• “ CAs enjoy automatic immunity from antitrust scrutiny”
• Art. 153 (5) TFEU• The provisions of this Article shall not apply to pay, the right of
association, the right to strike or the right to impose lock-outs.
Discussion
INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY
JOB & EMPLOYMENT
QUALITY
INDUSTRIAL COMPETITVENESSSOCIAL JUSTICE
• http://www.eurofound.europa.eu
• European industrial relations dictionary
Further information