Extending the application of collective bargaining institutions and coverage is deemed a necessary process to enhance working conditions and job quality in the two sub-sectors (Cazes, Garnero, and Martin 2019; Hassel, 2023), as well as to strengthen the attractiveness and the retention capacity of a crucial segment of the tertiary sector, that is transnationally experiencing high turnover and severe labour and skill shortage (Vujicic and Zurn 2006). The European Commission’s December 2022 Care Strategy reflects this urgency, stressing the key role of national and European collective bargaining and social dialogue bodies in improving working conditions, attracting more (especially male) workers to the care sector, and developing continuous training to tackle skill and labour shortages.
The WP3 of the DEVCOBA project aims to analyse a repertoire of actions and initiatives promoted by the social partners, or in which the social partners play an active role, andaiming to tackle three critical dimensions of work in the LTC and ECEC sub-sectors: 1) the extension of collective bargaining coverage; 2) the increase of social partners’ membership and the strengthening of collective representation; and 3) the tackling of labour and skills shortages.
Drawing upon the six WP3 national reports, this comparative report provides a critical overview of the repertoire of actions currently available to the social partners to address these issues. The first section is devoted to the comparative analysis of case studies related to the extension and strengthening of collective bargaining, highlighting the driving role of bottom-up and collaborative initiatives. The second section looks at a variety of strategies devoted to tackling labour and skills shortages, dividing them between “high road” strategies, focusing on the improvement of working conditions and on the social recognition of care work, and “low road strategies”, focusing on the expansion of the labour supply. Finally, the third section analyses initiatives of traditional unions to expand their field of actionand enact innovative representation strategies.