European Works Councils

Around 10 million workers across the EU have the right to information and consultation on company decisions at European level through their EWCs. The Works Council Directive (94/45/EC) applies to companies with 1,000 or more employees, including at least 150 in two or more Member States.

Of these, 841 have EWCs in operation, covering around 60% of workers in the EU. But there is still some way to go before the legislation meets its full objectives, and the ETUC is pressing for it to be improved and updated. In May 2009, the European Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on a recast Directive, which is expected to replace the existing text by Spring 2011 at the latest .

The ETUC is satisfied that the recast will equip EWCs with the tools they need to have a chance to influence management decisions in order to anticipate and manage structural change in a socially acceptable direction.

You will find more information on the following websites developed by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI): www.ewcdb.eu ; European Works Councils

The ETUC supports EWC representatives, for example through education and language courses run by ETUI Education Department.

The EWC Infopoint-SDA Agreements Database has been developed and run as part of the Infopoint project (supported by the European Commission) for a number of years. It contains the analysis of EWC agreements from copies of signed originals in five languages - English, French, German, Spanish Swedish and Italian.

Consult PARL the SDA newsletter to find out about workers’ information and consultation rights in Europe.