© 2004
Literature

  European Works Councils in practice: Key research findings

This paper of the Dublin based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions resumes the latest research findings in the field of European works councils. It looks especially on EWC involvement during restructuring processes. The booklet was published in March 2008.     → Download this booklet
     
  Which identity does a European works council have?

This anthology, which has been published in May 2007, deals with the question about the collective identity of European works councils. Authors from several EU countries examine different aspects of current EWC research. How do workers' representatives perform their work as an EWC member with a different cultural background?

Further information
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  Dictionary of Labour, Law and Business Terms

This second and revised edition of a German - English dictionary has been published in 2007. It is the result of a language project of the German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union. It contains about 5,000 words from the working world on subjects like work, economy, job training, European Union, law, politics and occupational health and safety. The book offers a translation of technical terms which are usually missing from many standard language dictionaries.

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  Industrial Relations in Europe 2006

The current edition of a European Commissions' booklet on the state and development of industrial relations has been published in December 2006. It provides extensive data about trade unions, workplace representation, developments in labour law etc. for the individual EU member states and the European level.     → Download this booklet
     
  Case Study on Best Practices in EWC Functioning

This study is focusing on the most relevant cases of functioning of European works councils. It comments on practices in the involvement or non-involvement in accompanying restructuring of multinational undertakings, enlargement of the EWC due to the accession of new EU Member States and the possible role of European works councils in the establishment and monitoring of certain types of codes of conduct and/or framework agreements. The booklet was published in July 2006 and is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

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  Statistical Analysis of EWC Agreements

This booklet evaluates the content of over 700 EWC agreements signed before May 2006 with regard to different features: applicable national law of the agreement, frequency of meetings, composition and size of EWC and select committee, catalogue of topics which are subject to information and consultation, communication system of the EWC, support by experts, right to training and confidentiality clauses are treated in separate chapters. The booklet is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

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  Handbook on Offshore Outsourcing

This handbook is based on the work of project partners out of six countries who examined the transfer of IT jobs to fast-developing nations and worked out possibilities of trade union action. It provides suggestions for the negotiation of offshoring agreements. The booklet is available in English, French, German, Swedish, Danish and Dutch.

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  Quality Inventories on the Operation and Results of European Works Councils

This book presents the research results on the functioning of European works councils. The project, coordinated by the Institute for Labour Foundation in Bologna/Italy, was focused on analysing the 'inner life' of the EWC and intended to provide indications for the improvement
of effectiveness and efficiency of EWC work with regard to European and national industrial relations. The book contains country reports from Italy, Sweden and the UK as well as nine EWC case studies.

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  Implementing and Monitoring an International Framework Agreement

In order to shape the globalisation in a social way, trade unions conclude global framework agreements with multinational companies on social minimum standards. This guide having been published in July 2006 by the German trade union IG Metall describes individual steps from the idea and the conclusion of the agreement up to the monitoring process. Further it shows what to do if a violation of the agreement takes place.

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  EMF Handbook: How to Deal with Transnational Company Restructuring

In May 2006 the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) published this handbook in order to provide some political guidance and practical tools for EWC members dealing with cross-border restructuring. It contains an overview of European Regulations and Directives with links to restructuring processes and of tools and legal instruments existing in the 25 EU member states to deal with restructuring.

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  The Black Book on Lidl in Europe

In June 2006, one and a half year after the presentation of the German Black Book on Lidl, the United Service Union (ver.di) published further hot facts about Lidl and the Schwarz Group. An international research team compiled information how this agressively expanding discounter acts in 23 European countries. Mercyless work pressure, permanent shortage of staff, small wages, enormous general pressure and unfair checks, that’s what employees experience daily from Finland to Italy, from Portugal to Poland.

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  European Works Councils - Facts and Figures 2006

By evaluation of about 1,000 EWC agreements the European Trade Union Institute worked out extensive statistics about the work bases of European works councils. Here are some figures: 69% of all European works councils meet only once a year. A part of the activities is therefore delegated to a steering committee. Although such a committee is provided by the EWC Directive, it exists only in 66% of all cases. Multinational companies frequently consist of a variety of divisions and subsidiaries, however a division oriented EWC structure has been established by way of negotiation only in 12 enterprises.

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  Guide for negotiating and renegotiating EWC agreements

This guide published in September 2005 by the Brussels based social development agency (SDA) is written for workers' representatives who want to establish an EWC or to revise their existing EWC agreement. Five chapters (foundations of an EWC agreement, composition, competencies as well as meetings and resources of the EWC) show exactly what should be taken into account during the negotiation process.

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  European Works Councils - Cases of Good Practices

This research project on European works councils had three general objectives: To identify and analyse the problems preventing European works councils from functioning properly, to develop strategies to resolve these problems by insisting on examples of good practice and to circulate the results among the European works councils and trade unions.

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European Works Councils in Practice

This report focuses on the internal workings of European works councils in five EU member states: France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK. It compares and contrasts the widely divergent practices resulting from different company practices, cultural backgrounds and industrial relations policies. It looks at the relationship between management and employee representatives, and also between players both inside and outside the company.

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  Worker Representation Systems in the European Union and the Accession Countries

The 2005 reprint of this guide consists of two chapters: the pedagogical section includes presentations and activity sheets in comprehensive form for use in seminars and training courses, the information section provides a summary of each of the 25 EU countries as well as of the joining countries Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Turkey and North Cyprus. The guide is available in four languages (English, French, German and Italian) free of charge as folder with an interactive CD-ROM.

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  The European Company
Prospects for Worker Board-level Participation in the Enlarged EU


The European Trade Union Institute in Brussels presented this booklet on different aspects of the European Company (SE) in February 2006. It provides information such as worker involvement and the national transposition processes. Moreover, information is given on the development and the different national systems of worker participation on supervisory or administrative boards throughout the European Union.

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  Worker Board-level Representation in the new EU Member States:
Country Reports on the National Systems and Practices


The European Trade Union Institute in Brussels presented in this booklet a number of reports on the national systems and practices of worker board-level representation in ten new member states. Each report is divided into two parts: a description of the legislative background is followed by a practitioner report written by a worker board member in the respective country.

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  Europe and Globalisation - Guide for Euro-Trainers

The European Trade Union College in Brussels presented in March 2005 this valuable help for the preparation of trainings: an educational guide concerning the EU role in globalisation. It contains suggestions for several training days, a globalisation glossary, a description of the activity of international organisations like World Bank or ILO, also historical stages of globalisation and features of the European social model are included. A special chapter deals with the European works councils. The guide is available in seven languages.

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European Works Councils - Pessimism of the Intellect. Optimism of the Will?
Edited by: Ian Fitzgerald, John Stirling (Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK)

This book covers the key themes related to the introduction, growth and future of European works councils: the EWC directive, EWC agreements, employers' strategies for managing European works councils in practice and trade union strategies for the development of the European works councils. The book features contributions from key writers in the field and covers both theoretical models and questions of practice.

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  Corporate Social Responsibility

The corporate and social responsibility of companies (CSR) is defined by the trade unions as transparent, social, economically and ecologically sustainable governance. These very general objectives need to be linked to specific indicators in order to facilitate a transparent monitoring and evaluation of codes of conduct. This brochure, published 2005 by the GPA trade union from Austria, can help to obtain a realistic evaluation of the methods and effects of CSR concepts. Here you can download the English translation.

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  Co-Determination in Germany - A Beginners' Guide

This collection of texts aims to provide a basic explanation of what co-determination is all about, how it functions in practice and what it means to the Germans and to Germany as whole. The 2006 reprint of this guide was published by the Hans Böckler Foundation, which deals with co-determination and research linked to the world of work on behalf of the DGB, the Confederation of German Trade Unions.

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The following booklets have been published by the Labour Research Department (LRD), an independant, trade union-based research organisation in London:

  European Works Councils - an LRD Guide

This booklet sets out the UK regulations in detail and examines their relationship to the EU directive on European works councils. It also provides examples of good practice from existing EWC agreements and examines how representatives can ensure that their EWC operates to the benefit of employees.

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  Worker Representation in Europe

This booklet gives a picture of trade union structures, collective bargaining and worker representation in all 25 EU member states. It has been published in May 2004 as ten new countries joined the European Union.

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  Information and Consultation - a Guide to the new Regulations

Since April 2005 employees in UK companies have the right to be consulted by their employers on working practices, employment prospects and a range of other issues. This booklet is a guide for representatives on how to use their rights to make the information and consultation process work.

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To see a survey on EWC literature in German language please visit our German literature page.



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