This document summarizes information from a meeting about establishing European Works Councils (EWCs) in multinational companies with multiple sectors. It identifies several potential obstacles to establishing EWCs, including gathering information about the company group, identifying relevant trade unions, and dealing with diverging views between management, workers from different countries, and different trade unions. It also provides examples of management strategies to resist EWCs and notes a lack of training for EWC members and national representation structures. Finally, it proposes several challenges that need to be addressed and potential starting points to facilitate establishing effective EWCs and coordination between the European and national levels.

1. Mu.M.M.I.A.
Florence, 17/18 May, 2013
IRES Emilia-Romagna
Volker Telljohann

2. Methodology
• Questionnaires (50)
• National meetings
• Case studies
• Interviews

3. Typology
• Existing EWCs
• EWCs to be established
• Agreement renewal
• Agreements to be adjusted after
restructuring/acquisitions/mergers

4. Possible obstacles
1) Information gathering on the group
2) Identify trade unions in representation
structures
3) Divergences among
• management and workers
• Representatives from different countries
• Trade unions (pluralism, sectors)
• Trade unions and representation structures
• Various levels (EU, national, local)

5. In which country do you work?

6. What is your role?

7. In case of multiple productive sites or affiliates, does a
coordination structure at a national level exist?

8. How would you describe the position of representation structures in the
central company offices towards the hypothesis of establishing an EWC?

9. How would you describe the position of the central
management towards the hypothesis of establishing an EWC?

10. Information for the establishment of a Snb were given by

11. We managed to establish a Snb after

12. What is/was the unionisation level of Snb members?

13. Were trade unionists present in the Snb as
well?

14. Management strategies
• Management reps in non unionised countries
• Pressure on “annoying” trade unions

15. No evidence…
Concerning different points of view among:
• Worker reps of different countries
• Different national trade unions
• Different national sector unions
• Different European trade union federations
• Representatives from different plants
regarding SNB composition

16. Obstacles
• True problem: obstacles are represented by the
management
• Complexity of multisectoral structure of groups
• Problem in gathering necessary information
• Non unionized plants/representativeness
• No training for SNB members
• Language, group and sector knowledge
• To be represented in a EWC, employees of a specific
sector should have a sufficient influence
• Lack of visibility of sector unions

17. Challenges
• Create national coordination structures
• Accurately map and create networks and
European alliances from the start, to avoid
tensions (European federations, ntional trade
unions, representation structures) (using
European fund – see Cremonini)
• Unionisation of workers (with the support of
trade unions of the country where the
headquarters are)
• Guarantee training (especially for delegates
with no experience)

18. Starting points
• Use the rights included in Directive
2009/38/EC (information, training, trade union
presence)
• EWC must inform national representatives
and, therefore, could contribute to
establishing coordination structures at a
national level
• Use transnational agreements to create and
develop coordination structures at an
intersectoral level

19. Interface mechanisms (I)
• Plan encounters of an EWC member with all
shop stewards of his country (in the various
sectors)
• Right of the EWC delegate to visit plants
present in his country
• Preparatory encounters among
representatives of different departments at a
national level to supply inputs to the EWC
delegate (Freudenberg)
• Include the right of the Select Committee to
take care of countries non represented by the
EWC

20. Interface mechanisms (II)
• Right to create coordination bodies
(intersectoral) at a national level (Bosch)
• Right to create work groups (Bosch)
• Specific encounters at a national level (between
EWC members and national delegates) (Bosch)
• Promote through the establishment agreement
of the EWC the introduction of coorindation
bodies (intersectoral) and at a national level
(Veolia)
• National coordination structures may partially
compensate the lack of presence in EWCs

21. Model Agreements
• Should take in account specific problems tied to
multisectoral aspect
• Focus on interface mechanisms between EWCs and
representation structures/workforce at a national level
• Intersectoral and joint coordination structures at a
national level
• Right to create work groups which include national
representatives
• Importance of liaison mechanisms between EWCs and
representation structures/workforce at a national level

22. Transnational coordination
• Three different starting points
• Bargaining of transnational agreements
assumes a national and transnational
coordination
• Monitoring as well could be used to
consolidate coordination structures
• Possibility to organise global meetings (Bosch)
• Create coordination bodies between different
European Federations (HP)

23. Conclusions
• Problems and challenges in multisectoral
groups are the same, but more complex
• More information is needed on companies
and trade unions (so that minor categories are
not forgotten)
• It's important to anticipate these problems
during the SNB establishment phase and the
negotiation for the establishment agreement
of the EWC

24. Conclusions
• A better use of existing rights
• Develop model agreements for multisectoral
goups (include rights regarding coordination
activities)
• Create trade union alliances at a European
level which must be based on national
coordination structures
• Develop the use of internet and intranet
(which in any case may not substitute
coordination meetings)

25. Translation notes: graphs
Slide 5: Belgium; France; Turkey; Spain; Italy
Slide 6: Shop steward; Member of SNB; Member of EWC; Trade unionist
Slide 7: No; If yes, is it a joint coordinaton structure; If yes, is it a coordination
Of your trade union; If yes, it is a coordinationt structure of another trade union
Slide 8: In favour; Indifferent; Against and not cooperative.
Slide 9: In favour; Just did his job; Against and not cooperative; Openly against
and resisting
Slide 10: From the management; from worker reps in the company head offices;
From national trade unions where the company... [text missing]; From European
Trade union federations
Slide 11: 1-6 months; 7-12 months; 13-24 months; more than 24 months
Slide 12: All delegates were unionised; Most of the delegates were unionised; a
Minority of delegates were unionised; no delegates were unionised
Slide 13: Yes; No