Brussels, 24/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - The current situation in the labour market, particularly in the aeronautical and automotive industries, is one that gives rise to many questions. In the face of restructurings, relocations and job losses, it must be asked whether employees are always properly consulted and informed of the decisions taken by the multinationals for which they work and whether European works councils are always convened to discuss the issues, as stipulated in European rules. Directive 94/45/EC on European Works Councils (EWC) has been in place for a long time and, given the number of restructurings of companies, and consequently the growing number of job losses, now might be the time to revise it. To debate this issue, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) held a meeting of some 200 EWC members in Brussels on 20 April. Thus the EWC representatives had the opportunity to express their opinions on current conditions in the labour market and the role of EWCs in the restructuring process. Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla and representatives of BusinessEurope and other European institutions also attended the meeting.
To avoid repetitions of situations such as the one at Renault-Vilvorde (which began restructuring without consulting its workers, in violation of the spirit of the directive), EWC members, ETUC and the European Industry Federations called for “an effective system of information, consultation and participation rights and the definition of a legal framework for transnational collective bargaining, in order to foster a sustainable European integration process based on a strong social dimension”. They also reiterated their call for a revision of directive 94/45/EC on EWCs, a revision that “has been due for a very long time now”. ETUC Confederal Secretary Walter Cerfeda said that this revision “should at least include a better definition of information and consultation, a more precise framework for the timing and quality of the information transmitted, clear rules on the participation of both technical and trade union experts, and the right to training for members”. (gb)