Some aspects regarding the european social dialogue

• Author: Ada Hurbean
• Position: Faculty of Law and Social Sciences
• Pages: 26-33

AGORA International Journal of Juridical Sciences, http://univagora.ro/jour/index.php/aijjs

ISSN 1843-570X, E-ISSN 2067-7677

No. 2 (2016), pp. 26-33

26

SOME ASPECTS REGARDING THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL DIALOGUE

A. HURBEAN

Ada Hurbean

Faculty of Law and Social Sciences

Department of Juridical and Administrative Sciences

University “1 Decembrie 1918” of Alba Iulia, Alba Iulia, Romania.

*Correspondence:M.M.TUDORASCU, Unirii St., No.15-17, Alba Iulia, Romania

E-mail: adahro@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The concept of social dialogue is approached differently at international level.

According to the definition proposed by the International Labour Organisation, the social

dialogue represents the voluntary information, consultation and negotiation act issued in

order to negotiate agreements between the social partners or to negotiate collective

agreements. As a concept adopted at EU level, the social dialogue, established by the Treaty

of Rome in 1957, is a process of continuous information and consultation between unions and

employers, so as to reach understandings regarding the control of certain economic and

social variables, both in macroeconomic and microeconomic level. No matter how this

concept is understanding, the social dialogue is associated with the transition from a culture

of conflict to a culture of partnership with consideration of the common interests of the social

partners involved in a broader process of “social cooperation”.

KEY WORDS: SOCIAL DIALOGUE, TRADE UNIONS, EMPLOYERS, SOCIAL

PARTNERSHIP, COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS.

INTRODUCTION

Worldwide, the social dialogue is considered a very useful tool in solving serious

social problems, consequences of globalization. It is also used to establish how the resources

are distributed, the costs and benefits of economic exchanges. In this respect, the state is

interested to involve representative organizations of employers in making decisions, allowing

them, in this way, to express opinions and to participate in the elaboration and implementation

of economic measures, of general or particular order[1].

Thus, the first attempts at resolving some labour conflicts through negotiations

between employers and employees are dating back to the nineteenth century. Only at the end

of World War I, once with the establishment of the International Labour Organisation, we can

talk about the birth of the principle of social dialogue (partnership) and of collective

bargaining as techniques for solving specific problems of the employment relationships[2]..

The social partnership was regulated for the first time in Europe, especially by the

Economic and Social Council which played an important role in covering in a climate of

peace and understanding in society of periods of crisis in several countries, such as: France,

Italy, Belgium and Holland. Subsequently, the present system has been adopted by some other

countries, namely Australia, Japan, etc.

When referring to social partnership, it is essential to focus the efforts of social

partners in order to overcome the crisis and stabilize in the same time the socio-economic

situation.