1. Bipartite social dialogue within the European Union: overview of the current trends Roberto Pedersini Università degli Studi di Milano Seminar on Social Dialogue – P2P Programme Skopje, 14-15 October 2010

2. The three basic processes of IRs Representation of labour and employers Joint regulation of the employment relationships: collective bargaining and (indirect) participation Industrial conflict: mobilisation and strikes Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano

3. The situation and trends in IRs We have to look at a number of indicators: Union density and employer organisation density Collective bargaining structure and coverage Strike activity The contents of agreements: pay, working time, employment and working conditions Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano

4. Within the European Union Common supportive institutional framework Different IR traditions and ‘models’: ▫Voluntarist vs. Organised ▫Antagonistic vs. Participatory ▫Decentralised vs. Centralised/Coordinated ▫Business unionism vs. Competitive unionism  Anglosaxon, Nordic, Continental, Mediterranean  and Eastern and Central European? Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano

5. Recent trends: basic elements Erosion of trade union representation ‘Rationalisation’ of union and employer representation: mergers and streamlining Decentralisation of the regulation of the employment relationship: company and territorial (and increasing individualisation) – sometimes ensuring coordination Decline of conflicts – with some national and sectoral exceptions

6. Collective bargaining Less ‘distributional’, more ‘competiveness-enabling’ ▫for organisational flexibility, decentralisation at company-level through the establishment of leaner higher-level ‘framework agreements’ or ‘hardship clauses’ ▫for labour market flexibility, decentralisation at territorial-level: different local employment regulation and tripartite labour market management ▫coordination of bargaining for wage moderation ▫tripartite agreements for reforms and social cohesion Or simply concession bargaining?

7. Pay, working time, tackling the crisis Wage moderation and increase of variable/performance related pay Working time flexibility (and working hours increase) Training and ‘ageing workforce’ policies Into the crisis: ▫Job security  Short-time work arrangements – including the use of hour banks, leave periods, and time off – sometimes coupled with training  Wage freeze and postponement of agreed pay rises ▫Income and Employment security  Labour market policies, both passive and active ones ▫Restructuring  Downsizing, pacts for competitiveness, and ‘residual’ job security

8. Some concluding remarks Bipartite social dialogue (industrial relations) is a key component of the European Social Model EU framework and processes, but national systems: links between levels are important Persistent models, convergence, divergence? Benchmarking and mutual learning is possible, but the strength of the national system is crucial  Importance of institutional and capacity building

9. Further information European Commission: ▫Industrial Relations in Europe, http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=575&langId=en http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=575&langId=en European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions: ▫Eurofound, http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/ ▫European Industrial Relations Observatory ▫European Working Conditions Observatory ▫European Monitoring Centre on Change

10. Union density: absolute levels Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano Source: European Commission, Industrial Relations in Europe 2008

11. Union density: levels and trends Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano Source: Roberto Pedersini, Trade union strategies to recruit new groups of workers, in EIRO

12. Employer organisation density Source: European Commission, Industrial Relations in Europe 2008 Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano

13. Collective bargaining centralisation Source: European Commission, Industrial Relations in Europe 2008 Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano

14. Collective bargaining coverage Source: European Commission, Industrial Relations in Europe 2008 Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano

15. Working days lost per 1,000 employees Source: Mark Carley, Developments in industrial action 2005-2009, in EIRO Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano

16. Real pay increases 2008-2009 Source: Mark Carley, Pay developments – 2009, in EIRO Roberto Pedersini, Università degli Studi di Milano

17. Weekly hours worked in the main job (Full-time employees) Source: Roberto Pedersini, Working time in the EU and other global economies. Part 2, in Eurofound