1. Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue in the Commerce Sector in Europe ITCILO_Torino, 22 March Christian Welz
Eurofound – European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

2. Recent Eurofound studies on the commerce sector
I. Industrial relations (IR) developments in the commerce sector in Europe
II. Industrial relations, social dialogue (SD) and working time: the commerce sector
III. Representativeness study of the social partners (SP) in the commerce sector

3. I. Recent developments in IR / SD
customised report of European sectoral SP
UNI-Europa & EuroCommerce
developments in IR in 7 Member States (MS)
DE, DK, ES, HU, NL, RO, UK

4. 1. Examples of formal bi-and tripartite social dialogue

5. 2. Innovative collective agreements
better institutionalised compliance (NL)
CA 2010 – Retail
independent institution to monitor how employers and employees are applying the CA
“Collective agreement police”
new tools for individual empowerment (DK)
CA Retail
empower individuals to use the CA and SD in their own interest by negotiating better deals

6. 3. Social dialogue during the crisis
strong focus on job preserving measures
non-renewal of CAs / slowing down of collective bargaining (CB) (ES)
stalling of decentralisation process (ES)
moderation in pay
longer duration of CB (DE)
anti-crisis measures in the umbrella social pact (NL)

7. internationalisation technological change in new MS structural change
4. Key findings
main sectors trends
concentration
internationalisation
technological change
in new MS
structural change
growing influence of MNEs

8. statutory minimum wages are of particular importance, esp. in retail
4. Key findings
legal regulations play a more decisive role in commerce than in other sectors
employment law is of particular importance in those MS where CB is voluntary and where there is no extension of CAs (UK/HU)
statutory minimum wages are of particular importance, esp. in retail

9. crisis had a stronger impact on
4. Key findings
crisis had a stronger impact on
wholesale than on retail
SMEs
may have intensified existing trends
employment status and working time
more part-time work & working time flexibility
increase in insolvencies and redundancies

10. social partners feel that social partnership is quite weak
4. Key findings
social partners feel that
social partnership is quite weak
negotiation climate often rather difficult
SD activities are limited to wages, working hours and working conditions
need for more SD & joint initiatives

11. in some cases, even pay freezes shift in priorities
4. Key findings
wage negotiations in 2009 led to moderate or partly deferred pay increases
in some cases, even pay freezes
shift in priorities
more flexibility in wages & working hours
top priority was to protect companies & employment
improvement of working conditions received less attention

12. II. European Company Survey
establishments > + 10 employees
EU-27+TR, HR, MK
interviews with management and employee representatives (where available)
fieldwork in 2009

13. 1. Commerce sector in the Company Survey
4006 establishments (NACE G) in sample
626 interviews with employee representatives
Eurofound analysed the commerce sector re:
working time arrangements IR

14. 2. Employee representation

15. 3. Collective bargaining coverage

16. 4. Climate of industrial relations, assessed by employee representatives
Interest
Support
Common efforts
Hostile

17. sector has less employee representation lower CB coverage
5. Key findings
sector has less employee representation
lower CB coverage
lower levels of trade union membership
employees are slightly more likely than those in other sectors
not to express an interest in the outcome of negotiations
to report a hostile climate with management
to report that management & ER make sincere efforts to solve common problems

18. 5. Key findings
when SD practices are regulated by law sector does not differ significantly from others

19. III. Representativeness the social partners

20. 1. Background of the study
representativeness constitutes
the basis of SPs right to be consulted by the European Commission (CEC) under art 154 TFEU
to engage in negotiations leading to agreements implemented by the Council decision (155 TFEU)
European social dialogue (ESD)

21. 1. Background of the study
objective of the study
to identify the ‘actors’ to be consulted at European level
provide basic information needed to set up/adapt sectoral SD committees
scope of the study
in terms of MS: EU-27 (- FI & L V)
in terms of associations:
- European and national sector-related SPs
- demarcation via NACE code (rev.2): 45, 46, 47

22. 2. Combined approach for screening
top-down screening
points of reference are the national members of European SP organisations of ESSD
bottom-up screening
national associations involved in CB
and/or associated to any sector-related European association
tool: 27 national reports

23. 3. Definition of a sector-related European social partner organisation
A European association is a sector-related social partner, if
it is on the CEC‘s list of SP organisations consulted on behalf of the sector under article 154 TFEU
and/or if it participates in the sector-related ESD
or it has requested to be consulted by the CEC under article 154 TFEU

24. Definition of a sector-related national association
4. Definition of a sector-related national social partner organisation
Definition of a sector-related national association
A national association is included in the study, if it:
A) relates to the sector and is
B1) either regularly involved in CB at national/sectoral level
B2) or affiliated to any relevant European SP organisation.

25. 4. Sector relatedness and domain patterns of an organisation
Demarcation of the Commerce sector:
NACE G:
Wholesale, retail and wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles.

26. 4. 93 Trade unions and 106 employer’s organisations fulfil the criteria

27. 4. National trade union systems
93 trade unions in 25 MS identified
domain demarcations are most frequently (61%) sectionalistically overlapping
relatively low union densities
91 / 93 trade unions are engaged in sector-related CB

28. 4. The national systems of employer organisation
106 employer organisations in 25 MS listed
16 / 25 MS register pluralist associational systems
high incidence of narrow membership domains
most frequently (i.e. 51%) sectionalist
relatively high density rates in terms of both companies & employees
of the 106 employer organisations 93 are engaged in sector-related CB

29. at least one affiliation in each MS under consideration
5. Key findings
UNI Europa-Commerce and EuroCommerce affiliats go beyond the 25/27 MS examined
UNI Europa-Commerce
at least one affiliation in each MS under consideration
except for BG and CY
in some MS (e.g. BE, DK, EE, ES, FR, FI, IT, LT, NL, SE) multiple memberships occur

30. 38 of its for which information is available are involved in CB
5. Key findings
on aggregate, UNI Europa-Commerce counts 44 direct affiliations from MS under examination
UNI Europa-Commerce covers the sector’s most important labour representatives
38 of its for which information is available are involved in CB
permanent mandate to negotiate

31. EuroCommerce has all but one MS (BG) under its umbrella
5. Key findings
EuroCommerce has all but one MS (BG) under its umbrella
multiple memberships can be found in MS (AT, DE, ES, FR, GR, HU, IT, NL, PL, PT)
affiliated and unaffiliated associations co-exist in a series of MS (AT, BE, CY, DE, DK, ES, GR, HU, IE, IT, RO, SI, SE)
most important associations are affiliated

32. mandate to negotiate is given on a case by case basis
5. Key findings
in several MS some important or even all employer organisations that conduct bargaining are outside
in several MS (AT, EE, ES, GR, HU, IT, LT, LU, MT, PL, RO, UK) affiliates are not engaged in CB
of the 43 direct and indirect affiliates of EuroCommerce, at least 27 are directly or indirectly (via lower-order units) involved in sector-related CB
mandate to negotiate is given on a case by case basis

33. proportion of members involved in CB is lower compared to UNI CB
5. Key findings
proportion of members involved in CB
is lower compared to UNI CB
in 17 of the 26 MS which record affiliations to EuroCommerce a number of sector-related employer organisations are not affiliated to EuroCommerce which are involved in sector-related CB

34. 5. Key findings
EuroCommerce and UNI Europa-Commerce have to be regarded as the by far most important
 if not the only EU-wide representatives of the sector’s employers and employees

35. Further information
Industrial relations developments in the commerce sector
Industrial relations, social dialogue and working time: The commerce sector in Europe
Representativeness study of the social partners in the commerce sector (to be published)

36. Further information