Documents social dialogue 2 201 results

"This study provides information allowing for an assessment of the representativeness of the organisations involved in the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the maritime transport sector. Their relative representativeness legitimises their right to be consulted and their capacity to negotiate agreements. The aim of Eurofound's studies on representativeness is to identify the relevant national and European social partner organisations in the sector. This study identifies the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) – representing employees – and the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) – representing employers – as the most representative European-level social partner organisations in maritime transport."

"This paper explores the current landscape of collective bargaining agreements in Greece, alongside the broader legislative framework governing occupational heat stress. The findings reveal that the existing framework regulating occupational heat exposure remains general and insufficient. The specific circulars on heat stress prevention do not carry the same legal weight as laws or presidential decrees. Therefore, the adoption of dedicated legislation addressing occupational heat stress is considered essential. Effective protection requires the implementation of preventive measures across all sectors, for all categories of workers, and throughout all periods—not only during officially declared heatwaves. Labour inspectorate workplace inspections should be intensified, as enforcement remains limited. Heat stress provisions are rarely included in collective bargaining agreements. The weakening of collective bargaining following the economic crisis has contributed to this gap. The role of trade unions and workers' occupational safety and health (OSH) representatives is critical in strengthening collective bargaining and safeguarding workers from occupational risks. To improve heat stress management, the study highlights the need for expanded awareness-raising initiatives, sector-specific training, enhanced understanding and use of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, systematic recording of worker morbidity and mortality, and strengthened research efforts on heat stress prevention."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"This article presents a comparative analysis of how collective bargaining and social dialogue contribute to protecting European workers from the effects of high temperatures linked to climate change. The study focuses on five European countries—Spain, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, and Hungary—which together provide a comprehensive and nuanced overview of the current situation across Europe. The methodology is primarily qualitative, based on 11 case studies (covering both sectors and companies), 60 interviews with key informants, and an in-depth analysis of the existing legal framework for heatwave prevention in both public health and occupational safety and health (OSH) contexts. The study also includes a detailed review of collective agreements and other social dialogue tools—such as heat action plans and OSH catalogues—to assess the extent to which high temperatures are addressed in collective bargaining in the selected countries. The empirical evidence reveals that high temperatures are still only marginally addressed in European collective bargaining, and significant challenges remain. Nevertheless, the fieldwork also identified several initiatives which, despite their limitations, represent steps forward in worker protection and could serve as examples of good practice."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"Dutch OSH legislation is characterized by its reliance on very general legal stipulations. The idea is that these broad, goal-oriented provisions leave room for tailor-made regulations at the company or sectoral level, leading to more effective risk management. This also goes for OSH legislation pertaining to heat at work. The general legal provisions on heat at work are to be fleshed out, via social dialogue, in either collective labor agreements or ‘OSH catalogues' at the sectoral level, or more specific arrangements at the company level. Analysis of all relevant labor agreements and ‘OSH catalogues' reveals that these do seldom give proper guidance in managing heat at work. Most importantly, hardly any of these collective agreements contain a clear, science-based threshold for working in heat. Risk-assessment tools too are rather poor, and the proposed risk management measures in the ‘OSH catalogues' do seldom follow the industrial hygiene strategy (prevention first, personal protection as a final resort). The Dutch approach of social dialogue at a sectoral level or company therefore is not very effective. Also, negotiating OSH standards at many different is not very efficient, and is at odds with common notions such as legal certainty, legal equality and transparency."

"Climate change is already not only a global problem, but also poses a growing risk to the health and safety of workers. For this reason, this study analyses the measures taken as part of the ADAPTHEAT 2 project in Hungary to mitigate heat-related risks in the workplace. The research focuses on legislation and employers' practices, which were analysed on the basis of risk assessments, collective agreements and case studies. The findings highlight that workplace heat stress is not only a concern in traditionally high-risk sectors such as agriculture but affects nearly all workplaces. Despite recent legislative changes in Hungary, the regulatory framework and employer obligations remain rather general. Therefore, raising awareness among employers and employees remains essential. The study also emphasizes the important role of trade unions and health and safety representatives in advocating for improved protection."

"The study examines the role of collective bargaining in protecting workers from heat stress in Spain, a country that is particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures. Through an analysis of 596 collective sectoral bargaining agreements (CBAs) registered between 2020 and 2025, 14 heat action plans (HAPs), and 13 interviews with key actors, the integration of preventive measures into labor regulations is evaluated. Only 51 CBAs (8.6%) include preventive clauses that go beyond clothing measures and only 8 (1.3%) contained an adequate set of norms to address it in a more or less comprehensive manner. Company heat action plans, although more detailed and flexible, are highly heterogeneous and have limited coverage. Recent regulatory reforms in 2023 (RD-Law 4/2023) and 2024 (RD-Law 8/2024) require heat-specific measures and protocols for adverse weather events respectively, opening a window for strengthening prevention through sectoral and company agreements in the form of CBAs and HAPs. It is concluded that, despite some advanced examples, protection remains insufficient and uneven. The combination of a more precise legal framework, proactive collective bargaining and workers' participation regarding heat stress prevention is essential to avoid the exacerbation of health inequalities in an increasingly warmer climate, especially in sectors and companies with weak union presence."

"This study examines the role of trade unions and social dialogue in shaping the Italian prevention system for occupational health and safety (OHS) risks associated with heatwaves. Drawing on the European project Adaptheat, it addresses a research gap on the short-term impacts of climate change on the workforce and the interventions of social actors to address them. The methodology combined literature review, documentary analysis, and qualitative interviews with different stakeholders, including workers, in Apulian agriculture and in logistics warehouses. Findings show that trade unions have been pivotal in translating scientific evidence—particularly from the Worklimate project—into institutional measures and into collective bargaining agreements. Despite regulatory progress, the system relies mainly on regional ordinances, resulting in fragmented and reactive prevention rather than integrated and proactive planning. Compared with international benchmarks, the Italian case underscores the need to strengthen the regulatory framework, linking heatwave-related OHS protection with broader labour and social rights."

"Is the EU enlargement the success EU institutions proclaim? Based on fifteen years of fieldwork research across Central and Eastern Europe and on migrants in the UK and Germany, this book provides a less glittering answer. The EU has betrayed hopes of social cohesion: social regulations have been forgotten, multinationals use threats of relocations, and workers, left without institutional channels to voice their concerns, have reacted by leaving their countries en masse. Yet migration, for many, increases social vulnerability.

Drawing on Hirschman's concepts of ‘Exit' and ‘Voice', the book traces the origins of such failures in the management of EU enlargement as a pure economic and market-creating exercise, neglecting the inherently political nature of labour relations. The reinforcement of market mechanisms without political counterbalances has resulted in an increase in opportunistic ‘exit' behaviour by both employers and employees, and thereby in a worsening quality of democracy, at workplace, national and European levels. As a result of this process, the EU has become more similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement between USA, Canada and Mexico, where social rights are marginalized and economic integration does not translate into better development. "