The European Sectoral Social Dialogue

Abstract

Approximately 70 million workers in the European Union are covered by the European sectoral social dialogue (Commission of the European Communities, 1996a). Despite this breadth of coverage, it is a little publicised and researched process. Very little is commonly known about the actors involved, its outcomes and even less about the impact of discussions and actions at Member State level. Despite the adoption in 1997 by the social partners in the maritime transport sector of a proposal for a Directive on the regulation of working time (EIRO, February 1998), which Council agreed to implement as Community law on 25 May 1999 (EIRO, June 1999), the sectoral social dialogue process is generally hidden in the shadow of its ‘bigger brother’, the European intersectoral social dialogue between ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation), UNICE (the European employers’ organisation), CEEP (the European Centre for Enterprises with Public Participation), and, from 1999, UEAPME, which represents small business at European level. It has also been overtaken in the publicity stakes by company-level European Works Councils agreements and the emergence of consultation at this level. On the whole, the European sectoral social dialogue has so far failed to fulfil the original goal set by the European Commission, namely