Strengthening Social Dialogue through Law

One of the work packages in this project, led by Professor Marianne J. Hotvedt (University of Oslo), centres on the legal frameworks for inclusion in social dialogue. More specifically, the legal professionals explore how national and EU-level legal frameworks interact with different national systems of social dialogue.

“The aim is not only to understand these complex legal environments, but also to identify concrete legal strategies that can strengthen and broaden social dialogue to include non-standard workers at multiple levels” says Hotvedt. She continues “it is important to be aware whether the legal system of social dialogue leaves a group of workers at the margins”.

What has been done in 2025?

In 2025, the first analytical report was published with the title Legal framework: obstacles, facilitators and new strategies, written by Marianne Jenum Hotvedt and Natalie Videbæk Munkholm.

The report focuses on national legal frameworks and asks the following question: How do existing laws facilitate or hinder access to social dialogue for non-standard workers? To answer this, the authors have developed a shared analytical framework, which will guide five in-depth national studies from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK. These national reports will feed into a comparative analysis, allowing the researchers to identify both common patterns and key differences across countries.

What comes next?

The findings from the report will now be taken further in the next phases of this work package. First, the focus will shift to EU-level measures and their interaction with national law. Thereafter, we will examine how the interplay between regulatory levels affects social dialogue in practice, and finally, we will bring the analysis together in overall conclusions and reform recommendations.

The aim of WPII is to contribute to a more cohesive, effective and legally robust environment for social dialogue, where non-standard workers are not left at the margins. Through careful legal analysis and concrete reform proposals, the aim is to support social dialogue that reflects the realities of today’s changing labour markets.