Given increased number of company mergers and restructuring, EP inter-trade union coordination group calls for urgent review of the "European Works Councils" Directive

Brussels / Strasbourg, 06/07/2000 (Agence Europe) - The trade union coordination group, which brings together MEPs and trade unions, this week discussed in Strasbourg the theme "social consequences, company mergers and restructuring". Chairman of the Group Stephen Hughes (UK, PES) insisted on the need to have a "proactive and overall approach to revision of the European Works Councils Directive, the Directive on worker information-consultation at national level and regarding the Observatory on industrial change". "This meeting is the beginning of a campaign by the European Parliament which will continue until September (when an oral question will be raised in plenary session on the Observatory on industrial change) and October (when the Parliament is to examine, in plenary, the report by Belgian Socialist Anne Van Lancker on the social agenda)", he added.

The confederal secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Willy Buschack, noted that the merger phenomenon was increasing exponentially. In the seventies there were 40 mergers annually while, at present, there are 300 each year, exclaimed Willy Buschack, adding that the main problem is the complete lack of worker information and consultation despite the existence of the directive on European works council which should play a more important role. But, for this, the Directive needs to be reviewed in order to specify that the European works council must be informed before a merger decision can be taken. The secretary general of the Federation of European Metalworkers (FEM), Reinhard Kuhlmann, regretted, for his part, that the French Council Presidency's programme said nothing about revision of either the directive on European works councils or that on worker information and consultation. To this, Michel Rocard, Chairman of the EP Committee on Social Affairs, replied in a reassuring manner stating that "Ms Aubry was going to try to have the worker information-consultation directive adopted nationally under French Presidency". Bartho Pronk (NL, EPP) insisted for his part on "the need for participation by social partners in the Observatory on industrial change which should be created as soon as possible".

Drawing the conclusions of the day's work, Willy Buschack expressed doubt about knowing whether France will be able to make the two directives cited move forward.