The Role Of Trade Unions And Social Dialogue During The Crisis: The Case Of Slovakia

The aim of the contribution is to define the approach of trade unions and social dialogue at national (tripartite) and sectoral level in Slovakia during the economic crisis and the impact of the crisis on results of collective bargaining of higher instance collective agreements. We collected data from the collective agreements in four sectors, public and civil service, education and science, metal and chemistry industry. By analysing collective bargaining at sectoral level and examining collective agreements of selected trade unions of the production and nonproduction sectors, we point out the minimum rates of pay increase in selected production and non-production sectors compared to chosen macroeconomic indicators during the crisis times. We try to examine the involvement of social dialogue in taking measures and solving the crisis and compare the economic crisis situation in 2008 – 2009 and during recovery with the coronavirus crisis. According to such experience we try to describe and afterwards assume the position and attitude of trade unions after the period of coronavirus crisis and developments in social dialogue (at national level) during the consecutive economic and social crisis.