Industrial Relations in Central and Eastern Europe. A Compared Perspective

Abstract

The aim of the article is to compare the components of industrial relations in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as well as to determine the level of their convergence in relation to the EU average. The analysis was conducted based on statistical data from the Eurostat, OECD, ILO, AMECO, and ICTWSS databases. The strength of “employee voice” in these countries was assessed using the Employee Participation Index (IPP), which includes trade union participation and worker representation in the form of works councils and board-level participation. The results of the analysis show that despite the similarity of industrial relations in the group of CEE countries, the diversity between particular countries is still significant. It turned out that Slovenia and Croatia have the highest values of the IPP, while in Bulgaria, the strength of the "employee voice" is the lowest.