United Kingdom becomes legal battleground over EWC rights amid Brexit

Compared with other national systems that serve as the basis for several EWCs, the UK has provided a wealth of jurisprudence and the reason for this is an almost two-year battle between employers’ and employees’ legal teams seeking decisions over the scope of information and consultation rights within the framework of Brexit, and the migration of EWCs to the Republic of Ireland.  Unite the Union is the the largest UK & Irish trade union federation involved in this tug-of-war and it is also developing a legal strategy on a number of cases key for securing EWCs rights to experts. The most recent legal decision to date concerns the Princes Group case that was handed down on 17 January by the Central Arbitration Committee (the CAC oversees the regulation of UK labour law as it relates to trade union recognition and collective bargaining), and that provides a broad definition of the notion of ‘Transnationality’ and clarifies the issue of the right to experts.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

Setting the tone for Irish courts as they gear up to handle a mass influx of UK legislation related EWCs following Brexit. Brexit means a mass exodus of UK legislation related EWCs from the UK to the Republic of Ireland. ‘In the UK we have a certain modus vivendi, but in the Republic we are heading into the unknown, with everyone trying to carve out their own territory, well aware that in the beginning Irish legal rulings will be looking to what has occurred in the UK,’ explained Stephane Portet, head of the UK subsidiary of the works council expert firm Syndex. He continued, ‘Thus for the past 18 months we have been involved in a tussle with employers’ legal firms in order to set out the scope of EWC information and consultation rights and in particular as regards the right to expertise.’

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Spain: introduction of sick leave for menopause-related symptoms
The news. As of 1 December, female employees in Spain suffering from an incapacitating condition associated with menopausal symptoms will be eligible for specific sick leave, paid from the very...
Germany: Schaeffler cuts 3,460 jobs and requests temporary wage “solidarity contribution”
The news. On 3 November 2026, German automotive supplier Schaeffler announced a new “earnings improvement programme”, entailing the net reduction of 3,460 jobs in Europe by 2028 (2,660...
UK: government promises human rights due diligence bill
The news. On 4 November, the government promised, through Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds before the House of Lords, the statutory introduction of human rights due diligence in the UK. It...
5 November 2026
UK: new protection measures against “fire and rehire” postponed to March 2027 
On 22 October, the UK government announced the postponement of the coming into force of measures aimed at restricting "fire and rehire" and "redundancy and re-employment", provided for under the...
5 November 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: following the post-Covid boom, large companies scale back on remote working
In the post-pandemic context, large French groups multiplied generous remote working agreements before reversing the trend from 2024 onwards. What is the extent of this phenomenon? mind RH...
2
Germany: Employers’ representatives seek to limit the rights of works councils
The Employers' Federation of German Employers' Associations (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände - BDA) published a report at the end of September in which it proposes a...
3
France: National Assembly votes for mandatory bargaining on sexual and gender-based violence
The news. On 8 October, French MPs voted to extend the scope of mandatory annual negotiations to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). In practice, in addition to pay, working hours and...
4
France: Iliad structures its skills management around AI
The news. On 9 April, Iliad (11,600 employees in France), the parent company of telecoms operator Free, concluded an agreement on jobs and career path management with its representative trade...
5
France: how CDC Habitat aims to better promote the expertise of its employees
The housing division of the French public group Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, CDC Habitat (10,800 employees), established new measures on skills in July. They are set out in two agreements...
6
France: La Poste strengthens regional management of jobs and skills
La Poste’s 2026-2028 agreement on the management of jobs, professional pathways and gender diversity in occupations puts the emphasis on supporting mobility and career changes, relying on a...