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ETUI-REHS Education & EMF Seminar : Anticipating changes in EWC contexts in EMF sectors 23-25 March 2007 -Park Hotel Tyrrenian – Amantea (Italy) 652.026.EWC |
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This event had the support of the EUROPEAN UNION |
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The
participants
Seminar documents
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Luc Triangle, chair of the Company Policy Committee(CPC) of the EMF welcomed the participants to this seminar in Amantea and stated the objectives:
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To identify challenges related to changes in the metal working sector |
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To identify indicators making it possible for EWC representatives and EMF coordinators to predict such changes |
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To develop a toolkit that can be integrated in EMF training activities aiming at facilitating a proactive approach to deal with such challenges. |
Jean-Claude Le Douaron presented the activities of ETUI-REHS Education and the programme of the seminar.
The activities of the CPC and the EMF action plan were introduced by Luc Triangle and Isabelle Barthès, EMF. (Download the presentation from the Seminar documents section of this Web Site).
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Xabier Irastorza ,Research Officer at the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions introduced the activities of the European Monitoring Center on Changes. Those activities are aiming at identifying:
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what is the state of the play in Europe? Why is the European level relevant as anticipation is concerned? |
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what is anticipation? |
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what tools can be used? |
Mireille Battut from Groupe Alpha made a presentation about the AgirE project aiming at:
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developing a typology of various forms of restructuring |
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strengthening the stakeholders capacity to manage restructuring |
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promoting new regulation ways at European level |
Philippe Morvannou, Syndex, made a point of that MNCs have developed medium term plans detailing commercial objectives, investments, introduction of technologies and new working methods. Those plans are revised yearly but are seldom subject to information and consultation. In order to improve the efficiency of EWCs, the workers' representatives in EWCs need to:
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mutualise information resources that are available in the various national representation bodies such as the expertise in France, co-determination in Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, as well as trade union experts from other countries... |
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develop own information tools analysing the consequences of such plans as |
fact sheets with a negotiated content for each kind of restructuring, (downsizing, closure, merger, acquisition...)
information about investment strategies regarding materials, R&D and training
acces to sites and the possibility to audit management at various levels
analyse reports about sustainable development and CSR (contents are seldom negotiated)
In working groups the participants to the Seminar, among whom EWC members, EMF Coordinators and trade union representatives, recognised that anticipation was fundamental to EWC and trade union activities. Securing the transmission of accurate and relevant information regarding industrial, financial, economic and social strategies of companies is key to ensure that EWC and workers’ representatives will play their role.
Discussions helped to identify a number of obstacles to the anticipation of change by EWC :
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Causes of change have become more and more varied and complex which makes anticipation uneasy (tighter grip of financial markets on the economy, rapid technological shifts, complex investment strategies, etc…) |
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Experience shows that European companies seldom fulfill their obligations in terms of information of EWCs. Indeed, whenever information is provided, notice is often too short or information are irrelevant and unnecessarily complex. |
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While change is accelerating, the transmission of information only once or twice a year no longer allows to anticipate change in time. |
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Few EWC agreements provide for a right to expertise that would allow EWC members to benefit from the insights of industrial experts. |
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Where EWC members or trade unions at national level benefit from insider information on possible change, information is often not shared at European level among employee representatives |
A number of practical solutions have been explored during the Seminar and recommandations for future action have been put forward, among which :
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Undertaking a benchmarking of EWC agreements and setting-up recommandations/common demands for the (re-negotiation of EWC agreements (especially include provisions on the right to expertise). |
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In order to ensure that daily practice meets the quality of agreements, sharing good practices among EWC in the metal-working industries. |
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Launch campaigns to ensure that EWC are not deprived from the working facilities (translation, number of meetings…) that would allow them to play their role. |
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Encourage communication and the exchange of information between EWC members and trade union representatives in companies, in various plants and countries. The EMF Coordinators must play an increased role to achieve this. |
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Develop a set of indicators accompanied by a guidance document (industrial, financial, social, sectoral, technological) that would allow EWC to require relevant information and to interprete such information correctly. Indicators would be developed by a working group of the Company Policy Committee. |
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Increasing the role and the ability of EMF Coordinators to fulfill their role in terms of providing advice, ensuring proper transnational communication between EWC and unions, monitoring evolutions in a given company or sector, etc… |
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Training of EMF coordinators and EWC members at transnational level and development of training material to that purpose. |
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Some useful links ETUI-REHS Education: Training materials about EWCs; Information about EU Budget lines The Social Development Agency: SDA European labour law & directives: EU legislation on Information & Consultation European Industrial Relation Observatory On-line http://www.worker-participation.eu/european_works_councils/ewc_training
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This site was last updated 07/18/07