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. Cross-industry European Social Dialogue is cross-sectoral, while the European Sectoral Social Dialogue focuses on some 45 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. As a resource for strengthening European cross-industry and sectoral social dialogue in the years ahead, the ETUI 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:
- Outcomes (framework agreements, frameworks of action, and multi-year work programmes)
- Implementation of the European framework agreement on telework
- Implementation of framework agreement on work-related stress (Status January 2007)
- Framework agreement on stress at work (2004)
- Framework agreement on inclusive labour markets (2010)
- Framework agreement on harassment and violence at the workplace (2007
- Revised Framework agreement on parental leave (2009)
European Sectoral 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 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:
- Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) Article 154
- Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) Article 155
Other regulation and Positions
Other regulatory and position materials include:
- (3) Directives at cross-industry level
- Council Directive 2010/18/EU of 8 March 2010 implementing the revised Framework Agreement on parental leave concluded by BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC and repealing Directive 96/34/EC
- Summary of Directive 2010/18/EU on the revised framework agreement on parental leave
- Council Directive 2010/18/EU on the revised framework agreement on parental leave
- Summary of Directive 2010/18/EU on the revised framework agreement on parental leave
Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 28 June 1999 concerning the framework agreement on fixed-term work concluded by ETUC, UNICE and CEEP
- Council Directive 2010/18/EU of 8 March 2010 implementing the revised Framework Agreement on parental leave concluded by BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC and repealing Directive 96/34/EC
- (12) Directives at sector level (without hyperlinks)
- 30/09/1998: Transport Maritime - Accord européen relatif à l'organisation du temps de travail des gens de la mer
- 22/03/2000: Aviation civile - Accord européen sur l'aménagement du temps de travail du personnel navigant dans l'aviation civile
- 27/01/2004: Chemin de fer - Accord entre la Communauté européenne du rail (CER) et la Fédération européenne des travailleurs des transports (ETF) sur certains aspects des conditions d'utilisation des travailleurs mobiles effectuant des services d'interopérabilité transfrontalière
- 19/05/2008: Transport Maritime - Agreement concluded by ECSA and ETF on the maritime labour convention, 2006
- 17/07/2009: Hôpitaux - Accord-cadre relatif à la prévention des blessures par objets tranchants dans le secteur hospitalier et sanitaire
- 15/02/2012: Navigation fluviale - Accord européen concernant certains aspects de l’aménagement du temps de travail dans le secteur de la navigation intérieure
- 26/04/2012: Coiffure - Accord-cadre européen sur la protection de la santé et de la sécurité au travail dans le secteur de la coiffure
- 21/05/2012: Pêche maritime - Agreement between the social partners in the European Union’s sea-fisheries sector concerning the implementation of the Work in Fishing Convention (2007) of the International Labour Organization
- 21/12/2015: Administrations Centrales - Cadre général pour l’information et la consultation des fonctionnaires des administration centrales
- 23/6/2016: Services aux personnes - Accord-cadre européen pour la protection de la santé/sécurité des travailleurs de la coiffure
- 05/12/2016: Social Partner Agreement on amendments to Council Directive 2009/13/EC of 16 February 2009 (implementing the Agreement concluded by the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) on the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006)
- 6/10/2022: Administrations centrales - Accord-cadre du comité sectoriel de dialogue social pour les administrations d’Etat et fédérales (SDC-CGA) sur la numérisation
- ETUC key resolutions
- 30-31.03.2023: Position on the Social Dialogue Initiative
- 16.03.2022: ETUC Resolution Baking Social Dialogue into the DNA of Europe – A Roadmap of engagement in view of the future European Commission Communication and Council Recommendation
- 09.12.2020: Negotiating a fair future: reinforcing the role of Social Dialogue
- 14.12.2016: ETUC Resolution on the Future of Social Dialogue
- European Commission Resource Centre on Social Dialogue
ETUI publications on Social Dialogue
- European Social Dialogue and law
- European Social Dialogue and crisis
- European Sectoral Social Dialogue
- European Social Partners
- European Social Dialogue and Social Development
- European Social Dialogue and Industrial Relations
- European Social Dialogue and Worker Participation
- European Social Dialogue - prospects
- Other (under construction)