Resumen de Labour relations in central and eastern Europe and the European social model

Heribert Kohl, Hans-Wolfgang Platzer

• A comparison of structural developments in labour relations in the eight CEE candidate countries at company, sectoral and national levels in relation to the European social model shows that despite a transformation geared towards western European models, labour relations in CEE countries are developing along nationally characteristic lines and are showing considerable variations. Significant features which they do have in common, except for Slovenia, are the overall weak and fragmented structures at company level, with the widespread absence of a sectoral level of action and organisation and a pronounced emphasis on the state, which also characterises tripartism at national level. Compared to the current EU Member States, these countries have their own evolutionary transitional-society type of labour relations, which will considerably increase the diversity of structures and policies in the enlarged EU and will thus present considerable challenges for future transnational labour relations.