Towards Europeanization of Collective Bargaining?: Insights from the European Chemical Industry

Abstract

Trade unionists and academic experts increasingly support the view that European Industry Federations should take a leading role in the Europeanization of collective bargaining. This article investigates whether this is a plausible prospect for the European chemical industry. Drawing on collaborative research between the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers Federation (EMCEF), the article presents a comparative synopsis of industrial relations in five European countries, including recent strategic developments at EMCEF level. The study confirms the importance of national resources and steering power at sector level, especially in relation to monitoring decentralized flexibility. However, despite growing interest in transnational labour cooperation, the conclusion is that progress towards Europeanization is so far modest. More attention in the research agenda, it is then argued, should be directed to how transnational collective bargaining can be achieved.