Labour-intensive industries in Europe are going through a stage that can be characterized by a process of outsourcing and downsizing. h is general trend is driving companies to replace direct employees with all kinds of “new” employment relations. Work is executed by “employers” pretending to belong to other branches (circumventing compliance with contracts, collective agree- ments, sector regulations, etc.), by specialized subcontractors, temporary work agencies, and/or self-employed. Workers in non-standard employment relationships are in general non-unionized. In this, the main trends and developments in the European construction industry are analysed. Construction has traditionally been a sector with a high share of subcontracting and there is evidence that this share is further increasing. h e possible impact on collective bargaining of the process of “externalization” (of the recruitment of labour), resulting in non-standard employment patterns, is examined. h e article ends with recommendations to revitalize the sectoral industry-wide bargaining tradition. Corporate social responsibility and liability throughout the production chain have to be part of a joint strategy to promote continuity and fair competition; and the industry has to reinstall provisions that are meant to keep the sector stable, clean and professional.