The implementation of 'new phase' European social dialogue agreements and texts in European member states

摘要

The research evaluates the implementation of the Framework Agreements on Telework and Work-related Stress in Belgium, Denmark, UK, and Czech Republic and in the banking and local Government sectors within these countries. Further, it evaluates the various factors that explain divergent implementation outcomes in countries and sectors. It develops two benchmarks to assess the efficacy of the Agreements as modes of European social partner ‘soft’ law governance; a benchmark that assesses the procedural implementation of the Agreements, and a benchmark that assess the substantive implementation of the Agreements. A multi-level governance theoretical approach is also adopted. It emerged that ‘effective’ procedural implementation of the Agreements largely occurred in Belgium and Czech Republic, but did not occur to the same degree in Denmark and UK. It also emerged that the substantive effect of the Agreements was patchy and that the substantive impact of the Telework Agreement was greater than that of the Work-related Stress Agreement. Although structural factors were important in explaining divergent implementation outcomes, it also emerged that it was primarily policy and actor related factors that explained divergent national and sectoral implementation outcomes. The research ends with a rather skeptical evaluation of the Agreements as modes of European social partner ‘soft’ law governance.