Corporate Social responsibility network Instruments and Implications
Description
In the spirit of the Lisbon European Council of March 2000 that defined a global strategy for anticipating and managing changes designed to make Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, the EU Commission launched a consultation procedure in 2002 to promote CSR. The challenge is to achieve a better balance; on one side to strengthen the capacity of business to adapt to globalisation challenges and, on the other, to reinforce the proactive involvement of workers in economic, environmental and social issues. Back in time, this EU Commission proposal was mainly based on an initiative of Jacques Delors in 1995 who launched, together with a group of European companies a 'Manifesto of Enterprises against Social Exclusion'. Since then the issue of CSR has been closely linked to the appeal to companies' corporate sense of social responsibility regarding best practices on issues such as work organisation, equal opportunities, social inclusion, lifelong learning and sustainable development and to the promotion of core labour standards in and outside Europe.
In this respect the ETUC response focuses on the elaboration of a partnership approach to CSR on 4 main issues: 1. Quality of employment relations, 2. Respect of workers' collective rights of information, consultation and participation, 3. Anticipation of industrial change and restructuring. 4. Respect and promotion of fundamental social rights.
The ETUI-REHS project on CSR aims at analysing the impact of CSR strategy and instruments on the existing social dialogue structures in a broad sense, at the national, European and international levels. In this respect, analyses have been carried out on the dangers and opportunities CSR may represent for the existing, institutional structures of social dialogue. Beyond the debate on the dichotomy between hard and soft law, the hypothesis of a complementary role of binding and non-binding instruments in the construction of a European level of industrial relation has been tested. Currently, the research questions focus on the identification and clarification of the role of the different stakeholders in CSR as well as on the analysis of the content of the instruments used and their impact on labour standard-setting and industrial relations.
Furthermore, additional research is being conducted on the link between CSR and corporate governance: a Transfer issue will be devoted to this issue in 2008.
Researchers
Isabelle Schömann
Senior Researcher, ETUI-REHS - NETLEX Coordinatorphone: +32 (0) 2 224 07 24 and + 49 421 200 5020
