From Crisis to Catalyst : How labor shortages are reshaping social dialogue and HRM in the Transport Sector

Facing major labor shortages, social dialogue in the transport sector is undergoing radical changes. This context calls for a reinvention of practices, where employers and employees collaborate not only to respond to emergencies but also to lay the foundations for sustainable industrial relations. This article explores how this crisis becomes an opportunity to transform social and organizational dynamics. Using a qualitative methodology that combines interviews, observations, and documentary analysis, our study contributes to an understanding of the transformations of social dialogue in the context of labor shortages. It highlights the role of shortages as a catalyst for change, overturning traditional industrial relations logic and paving the way for more collaborative and pragmatic dynamics. However, the results of our research suggest that we should qualify the extent and durability of these changes by highlighting the tensions inherent in crisis contexts and the structural difficulties that hinder in-depth transformation.