EU: new budget heading on employee involvement in undertakings

Budget heading 04.03.03.03, published on the European Commission’s website yesterday, was allocated the amount of €7,500,000 for 2012.  its purpose is “to fund operations aimed at developing employee involvement in undertakings - meaning any mechanism, including information, consultation and participation, through which employees' representatives may exercise and influence on decisions to be taken within the company - in particular by raising awareness and contributing to the application of EU law and policies in this area.”  Employee involvement notably goes through EWCs and transnational company agreements.  “In this context, the appropriations of this Call for Proposals finance measures enabling the social partners and the social actors at company level to familiarize themselves with EU law and policies in the area of employee involvement as well as to exercise their rights and their duties to this regard.”  It may take the form of a) conferences, seminars, short training actions, manuals and exchange of information and of good practices involving workers' and/or employers' representatives; b) analysis papers on quantitative, qualitative aspects and results on subjects related to workers' and employers' representation and social dialogue at undertaking level in a transnational cooperation context; c) websites, publications, newsletters and others means for the dissemination of information.  Priority objectives include the following: “to promote innovative actions relating to the management of employee involvement, with the view of supporting the anticipation of change and the prevention and resolution of disputes in the context of corporate restructuring, mergers, take-over and relocation in EU-scale groups of undertakings.”