BARSERVICE

Project Description

BARSERVICE is a European research initiative designed to deepen understanding of industrial relations in the services sector at a time of significant structural change, characterised by persistent low-wage pressures, job instability, and pronounced gender and migrant-worker segregation.

As services account for a growing share of employment in Europe, yet often display fragmented bargaining structures and high levels of informal or undeclared work, the project addresses the need for robust, comparative evidence on how collective bargaining operates across key service subsectors.

BARSERVICE maps collective bargaining systems in commerce, finance, social care, and publishing, examining which employers and workers are covered by collective agreements, the roles of trade unions and employers’ organisations, social partners’ perceptions of bargaining processes, and the prevalence of undeclared work.

Drawing on a coded and analysed database of approximately 72 collective agreements, the project investigates provisions on wages, job security, working hours and scheduling, training, gender equality, and the effects of digitalisation and the COVID-19 pandemic on bargaining structures.

Empirical evidence from nine countries underpins cross-country comparison and mutual learning among social partners. Through this evidence base, BARSERVICE supports the development of practical capacity-building tools and formulates targeted policy recommendations aimed at expanding collective bargaining coverage, improving working conditions, and reducing informal employment in the services economy.

WageIndicator Foundation acts as a project partner, contributing to data collection, comparative analysis of collective agreements in the selected countries, dissemination of findings through reports and newsletters, and facilitation of stakeholder exchange and mutual learning events among social partners.

EU Disclaimer

We thankfully acknowledge funding provided by the European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Project No. 101126532

Disclaimer: The information and views set out in this page are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Publications

• BARSERVICE D 1.1. - Conceptual and analytical framework
• BARSERVICE D 1.2. - A methodological toolkit for qualitative analysis
• BARSERVICE D 1.3. - A methodological toolkit for quantitative CBA analysis
• BARSERVICE D 2.4. - Comparative report: Finance
• BARSERVICE D 2.4. - Comparative report: Publishing
• BARSERVICE D 2.4. - Comparative report: Care
• BARSERVICE D 2.4. - Comparative report: Commerce
• Dataset on CBAs and reporting with visuals on the findings of CBAs stipulations
• Dataset on CBAs and reporting with visuals on the findings of CBAs stipulations