MOBILECARE – social dialogue as a tool to improve the conditions of functioning of intra-EU labour mobility in home-based care services
European level consultation
14-15.05.2025
A shared conclusion among stakeholders is that collective agreements are essential to improve working conditions for care workers, particularly in domestic settings. While countries like Spain and Italy have sector-specific agreements that offer such protections, others, like Poland, rely solely on consultative social dialogue without binding labor frameworks.
The discussion emphasized the importance of recognizing national disparities and proposed organized shift work as a means to balance workers’ rest with continuous care delivery. It was agreed that trade unions should be the main actors defending these workers’ rights, though challenges persist—especially for unregistered caregivers in private homes, who often avoid unionization due to job insecurity or migration concerns.
There was a strong call to standardize qualifications across countries to support labor mobility and ensure quality care. Participants highlighted the urgent need for structured training—especially in handling specific conditions like Alzheimer’s—to ensure consistent, high-quality service provision across the EU.
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