Labour relations in comparative perspective : special focus on the SME sector

The evolution of the view and practice of "social partnership" is one basic element in the construction of the European Union. The paper gives an overview on the key actors and institutions of Labour Relations System (LRS) with special focus on the micro- small and medium sized enteprises (SME). In the first section, the author describes the key social partners and institutions of the LRS in the countries participating in an international research project carried out in 2003-2006 and supported by the Leonardo Programme of the EU (Annex 1). The second section of the paper deals with the particular features of the LRS in the SME sector. The strong "informality" of social dialogue is the key institutional pattern of LRS in the SME sector.