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British lawyers focus on Consultation procedure The London based group of lawyers with close union ties, Thompsons Solicitors, deals in the spring 2010 issue of its magazine "Labour & European Law Review" with consultation procedures in British companies. One article analyses the legislation for information and consultation in the workplace from 2005 which was the transposition of an EU Directive. Up till now however, this legislation was hardly ever used by British trade unions or employees. Further contributions describe the procedures for mass redundancies and the transfer of business, where the legal situation in the United Kingdom was also improved considerably by EU legislation. → Magazine download |
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Country comparison of European Works Councils A research project at the Ruhr university in Bochum on European Works Councils in the motor industry has been in progress since 2007. The results are now available in a book form. An English-language publication appeared under the title "European Works Councils in complementary perspectives" at the end of 2009. → Further information and table of contents |
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Current Trends in European Employee Participation This collection published in September 2009 describes a German-Dutch conference on the employee participation. Topics covered are industrial relations in Germany as well as in the Netherlands, European works councils and workers' representation in companies with the legal status SE (Societas Europaea). Dr. Werner Altmeyer of the training and consultancy firm "euro-workscouncil.net" describes EWC intercultural problems and gives examples of EWC contractual policies. → Further information and table of contents |
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Positive and negative consequences of European Works Councils This working paper published in June 2009 by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) in Brussels investigates a subject which remains largely unanswered: how does the existence of European works councils benefit the different groups of stakeholders within the company. The analysis was not able to establish any significant disadvantages for shareholders or investors whereas the effect was obviously positive for both employees and managers. → Download this working paper |
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Taking Stock on Transnational Framework Agreements A new report from the Dublin based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions was published in June 2009, and it deals with transnational framework agreements at a global and European level. The authors, including Dr. Reingard Zimmer of the training and consultancy firm " euro-workscouncil.net ", examine the contents of such agreements and the role of European works councils. → Summary of the report → Download the full report |
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Current review of industrial relations in Europe In January 2009 the European Commission presented the new report for developments of industrial relations within the years 2006 to 2008. It contains a listing of legislation as well as documents of the social dialog, court decisions on labour law, a reflection on trends of collective bargaining policy and on trade union membership figures. The report is published every two years. → Download this report |
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Analysis of EWC Agreements The Social Development Agency (SDA) in Brussels presented a new evaluation of 102 EWC agreements from its database in October 2008, which examines qualitative and quantitative developments of the last four years. Of the 102 EWC agreements which were signed since 2004, 19 are from Germany and France each, 16 from the UK and ten from Belgium. Italy recorded the strongest increase with eight new EWC agreements. The country has now 39 European works councils, but is still located in the delay. Although training measures aren't regulated obligatorily in the former EWC Directive, this was confirmed Europe-wide in 76% of all cases in the EWC agreement since 2004. → Download this study |
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Improvement of cooperation between EWC members This handbook wants to help fostering coordination of activities and communication among European works councils’ members. It was published in April 2008 as part of a project, co-funded by the EU and initiated by the Spanish trade union confederation CC.OO. together with partners in Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria and Germany. Team members of the training and consultancy firm " euro-workscouncil.net " participated in the preparation for and execution of project workshops. → Download this handbook |
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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 |
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Gender Equality as a topic for the European Works Council The Social Development Agency (SDA) in Brussels presented this study in October 2007. The authors follow the question on how to increase the presence of women within employee representation and which role European works councils can play with regards to measures of Europe-wide equal treatment. They present examples from EWC and antidiscrimination agreements, which were concluded with the help of European works councils, for example in the French energy company Areva. → Download this study |
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Campaigner’s Guide to the UK Companies Act In the year 2006 the company law in the UK experienced the most comprehensive reform for 150 years. The new act obliges management to notice consequences for employees, community and environment and to give account at their decisions publicly. The aim of this guide published in September 2007 is to increase success of British enterprises in social and environmental issues. The authors describe a number of possibilities of campaigns and legal steps helping the new law to become successful by use of shareholder rights. → Download this booklet |
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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 → Online order |
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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. → Online order |
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Strike Rules in Europe Collective action is, still today, very much linked to the highly specific national industrial relations systems. This booklet provides a first brief comparative analysis, including a glossary, followed by information on the national systems in all 27 EU member states as well as Norway, Iceland and Croatia. The booklet was published by the European Trade Union Institute in Brussels in March 2007. → Download this booklet |
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European Works Councils and transnational restructuring This report was published in January 2007 and focuses on the role that European works councils play in influencing the handling of transnational restructuring. It analyses EWC agreements and relevant joint texts and looks at the kind of input councils make in practice and highlights the factors that appear to play an important role in favouring or hindering their involvement in transnational restructuring. → Download this booklet |
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Case Study on Best Practices in EWC Functioning This study focuses on the most relevant cases of functioning of European works councils. It comments on practices in the involvement / non-involvement in accompanying restructuring of multinational firms, enlargement of the EWC due to accession of new EU Member States and the possible role of European works councils in the establishment and the 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. → Download this booklet (in English) → Download other language versions |
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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 the 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 as well as confidentiality clauses are treated in separate chapters. The booklet is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. → Download this booklet (in English) → Download of other language versions |
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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. → Download this booklet (in English) → Download of other language versions |
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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. → More information and order form → Download this booklet |
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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. → Download this booklet |
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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. → More information and order form |
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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. → More information and order address |
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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. → Download this guide |
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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. → Download this report |
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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. → Download this report |
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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. → More information and order address → Download this guide |
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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. → More informationen and order address → Download this booklet |
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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. → More informationen → Download this booklet |
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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. → More informationen → Download this brochure |
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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. → Online order |
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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. → Download this brochure |
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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. → Download this brochure |
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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. → More information and online order |
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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. → More information and online order |
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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. → More information and online order |
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