Decentralisation of Collective Bargaining Comparing Institutional Change and Company Practices in Europe

This chapter addresses different types of institutional change in collective
bargaining regimes and the underlying mechanisms. In recent decades, collective bargaining coverage has decreased in liberal market economies like Ireland and
Poland. But also in coordinated economies, such as Germany, sectoral bargaining has eroded as a result of employers’ strategies. Governments in southern European countries have established opportunities for company bargaining in (complex) layering structures. This chapter further addresses beneficial factors for balancing power relations between collective bargaining parties at the decentralised level, based on company case studies. Best cases of “organised decentralisation” are found in manufacturing. Decentralisation in retail is problematic. The chapter concludes with the challenges for trade unions in Europe.