Industrial relations and social dialogue

During 2025, Eurofound’s continues its regular reporting and monitoring of developments in industrial relations and social dialogue. Work continues on sectoral representativeness studies, at the request of the European Commission. Research also builds on the knowledge around the degree and form of the social partners’ involvement in national tripartite policymaking in the context of the European Semester.

Drawing on the expertise of the Network of Eurofound Correspondents, regular updating of the EU PolicyWatch database offers examples of collective agreements, company cases and other initiatives, and captures how national governments involve the social partners in policymaking.

In 2025, Eurofound begins preparation for the 2026 edition of the Tripartite Exchange Seminar, in cooperation with the relevant partners.

Topics of research include:

• Minimum wages: Looking at how Member States have adapted their systems following the transposition of the Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union, including further experiences with pay transparency measures and an annual review of minimum wages
• Working time: Monitoring developments, including regulation and outcomes
• Involvement of the social partners: Social partners’ involvement in the governance of national public employment services and social security institutions in the EU
• Collective bargaining: How collective bargaining can be promoted, the obstacles that could be removed, and the range of topics that are addressed in collective agreements
• Caring for care services: Focusing on industrial relations aspects such as representation, collective bargaining and social dialogue in the sector
• Representativeness studies: Various sectors
• National reporting on industrial relations, social dialogue and working life
• Working life country profiles update

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2025 marks the first year of the five-year period of the EU policy and legislative cycle for 2025–2029. The research and monitoring carried out in the area of industrial relations and social dialogue is relevant for a range of EU initiatives, such as:

• the Council Recommendation and the Communication on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union
• the implementation of the Directive on adequate minimum wages
• the future of the European Works Councils
• the Council Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed
• the involvement of the social partners in the European Semester and the recovery and resilience plans
• the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan