Perspectives of social dialogue in the agricultural sector: a cross- and multi-level analysis

Abstract

The article aims to collect and analyze the most recent forms of expression of social dialogue at the European and Italian levels in the agricultural sector.

The agricultural sector is a complex and peculiar sector that is facing and will face multiple challenges caused by the green and digital transitions and migration phenomena that may find their source in climate change and wars, among other reasons. Recent initiatives at the European level reveal an increased involvement of civil society representatives and NGOs in dialogue with institutions and social partners. While the study of domestic collective bargaining discloses that only in the most recent national collective agreements of the sector are beginning to address issues related to worker participation and involvement. At the same time, the rise of forms of self-organization in order to represent interests of marginalized migrant workers denote a difficulty for traditional actors to intercept these workers and their interests. The observation of the practices and initiatives put in place both at European and national levels show the weakness of the social partners, which is also reflected in a weakness of social dialogue for the agricultural sector.