Objectives

1. Deepening systematic and comparative knowledge on the structure and coverage of collective bargaining and representation, unionization rate, and job quality in the care sector across six EU countries (WP2).

2. Examining the country-specific initiatives adopted by the social partners to improve working conditions and job quality, as well as reducing skill and labour shortages (WP3).

3. Scrutinizing the workers’/caregivers’ individual positioning and perceptions in terms of job quality, working conditions, and collective  representation in the ECEC and LTC sector in the six EU countries (WP4).

4. Disseminating the results of the research actions and stimulating information exchange, social dialogue, and collective bargaining among social partners, stakeholders, and policymakers at the European, national and sectorial levels.

Consortium

Research consortium: Università degli Studi di Milano (coordinator), AIAS-HSI/University of Amsterdam,  FAOS/University of Copenhagen, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, University of Bremen, Central European Labour Studies Institute.

Partners: European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), Federation of European Social Employers (FESE).

DEVCOBA is funded by the European Commission – DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (Grant Agreement no. 101126385).

Duration: January 2024 – December 2025.

Main website DEVCOBA: https://devcoba.unimi.it/