ILO signals gaps in effectiveness of social dialogue in EU and EU accession candidate countries

BRUSSELS (ILO News) - All EU Member States and EU candidate countries (35) have ratified the Freedom of Association Convention (n° 87) and the Right to organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (n° 98), as well as other international labour standards that lay down the core elements and pre-conditions for sound social dialogue, including the Tripartite Consultations (International Labour Standards) Convention (n° 144). 

Thirty-one of these countries have established permanent National social dialogue institutions, while of the 80-plus tripartite social pacts signed globally in the period 2019-2023, over half are in Europe and Central Asia. At the same time, gaps remain with regard to the implementation of these Conventions.

“Effective social dialogue necessitates a number of combined actions,” explained Kostas Papadakis, Senior Specialist in social dialogue, labour relations and governance of work at the ILO. “Countries need to ratify, promote and apply, both in law and in practice, International Labour Standards; reform their labour and social protection laws based on tripartite consultations; ensure that their labour administration and inspection systems support social dialogue actors and institutions with infrastructure, technical assistance and capacity building; and provide access to labour justice that is fair, speedy and affordable – a necessary condition for well-functioning industrial relations systems.”

He was speaking at the High-level forum on enlargement – ‘Towards a successful EU enlargement’, jointly organized by the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee.

Papadakis underlined that major changes in the world of work – such as the green and digital transition – are not fully embedded in social dialogue agendas. 

He also highlighted several inclusiveness gaps in EU and candidate countries. First, in several countries, young people, migrants and other groups are outside the scope of social dialogue. Second, trade union density varies widely: from 6 per cent in Estonia to 67 per cent in Denmark. A similar gap is observed regarding the density of employers’ organizations, which ranges from 6 per cent in Bosnia and Herzegovina to 100 per cent in Austria. 

Globally, trade union density and collective bargaining coverage have declined in the last years, and there is often a lack of capacity, and sometimes political will, to engage in social dialogue and apply its outcomes. “The ILO stands ready to provide technical assistance and build capacity for effective social dialogue,” Papadakis concluded.