EU: what will change with the revision of the European Works Council Directive European legislation In a press statement published on 28 March, EFFAT, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions announced a new EWC agreement for the French vegetable processing producer (10,000 employees operating in 18 different countries with most business occurring in nine European countries). The new EWC broadens the definition of transnational and more precisely defines consultation.
EU: trilogue agreement struck on revision of European Works Council Directive European legislation European co-legislators have reached an agreement on the proposal to revise the European Works Council Directive, which aims to strengthen workers' rights to consultation. The compromise text will have to be formally approved by the Council and Parliament before it can enter into force.
United Kingdom: new CAC decision on videoconferencing in European Works Councils Transnational industrial relations On 23 December, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) handed down a decision on the holding of videoconference meetings as part of the information and consultation process for European Works Councils governed by UK law.…
Réglementaire EU: Poland presents social programme for Council Presidency European legislation Poland has set out the programme for its Presidency of the Council of the EU, which runs from 1 January to 30 June 2025. On the social front,…
EU: Parliament toughens up revision of European Works Councils Directive European legislation On 3 April, the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the parliamentary report on the proposed revision of the European Works Councils (EWC) Directive presented by the European Commission on 24 January. In particular, the text voted through by MEPs increases the penalties for non-compliance with the right to information and consultation and introduces the possibility of suspending decisions when this right has not been respected.
EU: ETUC rejects employers’ proposal to negotiate framework agreement on European Works Councils European legislation Following Ursula von der Leyen's pledge in her investiture speech, the European Commission has taken up the transpartisan initiative report aimed at strengthening European Works Councils. A consultation of social partners was launched in the spring, with a view to revising the 2009 directive.
France: court decision interprets a clause of an EWC agreement providing for a minimum number of seats for non-French delegates National legislation If a clause of an agreement establishing a European Works Council provides for a minimum representation of delegates from countries other than that of the parent company, does this imply that there can be no additional representatives from those countries? A decision handed down on 28 January 2020 by the Court of Paris, based on the principle of balanced representation provided for in the European Works Council directive and the intention of the parties, states that this clause sets a minimum for representation, not a maximum limit.
BEL: an agreement that puts a European Works Council in place Transnational industrial relations On 20 June, cheese group Bel (which employs just over 5,500 across Europe) along with the SNB and with assistance from EFFAT (European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors), signed an agreement for the putting in place of a European Works Council. In terms of geographical scope the agreement includes Ukraine as well as Switzerland in the EWC’s remit and intends to maintain UK representatives under a no-deal Brexit scenario. Information will commence with a notice detailing the alternatives that were considered and the reasons they were not retained. The agreement includes a paragraph that details how the various levels of personnel representation will interact, with in addition the intentions for annual national level meetings between local HR bodies and EWC members as preparation for the annual EWC meeting.
Korian: signs agreement to establish an EWC Transnational industrial relations On 29 April 2019, Korian, a leading French multinational provider of medical and non-medical care and support services for the elderly and people with short or longer-term health issues across a European network of 6 countries and more than 52,000 workers, signed an agreement with the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) body to establish a European Works Council (EWC), making this the first EWC to have been established in the sector that cares for the elderly and people with disabilities. The agreement is now a benchmark reference, firstly because it is the first in a sector that is set to grow, and secondly because the EWC is being given a broad range of competences and the agreement outlines how EWC information communication between the different representation levels is to occur.
Solvay: agreement to maintain the UK within the scope of group’s EWC Transnational industrial relations The management at the Belgian chemicals group and members of its European Works Council have decided that “considering the importance of social dialogue in the company, the continuity should prevail and therefore the two current seats occupied by Solvay UK employees’ representatives shall remain, with equal rights and status, part of the Solvay EWC.” This decision comes as part of an amendment to the group’s EWC agreement, agreed on 15 March.
