The agreement establishing the European Works Council at Cargill was signed on 7 February by the US food and agriculture corporation. The anticipation agreement that previously governed the functioning of the EWC was abandoned by representatives of European staff in November 2015. As EFFAT, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions, said in a statement on 14 February, negotiations over the latest deal proved lengthy. That said, the federation can be pleased with the outcome, as the agreement contains several provisions that have rarely been applied to US firms, with some even unprecedented for firms outside the US. In addition to the prerogatives granted (training, means of communication and site access), the agreement gives the EWC a level of oversight when it comes to the election of its members.
The agreement remains governed by UK law. It will apply for a period of five years, after which point it will become open ended. The company’s UK business will remain under the scope of the deal, regardless of its position in the European Union or European Economic Area. Countries where the firm has more than five employees may send a representative to the EWC. For countries with fewer than five employees, those workers will be represented by EWC members from the country of their choice (under the previous agreement, this was the choice for countries in which fewer than 24 workers were based).
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