Never has the potential for social dialogue been greater. Never has the law given so much autonomy to social partners (from the Larcher to the “Macron” rulings). Furthermore, social dialogue has also become economic and henceforth deals with the competitiveness of corporations.
However, in public opinion, the role of social dialogue remains ambiguous. Its usefulness is acknowledged, but its effectiveness is doubted. As for social partners, they consider it to be a mere accompaniment to employer strategies that are against the interests of workers. There is also defiance among employers, who favor the individualization of relations in the company over social dialogue.
How can relationships based on mutual confidence be built between social partners? How can a social dialogue that is still marked by the logics of conflict and defiance be profoundly reconstructed? These are the goals of this book, which blends history, sociological analysis, and union practice, and which concludes with a manifesto to give new life to social dialogue.