Collective bargaining and unpaid care as social security risk – an EU perspective

Abstract

This article contributes to the debate on how collective agreements can enhance social security from the perspective of unpaid care work. It defines the risk of giving up employment in favour of unpaid care as a social security risk (the care risk). It analyses how collective agreements in the EU can address this risk while not compromising gender equality. This analysis is conducted with a focus on European Union law’s impact on a regulatory practice yet to emerge: the inclusion of institutional (child) care provisions in collective agreements. Analysing risks emerging from EU law, we conclude that EU law is disruptive for innovative collective bargaining strategies if interpreted from a merely economic-liberal perspective.