Collective Bargaining Developments in Times of Crisis, Second Edition

Bulletin of Comparative Law and Labour Relations # 99

Collective Bargaining Developments in Times of Crisis, currently in its second edition, is an update of the research published in 2018 analysing the evolutions of collective bargaining in the times of crises of unprecedented magnitude that have hit all countries: the totally unexpected COVID-19 pandemic with its massive consequences, the energy crisis, the environmental crisis, and the Ukrainian war crisis followed by inflation. However, an essential and monumental change has taken place at the European level in this area since the first edition in 2018, which can be described as a paradigm shift. The adoption of the Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages marks a true break with the post-financial crisis period, as the EU is now focusing on the development and enhancement of strong sectoral collective bargaining systems in wage settings.

What’s in this book:

The book is organised into two building blocks:

• Part I presents some comparative perspectives both in terms of the structure of the industrial relations systems and in terms of subjects of collective bargaining, whether this be a classical theme of collective bargaining (wages and working time) or less traditional themes (platform work, young people and older people which are two categories particularly affected by the crisis).
• Part II presents some national situations. Each chapter explores how national systems have been able to respond to European injunctions and have also responded to the new challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of new themes. These presentations demonstrate once again the extreme diversity of each industrial relations system. Some systems, such as the Austrian system, appear to be unfailingly stable, while the Belgian system seems to be having more difficulty adapting. Others, like the Portuguese or the Spanish systems, appear to be resilient, while in some countries, Turkey, Hungary, Poland and Romania, collective bargaining is particularly weak. In these countries, the question raised by the adoption of the AMW Directive is therefore to determine how sectoral bargaining can be developed in countries where there is no such level of bargaining or in countries where collective bargaining remains underdeveloped at all levels.

How this will help you:

As in the first edition, the book takes stock of the current state of collective bargaining in Europe. It is a crucial study for labour and employment law practitioners and an exemplary analysis of immeasurable value to policymakers and academics in the field.