Strasbourg, 27/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - Lack of consultation with, and information for, workers before companies make decisions has given rise to a lot of comment and once again, the European Commission is in the firing line, this time from the Socialist group at the EP which criticises its 'inertia' and procrastination in the face of the growing number of lost jobs in highly skilled areas like aerospace, the car industry and information technology. After the EP debate on Airbus, where the trade unions called for a withdrawal of the Power 8 restructuring plan and deplored the lack of prior consultation of workers (see EUROPE 9398), Stephen Hughes (PES, UK) announced that in May 2007, the European Parliament would be passing a resolution calling for a review of the European enterprise council directive. Hughes said it was high time to end the incoherent contradictions between the various items of EU legislation on worker information and consultation, which pave the way for abuse. The Commission is coming under pressure from the Socialist group at the EP, Francis Wurtz (GUE/NGL, France) and the trade unions (see EUROPE 9413).
In a statement to the EP on Wednesday night on beefing up EU legislation on worker information and consultation, Vladimir Spidla defended the Commission's attitude and recalled the importance to the Commission of European enterprise councils. The commissioner said the question being raised in the debate was whether improving the functioning of enterprise councils should be achieved through the European legal system, or whether it would be enough to boost the exchange of good practices among social partners. Spidla said he was open to suggestions of how to improve the legal framework in order to ensure greater coherence and effectiveness in worker information and consultation, reducing legal insecurity in the event of major changes of company perimeters, and clarifying the scope and functioning of the worker information and consultation processes at EU and national level. He said any potential initiatives by the Commission would take account of action by the social partners to promote good practice and the demands of the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Parliament. He concluded that he was at the EP's disposal for detailed debate on worker information and consultation. (gb)