All European countries are currently facing the challenges caused by the aging and decreasing population. Inclusive labour market which gives all people the opportunity to participate in work life is needed in order to reduce labour shortage, support economic development and improve the sustainability of social security system. Labour market participation of persons with reduced work capacity, including some disabled and ageing persons, are influenced by the access to accommodated work and working conditions.

In addition to state who sets the framework and employers who implement it in the practice, the social partners have an important role in shaping working conditions by mediating the needs of the employees and employers as well as proposing solutions through social dialogue and collective bargaining.

This action aims to improve social partners’ expertise and industrial relations in the field of workplace accommodation, and as a result promote inclusion of disabled and older workers. A mixed methodology will be used to examine what is known about workplace adaptations in different national contexts to build a profile of enabling policies and practices for knowledge exchange with the aim of improving the expertise of social partners in this field.

The focus of the analysis is set on case studies in Estonia, Hungary and Poland, where in cooperation with national social partners the opportunities of how to promote the accommodation of workplaces to people with reduced work capacity are discussed. During the project, the following questions are discussed systematically and answers elaborated:

  • What is the current situation of industrial relations and disability management, age management and work accommodation in particular? Do what extent this issue is considered industrial relations focus of practice? What is currently done via industrial relations to nudge supply for and demand of work accommodation?
  • What would be the next step of influencing work accommodation via industrial relations? What would be workable and applicable practices, measures that social partners could design and implement to foster labour market participation of people with reduced work capacity?
  • Which of these possible measures are the most plausible? What would be the design and implementation strategy of these measures? In other words, what are the building blocks, intervention logic, steps required for implementation of the possible future practices?

The project is managed by Praxis and the project partners are:

  • Estonian Trade Union Confederation (EAKL
  • Estonian Employers Confederation (ETTK)
  • Cardiff University (UK)
  • Foundation Institute of Public Affairs (ISP, Poland)
  • Confederation Lewiatan (Poland)
  • Confederation Pracy (Poola)
  • Hungarian Trade Union Confederation (MaSzSz)
  • Confederation of Hungarian Employers and Industrialists (MGYOSZ).