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Sectoral social dialogue: overview
Sectoral social dialogue: overview
Sectoral social dialogue: overview
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Sectoral social dialogue: overview
The European social dialogue is a key element of the European social model. It embraces discussions, consultations, negotiations and joint measures taken by the representative organisations of the social partners (employers and employees).
1998: the first step in the sectoral social dialogue
At sectoral level, the social dialogue underwent a major development in 1998. In its Communication Adapting and promoting the social dialogue at Community level, the Commission laid the foundations for a reorganised sectoral social dialogue. The Communication laid down precise provisions concerning the establishment, representativeness and operation of new sectoral committees, intended as central bodies for consultation, joint initiatives and negotiation.
Sectoral social dialogue committees are created in order to foster dialogue between the social partners at European level. Established at the joint request of the social partners, they are ultimately approved by the Commission on the basis of representativeness criteria. They must:
2000: a strategic landmark for the social dialogue
In the context of implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, the Commission stressed the importance of promoting the quality of industrial relations, one of the main points of the Social Policy Agenda 2000-2005. The envisaged measures were as follows:
2002: a milestone
The Commission's further Communication adopted in 2002, entitled The European social dialogue, a force for modernisation and change, constituted a milestone and provided an opportunity to get down to business in order to improve existing structures and foster more effective dialogue so as to guarantee better governance at Union level.
In all the proposed measures, the Commission stresses that the sectoral dialogue is "the proper level for discussion on many issues linked to employment, working conditions, vocational training, industrial change, the knowledge society, demographic patterns, enlargement and globalisation". In the light of this, the Commission wishes to:
Since the committees were established, the sectoral social dialogue has given rise to some 350 commitments of different types and scales: opinions and common positions, declarations, guidelines and codes of conduct, charters, agreements, etc. Some of these initiatives, such as the agreements concluded in the transport sector, have led to Community directives. Other texts - declarations or common opinions - have been adopted in order to clarify the position of the social partners on themes directly linked to the future of their sector.
Many measures also deal with major themes of common interest shared by several sectors. This is the case, for instance, with the liberalisation of services (postal services, electricity, transport, telecommunications), consolidation of the internal market (banking, insurance, construction, telecommunications), Community policies (agriculture, fisheries, transport), strengthening of competitiveness in a globalised economy (textiles, clothing, footwear and leather), professionalisation and the quality of work and services (private security, industrial cleaning and personal services), and the effect of new technologies on work organisation (telecommunications, commerce).
In its 2004 Communication Partnership for change in an enlarged Europe, entitled Enhancing the contribution of European social dialogue, the Commission encourages the social partners in different sectors and at European, national and company levels, to continue to enhance the synergies between the various sectors.
Last updated: 25.05.2005