Social dialogue and economic performance.

Summary The back cover states: "With a very low union membership rate but a high proportion of employees covered by collective agreements, France is an exception among industrialized countries. Despite the important prerogatives of the social partners, the low quality of social relations and the lack of trust between the actors lead to frequent state intervention and hinder reforms that would benefit the least employable individuals. Can we establish a cause-and-effect relationship between social dialogue and economic performance? What is the impact of union action on the productivity and profitability of companies? Do collective bargaining and social dialogue have an effect on wages, employment and the level of unemployment? This book seeks to answer all these questions, based on studies conducted in Europe and elsewhere in the world. In the light of these studies, the authors suggest ways in which the French social system could evolve. They show that it is essential to strengthen and modernize social dialogue if we want to reverse the unemployment curve in the long term.