ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the breakdown of cross-industry social dialogue at the European level in the aftermath of the financial market crash. It assesses the attempts to revive it since 2015, and argues that European social partner activity has shifted from negotiations to political lobbying in recent years. Its first finding is that the change from Barroso to Juncker explains the renewed political will to relaunch social dialogue. While the Barroso Commission saw social dialogue as an obstacle to crisis management since 2010, the Juncker Commission made social dialogue a high priority with significant symbolic value for the EU. Second, social partners have grown further apart. Without pressure from the Commission, European employers lacked incentives to seek compromise and the European Trade Union Confederation employed a protest strategy against austerity politics in 2011 and 2012. Since then, both social partners focus on their role in economic and social policymaking in the European Semester framework. They act as antagonists in a tripartite setting, making their respective political and legislative impact highly contingent on political constellations. If social partners remain divided on most issues, the European Commission will continue to set the agenda and can actively choose either trade unionist or employer support.
