A more open political context. While currently at the EU helm, Germany (its six month presidential term ends on 31 December 2021) has no concrete initiatives on this theme, but its social culture characterized as it is by social partnership and recognized influential rights for workers’ representatives (Mitbestimmung) speaks for itself. Indeed it is under this German Presidency that work is due to commence on the implementation of the social rights pillar, the 20 principles of which aim to give more weight to the EU social dimension, and one in particular that explicitly states the importance of social dialogue and collective bargaining. On 01 January 2021, Portugal, currently governed by a left-wing coalition, will take over the EU helm. Both Hubertus Heil and Ana Mendes Godinho, Ministers of Labour of Germany and Portugal respectively, made reassuring remarks to the almost 200 EWC annual conference participants.
EU: European Trade Union Confederation preparing several actions before year-end to defend and guarantee the respect of workers’ information and consultation rights
It’s high time now. For the ETUC, the time has come to move forward in terms of ‘Democracy at work.’ Not least in view of the current challenges and in particular the restructuring changes that lie ahead, but also in terms of the political timing. Two EU Presidencies, Germany currently, which will be succeeded by Portugal in 2021, also say they are fully aware of and sensitive to this subject. MEPs are also fully onboard with two draft reports currently being prepared and seeking European Commission engagement; one of which is in favor of revising the EU Directive on the European Works Councils. The European Commission is currently late to the table on these issues, but in the months ahead it must set the groundwork for an action plan to implement the fundamental social rights pillar and in particular Principle 8 on workers' information and consultation rights. It will have to work with both the political currents driving these draft reports and with an ETUC that does not want to miss out on such propitious timing. This is what emerged in particular from the ETUC’s annual EWC (European Works Council) conference held on 09 and 10 September. The trade union confederation is also planning very short-term actions tailored to these representatives to help them fully play their roles and assert their information and consultation rights.
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