Following the European Commission’s overdue launch of the first phase of consultations of the Community-level inter-branch and sectoral social partners on the revision of the European Works Councils Directive (EWC), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) will be putting its case for a revision which it has been saying is necessary and urgent for several years. The European trade union movement also wants the pace of the review to be stepped up.

The revision of the European Works Councils Directive is four years overdue, despite the ETUC having argued for years that Directive 94/95/EC needs adapting without delay. Its application so far has had a positive impact, not just in terms of the number of European Works Councils set up, but also and especially in terms of acting as a benchmark and incitement to the spread and new development of rights as well as information and consultation practices in companies and labour relations systems in Member States and the new member countries. European Works Councils are the only company-level supranational trade union bodies in existence.

With the EU about to enlarge to 25 countries, and an economic context marked by restructuring, mergers and relocations, the ETUC wants the mechanics of revising the directive to be speeded up.

The revision is essential from a legal standpoint, because both the procedures and content of the right to information are dealt with differently by three different directives. Unless it goes through quickly, there will be no alternative but to resort to the courts, because the right to information and consultation is a compelling right, as the European Court of Justice has said.

The ETUC is ready to engage consultations and hopes that UNICE, which opposed first the directive and then its review, will now support a speedy revision, which would improve and add to the effectiveness of relations between the social partners at European level.

In the days ahead, the ETUC will be discussing ways and means of informing its affiliates and existing EWCs about the revision of the directive.

ETUC Resolution