Developing Collective Bargaining in the care sector

The project aims to examine the dynamics, mechanisms, and impacts of the development of collective bargaining and representation in the arena of the care sector, concentrating in particular on long-term care services for elderly people and socioeducation services for children aged 0-5. Specifically, it aims to provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and practices available across EU Member States to ensure an adequate extension of collective bargaining, the promotion of union and employers’ associations’ membership, and the use of social dialogue bilateral/trilateral bodies to design initiatives and policies to tackle the severe issues of skill and labour shortage. Overall, these research objectives are oriented to develop sector-specific recommendations on how to improve job quality in the care sector, especially significant for social partners and policy-makers at both the national and EU level to orient and root their agenda on a solid empirical ground. Extending the application of collective bargaining institutions and coverage is deemed a necessary process to enhance working conditions and job quality, as well as to strengthen the attractiveness and the retention capacity of a crucial segment of the tertiary sector, transnationally experiencing high turnover and severe labour and skill shortage. For this purpose, a comparative analysis across six most different EU countries in terms of employment relations regimes and welfare systems will be implemented (Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain). An empirical investigation for each country foresees a structured questionnaire with the social partners to systematically map collective bargaining and representation structure and coverage; a case studies analysis of the social partners’ practices to extend collective bargaining and promote membership; focus groups with workers/caregivers to investigate the individual perceptions of job quality and collective representation.