Strengthening social dialogue in the local and regional government sector in the ’new’ Member States and candidate countries
REPORT prepared for CEMR and EPSU by ECOTEC with the financial support of the European Commission
Introduction
Aims and objectives of the study
The aim of this study is to support the sectoral social partners (CEMR and EPSU) in the local and regional government sector in delivering a Commission funded project on strengthening social dialogue in local and regional government in the “new” Member States and candidate countries. The project is to contribute to the ongoing sectoral social dialogue process between EPSU and CEMR and will culminate in a joint conference to launch the results of the study in October 2005.
The objectives are:
- To gather baseline information on the different social partner organisations in the sector in the 10 new Member States, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.
- Following this primarily desk based exercise, 5 countries were selected for a more detailed, interview based assessment of the key issues facing the social partners in the local and regional government sector. These countries are Estonia Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Turkey.
- To present a final report at a joint closing conference in Budapest on 14th October 2005.
This final report provides the findings from basic desk based research and questionnaires, which were sent to several national experts and relevant social partners in each country, as well as from the more detailed case studies carried out in five countries. Three of these case studies (Poland, Estonia, Hungary) were carried out through desk based research, face to face interviews and a limited number of telephone interviews . Two further case studies (Turkey and Slovakia) were carried out through desk based research and telephone interviews. The chapters on the eight countries not covered by detailed case studies, which were presented in the interim report, have been updated with further information gathered through desk based research and questionnaire returns. All members of EPSU and CEMR have been sent their respective country chapters for comment and some amendments have been made on the basis of comments received on these draft chapters.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface
1. Introduction
1.1 Aims and objectives of the study
2. Organisations and experts contacted
3. OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS
3.1 Preamble
3.2 Introduction
3.3 The development, role and responsibilities of local and regional government and key trends affecting the sector
3.4 Key features of the framework of industrial relations
3.5 The collective bargaining and social dialogue structure for the regional and local government sector
3.6 The key issues affecting the sector
3.7 Conclusions
3.8. APPENDICES
Chapter 3: OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS exists in English, Estonian, Hungarian, Slovakian, Polish and Turkish
4. National Chapters
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Cyprus
4.3. Czech Republic
4.4 Estonia
4.5 Hungary
4.6 Latvia
4.7 Lithuania
4.8 Malta
4.9 Poland
4.10 Slovak Republic
4.11 Slovenia
4.12 Bulgaria
4.13 Romania
4.14 Turkey
FULL REPORT (in English only)
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