Reducing Precarious Work in Europe through Social Dialogue

This project investigates how innovative forms of social dialogue in different regulatory contexts can reduce the precariousness of employment and thereby promote more inclusive labour markets. Drawing on experiences in six European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Slovenia, Spain and UK), it extends current knowledge by analysing the challenges facing social partners of ‘protective gaps’ in regulation, representation, enforcement and social protection. Such gaps risk reinforcing the spread of precarious working conditions among both flexible and standard forms of employment. Further knowledge of different workplace, supply chain and sector experiences will illuminate what social partners can do to reverse trends towards dualism and foster inclusiveness. Key questions for the research include:

• What is the meaning of precarious work in different country contexts?
• What are the relevant protective gaps with respect to different types of precarious work and standard employment?
• How is social dialogue reducing the spread of precarious employment conditions?
• How can social dialogue ease transitions into better protected forms of employment after temporary periods in precarious work?
• What combinations of inclusive social policies and inclusive employment standards contribute to a closing of protective gaps?

The research involves old and new EU member states and varying models of employment regulation. Fieldwork includes expert interviews and case studies of social dialogue through engagement with trade unions and employers. Social partner representatives are also invited to participate in national workshops during late 2015 and an international conference in Brussels in November 2016.
There is very strong policy interest at member state and EU levels concerning how social dialogue can promote inclusive job growth and fairness at work. The project seeks to disseminate new knowledge of how to apply suitable strategies for social dialogue in a given country and EU regulatory context with lessons for cross-country policy learning also.

Publikationen zum Projekt

Jaehrling, Karen / Kalina, Thorsten , 2020: 'Grey zones' within dependent employment: formal and informal forms of on-call work in Germany. In: Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research 26 (4), pp. 447–463 | DOI-Link

Jaehrling, Karen / Johnson, Mathew / Larsen, Trine P. / Refslund, Bjarke / Grimshaw, Damian, 2018: Tackling precarious work in public supply chains: A comparison of local government procurement policies in Denmark, Germany and the UK. In: Work, Employment and Society 32 (3), pp. 546-563 | DOI-Link| Info

Jaehrling, Karen, 2017: The atypical and gendered ‘employment miracle’ in Germany: a result of employment protection reforms or long-term structural changes? In: Agnieszka Piasna und Martin Myant: Myths of employment deregulation: how it neither creates jobs nor reduces labour market segmentation, pp. 165–184 | Lesen

Jaehrling, Karen, 2016: Prekäre Arbeit und sozialer Dialog. Vier Fallstudien zu neuen Lösungsansätzen. Duisburg: Inst. Arbeit und Qualifikation. IAQ-Report 2016-04 | DOI-Link| Info | Lesen

Jaehrling, Karen / Wagner, Ines / Weinkopf, Claudia / Kalina, Thorsten (Mitarb.) / Bosch, Gerhard (Mitarb.), 2016: Reducing precarious work in Europe through social dialogue. The case of Germany. Duisburg: Inst. Arbeit und Qualifikation. IAQ-Forschung 2016-03 | DOI-Link | Lesen

Jaehrling, Karen / Weinkopf, Claudia / Wagner, Ines, 2016: Reducing Precarious Work. Protective Gaps and the Role of Social Dialogue in Germany. A European Commission project (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities VP/2014/004), November 2016. Brussels: European Commission | Lesen

Vorträge zum Projekt

Dr. Claudia Weinkopf, Dr. Karen Jaehrling: Tying up the value chain: Collective bargaining in production networks. 5th Conference of the Regulating for Decent Work Network (RDW). In Kooperation mit: ILO, University Amsterdam, University Duisburg-Essen, University Durham, Jawaharial Nehru University, University Manchester, University Melbourne, Institute for Applied Economic Research Brasilia, Korea Labor Institute Seoul, Genf, ILO, 03.07.2017

Dr. Karen Jaehrling, Dr. Claudia Weinkopf: Tying up the value chain: Collective bargaining in production networks. SASE 29th Annual Meeting. Lyon, Frankreich, Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, 30.06.2017

Dr. Karen Jaehrling: The atypical and gendered ‘employment miracle’ in Germany: a result of employment protection reforms or long-term structural changes? Book launch – Myths of employment deregulation: how it neither creates jobs nor reduces labour market segmentation. Brüssel, European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), 27.06.2017

Dr. Claudia Weinkopf: Neue Freiheiten? Neue Beschäftigungsformen in den sozialen Sicherungssystemen. "Lebens.Wert.Arbeiten. in NRW – Das schafft gute Arbeit!" Konferenz. Dortmund, DASA , Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 02.02.2017

Dr. Karen Jaehrling: Fragmenting Work: Value chains and protective gaps. Reducing Precarious Work. Protective Gaps and the Role of Social Dialogue in Europe. Brüssel, European Work and Employment Research Centre (EWERC) at the University of Manchester in co-operation with the European Commission, 25.11.2016

Dr. Claudia Weinkopf: Sackgasse Minijob?! Fachtag "Arbeit geschlechtergerecht! Wie wir die ganze Arbeit - Erwerbsarbeit, Hausarbeit, Sorgearbeit und Arbeit fürs Gemeinwesen - geschlechtergerecht organisieren". Arbeitnehmerkammer, Landesfrauenräte und Frauenausschuss Bremen, 11.06.2016

Dr. Karen Jaehrling: Making Work Pay in Germany – a silent transformation. Seminar 'Making work pay'. Brüssel, European Commission, DG Employment, 25.05.2016

Dr. Karen Jaehrling: Travail Précaire: une mise en perspective Franco-Allemande. 15emes Journees Internationales de Sociologie du Travail - JIST 2016. Athen, Université Panteion, LEST, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseilles, 12.05.2016

Dr. Karen Jaehrling: Precarious work and rule enactment – a French-German perspective comparison (together with Prof. Dr. Philippe Méhaut). Precarious work: Causes, Consequences and Counter-measures. Manchester, Manchester Business School / EWERC, 21.04.2016

Dr. Karen Jaehrling: Dialogue social et précarité en Allemagne. Precarious work and social dialogue . Paris, LEST/CNRS, Université Aix-Marseilles, 19.01.2016

Prof. Dr. Gerhard Bosch, Dr. Claudia Weinkopf, Dr. Ines Wagner: Precarious work and social dialogue: the case of Germany . Developing and Implementing Policies for a Better Future at Work: 4th Conference of the regulating for decent work network. Geneva, International Labour Office (ILO) , 10.07.2015