The ICTWSS database covers four key elements of modern political economies: trade unionism, wage setting, state intervention and social pacts. The database contains annual data for all OECD and EU Member States.
| Dataset type: | Time-Series |
| Dataset level: | Country |
(Visser, 2019)
Mandatory extension of collective agreements to non-organised employers. 0. There are neither legal provisions for mandatory extension, nor is there a functional equivalent. 1. Extension is rather exceptional, used in some industries only, because of absence of sector agreements, very high thresholds (supermajorities of 60% or more, public policy criteria, etc.), and/or resistance of Employers. 2. Extension is used in many industries, but there are thresholds and Ministers can (and sometimes do) decide not to extend (clauses in) collective agreements. 3. Extension is virtually automatic and more or less general (including enlargement).
More about this variableMinimum Wage Setting. 0. No statutory minimum wage, no sectoral or national agreements. 1. Minimum wages are set by (sectoral) collective agreement or tripartite wage boards in (some) sectors. 2. Minimum wages are set by national (cross-sectoral or inter-occupational) agreement (autonomous agreement) between unions and employers. 3. National minimum wage is set by agreement (as in 1 or 2) but extended and made binding by law or Ministerial decree. 4. National minimum wage is set through tripartite negotiations. 5. National minimum wage is set by government after (non-binding) tripartite consultations. 6. Minimum wage set by judges or expert committee, as in award-system. 7. Minimum wage is set by government, bound by a fixed rule (index-based minimum wage). 8. Minimum wage is set by government based on a fixed rule (index-based minimum wage) or target (growth, employment, poverty), but government can (and sometimes does) take a discretionary decision. 9. Minimum wage is set by government, without a fixed rule.
More about this variableNational Minimum Wage. 0. No statutory minimum wage. 1. Statutory minimum wage in some sectors (occupations, regions/states) only. 2. Statutory national (cross-sectoral or interoccupational) minimum wage exists.
More about this variableRight of Association, Government Sector. 0. No. 1. Yes, with major restrictions (e.g., monopoly union, government authorization, major groups excluded). 2. Yes, with minor restrictions (e.g., recognition procedures, thresholds, only military, judiciary or police excluded, as per ILO convention). 3. Yes.
More about this variableRight of Association, Market Sector. 0. No. 1. Yes, with major restrictions (e.g. monopoly union, prior authorization, major groups excluded). 2. Yes, with minor restrictions (e.g. recognition procedures, workplace elections, thresholds). 3. Yes. Some values were originally coded as 2.5, QoG has recoded them to missing.
More about this variableRight of Collective Bargaining, Government Sector. 0. No. 1. Yes, with major restrictions (e.g. monopoly union, government authorization, limitations on content, major groups excluded). 2. Yes, with minor restrictions (e.g. registration, thresholds, only military, judiciary or police excluded - as per ILO convention). 3. Yes.
More about this variableRight of Collective Bargaining, Market Sector. 0. No. 1. Yes, with major restrictions (e.g. monopoly union, government authorization, limitations on content, major groups excluded). 2. Yes, with minor restrictions (e.g. registration, thresholds). 3. Yes.
More about this variableRight to Strike, Government Sector. 0. No. 1. Yes, with major restrictions (e.g. monopoly union, compulsory arbitration or conciliation, restrictions on issues or content, major groups excluded). 2. Yes, with minor restrictions (e.g. recognized union, balloting, proportionality, respect of peace obligation, only military, judiciary or police excluded - as per ILO convention). 3. Yes.
More about this variableRight to Strike, Market Sector. 0. No. 1. Yes, with major restrictions (e.g. monopoly union, compulsory arbitration or conciliation, restrictions on issues or content, major groups excluded). 2. Yes, with minor restrictions (e.g. recognized union, balloting, proportionality, respect of peace obligation). 3. Yes.
More about this variableUnion density rate, net union membership as a proportion of wage and salary earners in employment (0-100).
More about this variableUnion density of workers aged 15-24
More about this variableUnion density of workers aged 25-54
More about this variableUnion density of workers aged 55-64
More about this variableCoordination of wage-setting. 5. Binding norms regarding maximum or minimum wage rates or wage increases issued as a result of a) centralized bargaining by the central union and employers' associations, with or without government involvement, or b) unilateral government imposition of wage schedule/freeze, with or without prior consultation and negotiations with unions and/or employers' associations. 4. Non-binding norms and/or guidelines (recommendations on maximum or minimum wage rates or wage increases) issued by a) the government or government agency, and/or the central union and employers' associations (together or alone), or b) resulting from an extensive, regularized pattern setting coupled with high degree of union concentration and authority. 3. Procedural negotiation guidelines (recommendations on, for instance, wage demand formula relating to productivity or inflation) issued by a) the government or government agency, and/or the central union and employers' associations (together or alone), or b) resulting from an extensive, regularized pattern setting coupled with high degree of union concentration and authority. 2. Some coordination of wage setting, based on pattern setting by major companies, sectors, government wage policies in the public sector, judicial awards, or minimum wage policies. 1. Fragmented wage bargaining, confined largely to individual firms or plants, no coordination.
More about this variableGovernment intervention in wage bargaining. 5. The government imposes private sector wage settlements, places a ceiling on bargaining outcomes or suspends bargaining. 4. The government participates directly in wage bargaining (tripartite bargaining, as in social pacts). 3. The government influences wage bargaining outcomes indirectly through price-ceilings, indexation, tax measures, minimum wages, and/or pattern setting through public sector wages. 2. The government influences wage bargaining by providing an institutional framework of consultation and information exchange, by conditional agreement to extend private sector agreements, and/or by providing a conflict resolution mechanism which links the settlement of disputes across the economy and/or allows the intervention of state arbitrators or Parliament. 1. None of the above.
More about this variableLevel-impact: the predominant level at which wage bargaining takes place in terms of coverage. 5. Bargaining predominantly takes place at central or cross-industry level negotiated at lower levels. 4. Intermediate or alternating between central and industry bargaining. 3. Bargaining predominantly takes place at the sector or industry level. 2. Intermediate or alternating between sector and company bargaining. 1. Bargaining predominantly takes place at the local or company level.
More about this variable