working together effectively across borders SINTTAV Conference on - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

working together effectively across borders

SINTTAV Conference on EWC training EWC representatives to ensure effective worker representation Lisbon, Portugal – 19 April 2013

working together effectively

• new directive = new challenges
• “ensuring the effectiveness of employees’ transnational

information and consultation rights”

appropriate time, fashion and content in-depth assessment potential effect, possible impact, proposed measures opinion that may be taken into account obtain a motivated response

? art. 13 / art. 6

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working together effectively

• new directive = new challenges
• “ensuring that Community legislative instruments on

information and consultation of employees are better linked”

+

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working together effectively

• new directive = new challenges
• right to training
• balanced representation (activities, category, gender)
• 1 seat per (fraction of) 10%
• to represent collectively the interests of all employees
• obligation to inform local representatives / all staff

? renegotiations

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working together effectively

• old barriers
• multiple heterogeneities or united in diversity ?
• nationalities, languages, cultures
• constant turnover of members and composition
• mix of trade unions and independent members
• individual background and motivation
• different concepts of industrial relations
• restructuring, austerity, relocations, closure
• internal competition
• little or no impact of opinions
• stay motivated !!!
• risk of folding back on national level

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working together effectively

working together effectively

working together effectively

working together effectively

working together effectively

• support from national trade unions
• every union has its own policies and organisation
• ideally one person in every union (con)federation

for international affairs and/or EWCs

• coordination of the own members in EWCs
• training, conferences, publications, websites ...
• in close cooperation with the European federations
• cooperation with the other unions in the same country ?
• cooperation with unions from other countries for joint projects

and trade union alliances

• support from European Trade Union Federations

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working together effectively

592 226 94 79 26 21

working together effectively

• support from ETUF
• every federation has its own EWC and

multinational company policies and strategies

• in close cooperation with the affiliated unions,

the global federations, the other ETUF and the ETUC

• one person in charge for EWCs in every ETUF

UNI : Sabrina Di Marchi

EFFAT : Daria Cibrario ; IndustriALL : Isabelle Barthes, Chantal Carron ETF : Cristina Tilling ; EPSU : Jerry van den Berge FETBB : William Van der Straeten

• training, conferences, publications, websites
• must be informed about start of negotiations
• expert in SNB and coordinator in EWC

working together effectively

• support by a coordinator
• permanent or occasional expert
• contact for the represented unions

and for the European Federations

• trade union officer appointed by the ETUF
• must be accepted by the EWC
• (re)negotiations, merger of agreements
• knowledge of the sector and other EWCs
• encourage cooperation between unions
• promote group cohesion
• protect the interests of “small” countries
• mediator in case of an internal conflict

working together effectively

• support by the ETUC
• one confederal secretary in charge of EWCs :

Claudia Menne, assisted by three advisors : Wolfgang Kowalsky, Séverine Picard and Marina Monaco

• coordination between EWC experts of the ETUF and ETUI
• harmonisation of policies and activities
• Worker Participation Working Group
• contacts with the European Institutions and employers

federations

• conferences, publications, research and training (ETUI)

working together effectively

• support by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI)
• the European Worker Participation

Competence Centre (EWPCC)

• expertise, training, publications, conferences…
• financed by SE board members
• Research
• unit 1 : Europeanisation of Industrial Relations
• 8 experts on EWCs, board level representation, SEs, national trade unions,

multinational company strategies, labour law

• Education
• “the N.E.T.” : 15 trainers, experts
• 3 education officers, 1 language officer (EN/FR)

2 administrative assistants

• pathways and “open” seminars
• websites
• ewcdb.eu
• worker-participation.eu + ecdb.worker-participation.eu
• labourline.eu

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• so far so good ?
• insufficient information

consultation almost non-existing

• problems to assert EWC rights
• limited role for trade unions
• very heterogeneous body
• problems with internal communication
• companies constantly restructuring
• negative attitude from management (or too positive…)
• demotivated employee representatives
• folding back to the national level

working together effectively

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• so far so good ?
• no EWC = no information
• recast directive offers new opportunities
• communication network of representatives
• creation of trade union alliances
• European and global framework agreements
• global works councils
• positive/uncertain attitude from management
• concrete and positive results
• active participation of non-trade union members

working together effectively

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working together effectively

reach for the stars ... ... together we can !

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