EN
The article discusses the role that trade unions and employers' organizations play in creating conditions facilitating the implementation of the European Employment Strategy. It presents the characteristics and achievements of social dialogue at the EU level, particularly social partners' efforts aimed at improving the situation in national labour markets in a period of economic crisis and ageing societies. As far as Poland is concerned, the article discusses the attitudes of key social partners toward the pension system reform and indicates the weaknesses of social dialogue in the country. The opinions on Poland have been formed taking social dialogue practice in the EU as the point of reference.