Abstract
Employment relations in Europe today differ from how they were
prior to the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, as
key terms and conditions (e.g., wages) and sectors of economic
activity (e.g., platform work and the green economy) are now subject
to direct political intervention by the European institutions.
Transnational (horizontal) competition within the Single European
Market has long provided a context for national employment
relations in Europe, and various national institutions impacted
workers’ rights and conditions of employment. Under the new economic
governance (NEG) regime triggered by the financial crisis,
political (vertical) intervention in employment relations created
strong pressure toward the commodification of labor. The COVID
pandemic involved policymaking in the opposite (decommodifying)
direction. That said, and as the articles in this special issue clearly
demonstrate, commodifying pressures are still strong, and the full
realization of Social Europe is arguably as elusive as ever.
prior to the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, as
key terms and conditions (e.g., wages) and sectors of economic
activity (e.g., platform work and the green economy) are now subject
to direct political intervention by the European institutions.
Transnational (horizontal) competition within the Single European
Market has long provided a context for national employment
relations in Europe, and various national institutions impacted
workers’ rights and conditions of employment. Under the new economic
governance (NEG) regime triggered by the financial crisis,
political (vertical) intervention in employment relations created
strong pressure toward the commodification of labor. The COVID
pandemic involved policymaking in the opposite (decommodifying)
direction. That said, and as the articles in this special issue clearly
demonstrate, commodifying pressures are still strong, and the full
realization of Social Europe is arguably as elusive as ever.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Industrial and Labor Relations Review |
| Early online date | 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |