The sectoral social dialogue and European social policy: More fantasy, fewer facts

The Social Protocol of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union promoted new forms of social dialogue. These could be considered on the one hand as instruments of European social policy; on the other, it could be argued, they minor the range and degree of the Europeanization of industrial relations. In contrast to the most recent literature, this article focuses not on the 'interprofessional' but on the sectoral variant of social dialogue. The empirical analysis of its constraints and potential is based on qualitative case studies of selected sectors (engineering, construction, transport and the public sector). Our results reveal significant differences between sectors. The sectoral application of the Social Protocol confronts such problems as the organizational prerequisites of the social partners, implementation procedures and the future role and function of the Commission. In the conclusion, different future scenarios are discussed.