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Employee representation

Employee representation may be defined as the right of employees to seek a union or individual to represent them for the purpose of negotiating with management on such issues as wages, hours, benefits and working conditions. In the workplace, workers may be represented by trade union and through works councils – or similar structures elected by all employees. EU law has established rights and obligations for employees and their representatives to be informed and consulted via a set of directives that provide for the information and consultation of the workers, at both national and international level.

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Eurofound expert(s)

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Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound and focuses on comparative industrial relations, social dialogue and collective bargaining...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (74)

Social dialogue still matters in Europe. Recent EU-level policy debates have highlighted that, particularly since the 2008 crisis, the emergence of new debates on social justice, democracy, the quality of work and new models for labour relations have been challenging traditional industrial relations

12 July 2016

This report studies practices in EU establishments for direct and indirect employee participation in decision-making. Indirect employee participation is the involvement of employee representatives in decision-making processes, while direct employee participation describes direct interaction between

14 December 2015

This report examines the differences in alignment, timing and content of workplace information and consultation processes at national and European level. It compares the legal situation at national and European level in six EU Member States: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the

07 July 2015

European Works Councils (EWCs) provide an important vehicle for transnational information and consultation in multinational companies. This report explores the efforts of 10 EWCs to make these bodies optimally fit for purpose for European company level social dialogue. Looking at the developments in

10 June 2015

The aims of this project are to explore recent experiences in the practice of information and consultation (I&C) at national level, building on the findings of the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) 2011 report entitled Information and consultation practice across Europe five years

30 May 2013

This report analyses data from Eurofound’s European Company Survey of 2009 to examine the incidence of performance-related pay (PRP) in European establishments and what determines it, with a specific focus on the role of employment relations. Larger establishments, those in foreign ownership, in the

16 October 2012

La crisis financiera global, la más profunda sufrida por el mundo desde los años treinta, tuvo su origen en el mercado hipotecario de los Estados Unidos y generó un déficit de liquidez en el sistema bancario estadounidense, cuyas consecuencias se manifestaron plenamente a partir de agosto de 2007

16 February 2012

Un aspecto cada vez más importante en la formulación de las políticas de la UE es el relativo a la «ecologización» de la economía, de cara a la necesidad urgente de mitigar el cambio climático y de adaptarse al mismo. Ecologizar la economía significa obtener productos y servicios con menos energía

16 February 2012

This study shows the main characteristics and specifics of the ARC sector in four European countries. The overall picture shows that the activities of contractors go beyond the agricultural and forestry sectors, into construction services or services to public authorities. The project also shows

15 January 2012

Across Europe, diverse forms of employee representation structures have developed, providing workers with differing opportunities to voice their interests and to be consulted by their employers directly, at their workplaces, on matters such as economic and human resources developments, working

20 November 2011

Online resources results (298)

Bulgaria: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

​A new census of the membership of employer organisations and trade unions, slow progress on reforms and macroeconomic imbalances, and protests and strikes in the health and security sectors are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in

Denmark: Increase in membership of 'yellow unions'

Latest statistics show an overall increase in the number of union members in Denmark despite a decrease in traditional trade union membership.

Norway: Nordic model not used to its full potential at company level

The Nordic model, a term used partly to describe the system of cooperation between workers and employers, is considered a success. However, according to data gathered by Fafo, the Norwegian research institute, the scope of cooperation between Norwegian social partners at company level varies and

Germany: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

Trade union membership growth, the draft bill on temporary agency work and elections in three federal states are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Germany in the first quarter of 2016.

Spain: Developments in working life – Q1 2016

The discussions and deals between political parties after the general election of December 2015, the slow recovery of the labour market and trade union membership losses are the main topics of interest in this article. This country update reports on the latest developments in working life in Spain

Spain: Huge decline in trade union membership post-crisis

In the period 2009 - 2015, the four main trade unions in Spain (CCOO, UGT, CSIF and USO) lost more than 584,788 affiliated members in total; it seems that the economic crisis, high unemployment rates and corruption scandals have negatively affected representativeness levels.

France: New union covers UBER drivers

A new union, UNSA- SCP-VTC, was launched in October 2015 to cover chauffeur services that are not affiliated with taxi companies – specifically drivers working for Uber.

Luxembourg: Reform of employee representation in companies

On 1 January 2016, implementation began of a law radically reforming social dialogue in Luxembourg. By 2018, this law will have abolished joint committees, which are currently mandatory for all companies employing 150 employees or more. The powers of these committees will transfer to staff

Netherlands: Legislation to enhance works councils' rights

Legislation regarding worker participation in the Netherlands gives a boost to works councils rights in 2015.

Ireland: New law welcomed on collective bargaining

A law giving employees the right to bargain collectively has been passed in Ireland after a great deal of debate. Until now, under the constitution, a worker’s right to join a union has effectively been cancelled out by an employer’s right not to recognise a union for bargaining purposes. However


Blogs results (1)
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Trade unions in many EU Member States face the issue of declining membership. This is a fundamental challenge for organised labour, but it is premature to speak about the redundancy unions: when it comes to important decisions affecting the workplace, restructuring being one, trade unions remain a

20 Noviembre 2019
Data results (1)
24 Octubre 2023
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