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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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Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras

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)

European Works Councils case studies: Electrolux AB

In September 1994, the Council of Ministers decided on a Directive on the establishment of a European Works Council for the purposes of informing and consulting employees (94/45/EC). The emergence of European Works Councils (EWCs) is a major part of the development of an industrial relations system

16 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

EWCs in the new Member States - Case study: GM Opel

The joint stock-company General Motors (GM), with its headquarters in Detroit, is the world’s largest automotive group, with nearly 9.2 million vehicles sold around the world in 2005. This case study is based on interviews undertaken with national delegates of the General Motors EWC/GME European

15 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

EWCs in the new Member States - Case study: KBC Bank

KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company was established in 1998 following the merger of three Belgian financial institutions. This case study is based on interviews carried out in Poland and the Czech Republic between March and July 2006 with representatives of the KBC European Works Council

15 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

EWCs in the new Member States - Case study: Bosch

The Bosch group, with headquarters in Stuttgart, is one of the world’s largest private industrial corporations and a major supplier in the field of automotive and industrial technology, as well as of consumer goods and building technology. This case study is based on interviews carried out in the

15 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

EWCs in the new Member States - Case study: Siemens

Siemens, with headquarters in Munich and Berlin, is a globally-active company operating in the fields of electrical engineering and electronics. This case study is based on interviews conducted in the Czech Republic and Poland. Interviews were carried out between February and June 2006 with EWC

15 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

EWCs in the new Member States - Case study: Sanofi-Aventis

The Sanofi-Aventis group was formally established on 1 January 2005 as a result of the takeover of Aventis by the Sanofi-Synthélabo group in 2004. This case study is based on interviews carried out in Hungary and Poland between March and June 2006 with HR management representatives and EWC members

15 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

EWCs in the new Member States - Case study: Deutsche Telekom

Deutsche Telekom is one of the four largest telecommunication companies in the world and a strong global player in this industry. This case study is based on interviews carried out in Slovakia and Hungary between March and June 2006 with both EWC members and management representatives. In addition

15 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

EWCs in the new Member States - Case study: Unilever

Unilever was formally created in 1930 with the merger of British soapmakers ‘Lever Brothers’ and Dutch margarine producers ‘Margarine Unie’. Today, this Anglo-Dutch company owns many of the world’s best-known consumer brands in food, beverages, cleaning and personal care products. This case study is

15 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

EWCs in the new Member States - Case study: Volkswagen

The Volkswagen group, with headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, is one of the leading car manufacturers in the world, with a share in global passenger car production in 2005 of 9% (5.2 million passenger car vehicles), making the company the world’s fourth largest car producer. This case study is

15 October 2008
Publication
Case study
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Around the world in 80 ways – Between competition and solidarity

Born out of the controversy caused by cases of cross-border restructuring and its employment impact, European works councils (EWCs) are considered a key tool for managing the impact of globalisation. According to the agreements establishing them, the vast majority of EWCs should be informed and

02 June 2008
Publication
Information sheet
Labour market policies
Employee representation
Social partners
Anticipating and managing the impact of change
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue
Online resources results (298)

Industrial relations landscape to change after review

In 2010–2011, social partners in Bulgaria began discussions on new criteria for representation at national level on the country’s tripartite council. The council brings together social partners from employer organisations and unions to discuss a range of national issues with the government.

18 Octubre 2012
Article
Agreements
Social partners
Labour and social regulation
Social dialogue
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Trade unions file complaint with ILO against courts

Members of Poland’s two biggest trade unions at LOT Aircraft Maintenance Services (LOT AMS [1]), NSZZ Solidarność [2] and the Trade Union of Airport Ground Staff (ZZNPL [3]), part of the All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions (OPZZ [4]), went on strike on 18 March 2012. [1] http://lotams.com/en [2]

18 Septiembre 2012
Article
Industrial action
Pay and income
Labour and social regulation
Social partners
Employee representation
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Agreement eases tension at Flamanville nuclear site

Agreement has been reached at the territorial level of the Département of Seine-Maritime on working conditions at the nuclear reactor construction site of Flamanville. French energy giant EDF [1] is building the reactor, and the new agreement is intended to improve the provision of information, work

6 Septiembre 2012
Article
Agreements
Health and well-being at work
Participation at work
Migration and mobility
Labour and social regulation
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

New labour dispute resolution system

In Lithuania, a two-level procedure for Individual Labour Dispute (ILD) resolution existed. It provided for the hearing of individual labour disputes by a special Labour Disputes Commission at company level and in the courts. This was seen as unsatisfactory to both employers and employees, and was

6 Septiembre 2012
Article
Industrial action
Labour and social regulation
Social partners
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Grand conference to launch new government’s social reform strategy

During the French election campaign, the attitude of socialist candidate François Hollande towards relations with trade unions and business leaders, indicating that he would respect their autonomy, set him apart from Nicolas Sarkozy, his competitor for the Presidency.

2 Septiembre 2012
Article
Agreements
Social partners
Participation at work
Labour and social regulation
Social dialogue
Social policies
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Sharp rise in applications for union recognition

Employers in the UK are obliged to grant trade union recognition for collective bargaining if the union successfully applies to the independent Central Arbitration Committee (CAC [1]) under a statutory procedure introduced in 2000 (*UK0007183F* [2]). [1] http://www.cac.gov.uk [2] www.eurofound

29 Agosto 2012
Article
Social partners
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

GDF Suez signs Europe-wide agreement on gender equality

Based in France, GDF Suez [1] is an electricity, gas and energy environmental services group with 219,000 employees worldwide, around 191,000 of them in Europe. It was created in 2008 by the merger of GDF and Suez (*FR0808029I* [2]). [1] http://www.gdfsuez.com/ [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef

24 Julio 2012
Article
Agreements
Inequality
Social partners
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Company-level employment contracts trigger wages drop

A report issued by the Labour Inspectorate (SEPE [1]) on developments in employment contracts during the first four months of 2012 showed that 46% of new contracts in the private sector were for flexible forms of work such as part-time work and work rotation. [1] http://www.ypakp.gr/

24 Julio 2012
Article
Agreements
Collective bargaining
Social partners
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Workers increasingly excluded from bargaining model

A new anthology entitled Insiders and outsiders – the scope of the Danish bargaining model (in Danish) [1] draws on a series of studies carried out by scholars at the University of Copenhagen’s Employment Relations Research Centre (FAOS [2]). It explores the impact of union membership and collective

19 Julio 2012
Article
Agreements
Collective bargaining
Participation at work
Pay and income
Labour and social regulation
Social protection
Social partners
Employee representation
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Temporary agency workers granted national minimum wage

On 20 December 2011, Germany’s Federal Cabinet agreed to include the temporary agency work sector in the Posted Workers Act (AEntG [1]) so that the minimum hourly wage scale (in German, 37Kb PDF) [2] could apply to these workers. The Posted Workers Act stipulates that minimum wages can only be

22 Abril 2012
Article
Inequality
Migration and mobility
Pay and income
Employee representation
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work
Blogs results (1)
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Restructuring: Do unions still matter?

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
Sara Riso
Blog
Restructuring
Working conditions
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue
Data results (1)

European Company Survey

24 Octubre 2023
Reference period:
2019

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