Publications

The three research centres: FORBA (Austria), NOTUS (Spain) and Institute of Public Affairs (Poland) conducted a research study on strategic and innovative practices of social partners and labour inspectorates to improve the efficiency of enforcing labour standards in the construction sector. 

Findings from Spain, Poland and Austria display bogus self-employment, underpayment, breach of OSH regulations as comparably widespread fraudulent practices in construction. To effectively detect and pursue such non-compliant behaviour, social partner (institutions) in cooperation with public authorities such as labour inspectorates developed joint activities, prepared legislative acts and intensified institutional cooperation. 

In Poland, a country with rather weak social partner tradition, three relevant co-enforcement agreements were enacted in the construction sector, namely the Agreement for Safety in Construction (ASC), the Agreement on Minimum Wages in Construction (AMW), and the Agreement for Occupational Safety at the Operation of Cranes (AOSOC). The three agreements provide an autonomous response to fraudulent practices in the construction sector in an area where neither collective labour relations nor public institutions are able to deliver acceptable standards. The agreements involve both representatives of employers and employees, and the Polish Chief Labour Inspector played a significant role in initiating and /or supporting these agreements.