Conditions and criteria for social dialogue in Europe – the workers’ perspective

30 years after the founding of the European social dialogue, workers' organisations in Europe face significant challenges. Long-term unemployment, precarious employment and worker poverty have significantly increased in most European countries due to the financial and economic crisis. In addition, workers' organisations are faced with structural weaknesses in southern Europe and a lack of strong pre-existing social dialogue traditions in Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of the HIVA – Onderzoeksinstituut voor Arbeid en Samenleving [HIVA Research Institute for Work and Society] research project, in association with two series of seminars by the European Centre for Workers' Questions (EZA), was to develop conditions and quality criteria for a successful social dialogue in Europe. It was found that a good, trusting relationship between the social partners was conditio sine qua non for successful solutions in favour of workers in Europe.