Social dialogue and industrial relations in education: the challenges of multi-level governance and of privatisation in Europe

Call reference number: VP/2020/004

Programme title: Improving expertise in the field of industrial relations

Application reference: VP/2019/004/0021

Action title: Social dialogue and industrial relations in education: the challenges of multi-level governance and of privatisation in Europe

Summary of the action: With a view to foster quality and inclusive education as laid down in the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), the proposed project is to add substantially to the knowledge base and understanding on the dynamics between industrial relations in the education sector, global and European reform trends, and ongoing developments in European Union governance system, such as the mainstreaming of the EPSR into the European Semester framework, and the ‘relaunch’ of social dialogue. Specifically, the research will focus on how the process and outcomes of the European Semester, as a form of multi-level governance, and the related main education reforms promoted across Europe are changing teachers' working environments and rights, and boosting shifts in well-established forms of industrial relations and social dialogue at the national level. The project consortium, composed by ETUCE and the project co-applicants – UCLouvain, University of Naples Federico II and University of Warsaw, will meet twice to prepare and evaluate the research work. An EU-level analysis and survey will be complemented by an in-depth investigation in 4 EU countries with different industrial relations models, and prevailing paths of education reforms/privatisation: Belgium, Italy, Sweden and Poland. Research outcomes are to provide evidence on how developments in industrial relations at the European and national scales are associated with patterns of privatisation. Education trade unions members of ETUCE, stakeholders and policy makers will have the chance to discuss the implications of the research findings on the future further mainstreaming of the European Pillar of Social Rights into the EU-level governance at the occasion of the research launch conference which will gather around 60 representatives from EU/EFTA and Candidate countries. The outcomes are to be distributed in the form of a report, summary and glossary to facilitate the dissemination of academic findings among relevant stakeholders.