Collective bargaining in Europe stands as a fundamental mechanism for labor market regulation, reflecting the continent’s commitment to social dialogue and worker protection. This process, whereby unions and employers negotiate wages, working hours, and other terms of employment, varies across European countries and is influenced by historical, economic, and social factors. Despite differences, the European Union encourages member states to engage in collective bargaining, seeing it as a key tool for achieving social cohesion, improving work conditions, and enhancing economic stability.
Visionary Analytics team is excited to inform that we are working on a study for the European Economic and Social Committee titled “Improving collective bargaining in Europe”. This study has two primary aims: (1) to understand why some countries in the EU have low or very low levels of collective bargaining coverage; and (2) to propose policy recommendations to effectively promote collective bargaining in those countries which will be concluded towards the end of 2024.
Our team will employ country-level desk research, interviews with national stakeholders, statistical and comparative analysis, and data triangulation to carry out the following four tasks:
- Select an optimal sample of countries to ensure the relevance of both country-level and cross-country findings for the objectives of this assignment.
- Develop a thorough theoretical framework and a robust typology of factors (potentially affecting the collective bargaining systems) to be examined.
- Conduct an in-depth analysis of each case that allows us to draw reliable conclusions and form policy recommendations relevant to each country’s specific context.
- Undertake cross-case examination to contribute to a better understanding of similarities and differences between countries
