COBAN - European collective bargaining information system for the chemical industry
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Nowadays, European co-ordination of collective bargaining (CB) is not any longer a trade union demand without no practical effect. It became step by step more reality mostly in European Industry Federations. ETUI-REHS has contributed to this progress by preparing and conducting the annually collective bargaining report together with EMCEF covering their sectors.
Description
The ETUI-REHS carried out a comparative analysis of the negotiation outcomes and compiled a annual report on collective bargaining in the EMCEF sectors 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 based on the information given by an existing and working information system.
A summary of the report stated that the outcome of collective bargaining in EMCEF's sectors and branches mainly follows the general trends and issues. The key issue for all trade unions continues to be the extent to which collective measures can be used to avoid or reduce unemployment. None of the chemical trade unions in Europe appear to have allowed themselves to be dragged into the spiral of reducing the company's costs by decreasing wages and prolonging working time without compensation. EMCEF's trade unions' areas of activity are still mainly industrial, so structural change plays a particularly important role. It puts the workers' traditional collective agreements under pressure. Although there are some variations, this generally applies both to national and sectoral collective bargaining systems: increasing numbers of workers are moving from direct industrial production to internal or external service areas.
From this advanced state of the project the ETUI-REHS can specify more in detail its academic further input in the COBAN-project. It will be again responsible to compile and present an annually CB-report 2005/2006.
Continuing of encompassing also others sectors and branches covered by EMCEF like energy, rubber and plastics, oil and gas will be an ongoing task of the project. Moreover, special regards will be given to the reality of collective bargaining in the new member states. One of the ambitious targets of the exercise will be to identify topics which fits very well to be dealt at European level, particular in terms of further coordination or joint action.
The COBAN project of ETUI-REHS is now in a state to be embedded in other activities in the concerned field. It will gave thougts how to consider collective bargaining issues form sectors and branches in the general framework of collective bargaining in Europe and at ETUC level.
Researchers
Béla Galgóczi
Senior researcherphone: +32 (0) 2 224 04 92