The BARMETAL Final Conference brought together industry experts to discuss key findings on digitalization, automatization, and decarbonization in the metal sector.

On Friday, September 20, the BARMETAL consortium hosted its final conference, focusing on the ongoing transformations in the metal and automotive sectors, which are vital to the economies of many European countries.

As decarbonization, automatization, and digitalization dominate economic and political agendas, work dynamics in these sectors are undergoing significant changes.

From 2022-2024, the BARMETAL project has been examining opportunities for strengthening collective bargaining in the metalworking industry amidst technological shifts.

The project responds directly to evidence showing that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the dissemination of technology and the digital transformation of metal, engineering, and tech-based industries and workplaces.

The conference offered stimulating discussions on these changes across Europe's metal sector, presented key learning points, introduced a toolkit for social partners at the company level, and featured two panel discussions with social partners.

In the first panel, the responses of collective bargaining to digitalization, automation, and decarbonization (D-A-D) across European economies were discussed by researchers Bengt Larsson (Linnaeus University), Armanda Cetrulo (SSSA Pisa), Tibor Meszmann (CELSI), Alina Popescu (Bucharest University of Economics), Mihail Arandarenko (University of Belgrade), and CELSI director Marta Kahancová.

After CELSI senior researcher Monika Martišková (Charles University) presented key learning points for the metal sector across Europe, the second panel further explored these insights.

Panelists included Paulien Osse (WageIndicator Foundation) and representatives from social partners such as Isabelle Barthes (Deputy Secretary General, IndustriAll European Trade Union), Isabel Sobrino Mate (Senior Policy Advisor, CEEMET), and Maurizio Oreggi (Coordinator, Fiom-CGIL).

We extend our gratitude to everyone who participated and helped make this conference a success.

Find out more at the BARMETAL Comparative video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDCJEKvaiiU