European Social Dialogue | Worker Participation

What is European Social Dialogue?

The European Social Dialogue refers to formal negotiations that take place at the European level between representatives of workers and employers. The Interprofessional European Social Dialogue is cross-sectoral, while the European Sectoral Social Dialogue focuses on specific sectors.

Social dialogue is a key element of the European social model. It enables the social partners to have an input into the design of European social and employment policy, and is an integral part of the institutional community acquis. The European Social Partners will play an increasingly important role in ensuring an effective response to the immense challenges of the climate and digital transitions, while also helping the EU adapt to develop the database of joint texts adopted by the social partners, at both cross-industry and sectoral levels. As a resource to strengthen the European Social Dialogue in years to come, this database provides a tool for monitoring and evaluating the role of social dialogue in Europe.

Why focus on European Social Dialogue?

Social dialogue is a key driver of economic and social resilience, competitiveness, fairness and sustainable growth. Knowledge of how social dialogue structures and processes function and are framed by regulation helps workers, unions, company managers and others to participate in forums and resolve economic and social issues; encourage good governance; advance sustainable industrial activity; and support the social partners’ position in European Social Dialogue.

You can find a brief history of European Social Dialogue and its outcomes here.

Interprofessional or cross-sectoral European Social Dialogue

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) represents workers in European Social Dialogue at the European level in the Social Dialogue Committee which meets three times a year. The European social partners engage in social dialogue at cross-sectoral and sectoral levels through discussions, consultations, negotiations and joint actions.

The involvement of the social partners at the European level is organised around three different types of activities:

The tripartite consultation comprises the exchanges between the social partners and the European public authorities.
The consultation of the social partners covers the activities of the consultative committees and official consultations in the spirit of Article 153 of the (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)) - for a complete overview of all consultations so far launched by the European Commission, click here.

Key outcomes of the Interprofessional Europesn Social Dialogue framework agreements, frameworks of actions and the multi-annual work programmes:

Sectoral European Social Dialogue

European sectoral social dialogue is a social dialogue that takes place at the branch level between the European trade union and employer organisations of a specific sector of the economy. The main advantage of EU sectoral social dialogue is its ability to address specific aspects of sectoral concern and to provide a proper forum for discussion with the actors on the ground of many issues linked to employment, working conditions, vocational training, industrial change, the knowledge society, demographic patterns, enlargement and globalisation.

European-level sectoral social dialogue is now a well-established process, since its 30-year-old formal and informal structures were reformed on the basis of the European Commission Decision in May 1998. This Decision constitutes the foundation for sectoral social dialogue committees promoting dialogue between the social partners in sectors at European level.

There are currently some 40 sectoral social dialogue committees, which have produced a wide range of joint texts and agreements. A characteristic of the sectoral social dialogue at European level is the diversity of tools used to formalise commitments made by the social partners. The list includes opinions and common positions, declarations, guidelines and codes of conduct, charters, and also framework agreements.

In 2010, the EU Commission published a staff working document where it took stock of the main achievements of the European sectoral social dialogue and reviewed the functioning of the European sectoral social dialogue committees.

On this website, you can also find sectoral commentaries covering participants and challenges, outcomes and overviews.

European Sectoral Social Dialogue (ESSD) Database

The ETUI’s unique European Sectoral Social Dialogue database contains detailed information (under construction). Upon registration, you will have free access to:

Information about the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Database (under construction)
European Sectoral Social Dialogue Database search engines with save facilities (under construction)

Regulation

The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) contains two key articles concerning European Social Dialogue:

Other regulation and Positions

Other regulatory and position materials include: (under construction)

(3) Directives at cross-industry level
(15) Directives at sector level
ETUC key resolutions
Federations’ positions on sectoral social dialogue and reports
European Commission Resource Centre on Social Dialogue
European Commission EU Social Dialogue newsletters

Research areas

European Companies (SEs)

This worker-participation.eu website houses a list of European Companies (SEs).

European Company (SE) facts and figures

(2014). News on European Companies: Slowdown or new dynamics? April, ETUI.
(2013). News on European Companies (SEs). ETUI.
(2013). In focus: SE dynamics over time. July, ETUI.
(2013). In focus: 'Subsidiary SEs' – A creeping threat to employee involvement. April, ETUI.
(2013). In focus: Cross-border mobility of SEs. ETUI.
(2012). News on European Companies (SEs). October, ETUI.
(2012). News on European Companies (SEs). March, ETUI.
(2011). 700th European Company (SE) registered - News from the SE Factsheets database. January, ETUI.
(2010). 500 active European Companies (SE). ETUI.
(2009). European Companies (SE) – News from the SE Factsheet Database. March, ETUI.
(2004). Number of new SE registrations per year. ETUI.