Axa: EWC’s role in the group’s digital transformation process (interviews)

Axa Group’s European Works Council (EWC) has some twenty years of experience with social dialogue under its belt not least concerning the agreement regulating its own operations but also the European agreement on anticipating change (2011) that aimed to place the EWC as a key actor in the group’s digital transformation process. Olivier Pelras and Hedi Ben Sedrine, secretary and assistant secretary respectively of the EWC kindly answered our questions on the process.
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  • Several years ago Axa committed to a thorough digital transformation. How has the Group’s EWC positioned itself on the issue?

Oliver Perlas. In 2013 Axa management launched its major digital transformation project. Given the significance of this structural project for the Group’s future, the EWC opted for an anticipation agreement signed in 2011 (c.f. article No. 110585) that enables us to be involved in all of Axa’s major transformations. In 2014 the EWC voted on a four-stream working method (c.f. article No. 8766) namely, subject knowledge enhancement including reviewing and sharing current information, information and consultation in terms of European level exchanging of views and as in line with the 2009 EWC agreement, positioning the agreement as the central column around which our actions revolve, and fourthly, coordinating and engaging with local bodies implying visiting local entities and engaging local management representatives during presentations on the digital transformation process in their specific geographical area, all of which is in a bid to achieve global involvement as rapidly as possible.

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