Collective Bargaining During COVID-19: International Survey

Abstract

This research report aims to assess the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the negotiation process for collective labor agreements across various European countries. Much like other regions worldwide, Europe witnessed substantial economic disruption due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown periods from 2020 to 2022. This crisis, especially during its initial stages, often complicated the renewal of collective agreements, at times causing negotiations to stall.

Beyond the alterations in the content of these agreements—addressed in the accompanying comprehensive report comparing specific clauses pre- and post-pandemic (see Cetrulo, 2023)—this report seeks to determine if the pandemic has also influenced the renewal process of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and the wider climate of social dialogue across Europe. In conducting a thorough investigation into the renewal process of collective agreements in Europe, this report utilizes survey data collected from negotiators across five countries: Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. The survey encompassed 180 negotiators involved in 124 different agreements spread across these five nations. The core analysis of this report will focus primarily on Austria, Italy, and the Netherlands, as the number of respondents from Spain and France was insufficient to allow for separate statistical analysis. The respondents represent a balanced mix of negotiation parties. Just over half were affiliated with a trade union or another employee-representing organization, while the remainder were associated with employer organizations or independent businesses.

The survey results offer substantial insights into the CBA renewal process during the pandemic, highlighting the effects of COVID-19 on labor negotiation dynamics. The findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic did not fundamentally change the process of collective bargaining in the countries under study. Although negotiators attribute substantial impact to the pandemic and often perceive it to have made reaching an agreement more difficult, they also report remarkable levels of stability and continuity regarding the negotiations process (format, topics and outcomes) and the wider industrial relations climate.