European sectoral social dialogue 1997-2004

This Working Paper originates from a research project carried out following a call for tenders from the European Commission. Our aim was, firstly, to gather together all the joint documents generated by the sectoral social dialogue (i.e. ones issued by officially established committees) since 1997, in as many language versions as were available, in order to form a database. Secondly, we set out to highlight the dynamics driving forward - or not driving forward - sectoral dialogue. We had been asked to devise an overall typology, not to write a monograph of each sector describing its background and specific features. The intention was therefore to obtain an overview of sectoral social dialogue in Europe. One of the principles of comparative research in the social sciences is to strike a balance between a reduced number of possible variables and a maximum degree of coherence within categories.

Thereafter, we delved more deeply into certain aspects of this study. First of all, we analysed and classified all the documents produced by the sectoral social dialogue from its origins until the present day. Thus our database now comprises more than 378 agreements, classified according to the categories we devised. The Commission has put on line all the agreements of 1997-2005 using categories which are slightly different from ours. http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/social_dialogue/index_en.htm. Secondly, we conducted a more in-depth study (Pochet and Degryse, 2005) of the sectors covered by UNIEuropa, at that organisation’s behest. Thirdly, we researched the textiles sector more thoroughly in a report for the ILO (Pochet, 2005c).

Overall, we have adapted the research conducted on behalf of the Commission for the purposes of this English version. Not only have we taken into account the events of 2004, which moreover confirm our analysis, but we have also added information about three new committees: chemicals, local and regional government, and audio-visual. Finally, less significantly, we have made a few amendments to the original report, mainly in respect of style or detail.

Little research has so far been carried out on the sectoral level and its Europeanisation. Whereas some sectors are relatively homogeneous, others encompass extremely diverse sub-sectors. It is worth noting here that sectoral social dialogue began eight years before cross-industry dialogue, and has led to many more joint documents (approximately 360 as against 50). This is due partly to the number of sectors - and players - concerned, and partly to the fact that the definition of what is a product (joint document) of the sectoral dialogue is more flexible than in the cross-industry dialogue, where joint studies, letters, etc. are not normally taken into account.

Once we have presented our methodological framework, we shall begin by describing how the structure of sectoral social dialogue took shape over time and how its twofold function - consultation and negotiation - emerged. The next two sections will be devoted to a presentation of our findings. This will enable us to determine the dynamics at work in the different sectoral dialogues: through a quantitative analysis of the number and characteristics of texts held in the database; and through a qualitative analysis of the responses obtained in our interviews and questionnaires. Based on these first steps, we have drawn up a typology.