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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)

Welfare benefits are replacing wages

Since 8 September 2009, when the Latvian cabinet adopted the social safety net strategy, state financing for social security has increased every year.

2 Feabhra 2012
Article
Employee representation
Social partners
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

New public sector union elections claim first victims

The Act on the renewal of social dialogue in the public sector (in French) [1] adopted in July 2010 (*FR1009031I* [2]) profoundly changed the rules governing industrial relations and social dialogue in the public sector. Like the reform in the private sector, brought about by the 2008 Social

30 Eanáir 2012
Article
Employee representation
Social partners
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Intersectoral agreement on representativeness heals rift

The conclusion of an intersectoral agreement on 28 June 2011 marks a significant development in Italian industrial relations, following a split among trade union confederations after the General Confederation of Italian Workers (Cgil [1]) had refused to sign the January 2009 Framework Agreement on

8 Eanáir 2012
Article
Agreements
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Union derecognition in the spotlight

Where UK employers recognise a trade union for collective bargaining purposes, this is usually based on a voluntary agreement between the parties. However, since 2000, there has also been a statutory procedure through which a union can apply to the independent Central Arbitration Committee (CAC [1])

21 Nollaig 2011
Article
Employee representation
Social partners
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

First assessment of representativeness reform

A report (in French) [1] published in February 2011, and commissioned by the Ministry of Work, Employment and Health [2], examines the impact of the reform of representativeness [3] in 2008 (*FR0808039I* [4]) on industrial relations in 12 French companies. [1] http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr

12 Nollaig 2011
Article
Employee representation
Social dialogue
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Trade union membership stable despite current crisis

According to the annual report published by the Registrar of Trade Unions on 30 September 2011, trade union membership in Malta increased by 483 in absolute terms between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2011. This represents an increase of 0.6% over the previous year. Based on the figure of 148,546 for the

9 Samhain 2011
Article
Social partners
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Two new studies on unionisation and collective agreement coverage

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy (Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö [1]) has published two studies on the unionisation and the coverage of collective agreements in Finland. Both studies were undertaken by Lasse Ahtiainen. [1] http://www.tem.fi/

17 Lúnasa 2011
Article
Employee representation
Agreements
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Unions and students act to help young workers

Young people in Poland face growing difficulties in the labour market. The magazine /Politkya/ has published an article (in Polish) [1] showing that a typical employee who earns less than the minimum wage of PLN 1,386 (€344 as at 1 August 2011) is a young female graduate with no professional

10 Lúnasa 2011
Article
Employee representation
Social dialogue
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Union launches campaign to protect workers’ rights

The Coordinating Council of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB [1]) decided at its meeting on 12 April 2011 to launch a campaign to protect workers’ rights in the framework of its project ‘Security through the law, flexibility through collective bargaining’. [1] http:/

10 Lúnasa 2011
Article
Social partners
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Football players join General Workers’ Union

Maltese football players can be professional or amateur. A player who is paid for participating in any activity connected with football is registered as a professional and can be full-time or part-time players. A full–time professional player is defined as one whose only, or principal, occupation is

5 Iúil 2011
Article
Employee representation
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 Samhain 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 Deireadh Fómhair 2023
Reference period:
2019

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