DESOCO 3 - Follow up of Decentralised Thematic Social Dialogue for the Construction Industry – Social Dialogue Project

Brief description and main aims:

The project continues the efforts initiated under the previous DESOCO projects to strengthen social dialogue in the European construction industry. Led by the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), the project aims to address key labour market challenges and improve industrial relations at both the national and European levels.

The project’s main objectives include:

•  Improving the capacity of national social partners to engage in social dialogue.
• Strengthening industrial relations within the construction sector across EU Member States.
• Increasing the engagement of social partners in shaping EU policies.
• Addressing major industry challenges such as labour shortages, subcontracting, digitalisation, and the green transition.

The project will be implemented over two years and will include:

• Four thematic workshops and social dialogue meetings in different European countries, focusing on critical industry issues.
• A mapping study on subcontracting in the construction sector to assess legislative frameworks across EU Member States.

Why FIEC is dealing with this topic:

In 2017, EFBWW and FIEC, together with the European Association of Paritarian Institutions (AEIP), agreed on a long-term cooperation agreement. Social partners committed “to intensify their collaboration with a view to further strengthen industrial relation in the construction industry at EU-level”. In addition, EFBWW and FIEC committed themselves to strengthen, reinforce and promote industrial relations in the construction industry at all levels as well as better coordinate joint research of the European social dimension of the construction industry.

One specific element of the cooperation agreement is that the partners will make better use of the existing EU budget lines related to “industrial relations and social dialogue”, with regards to initiatives targeting Central and East European Countries (CEECs).