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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)

Employment security: the new big issue at establishment level

In times of high unemployment, increasing competition in the private sector and public budget constraints, employees tend to experience considerable worry about their jobs. The threat of workforce reductions and redundancies, mostly felt at shopfloor level, very much affects and influences the work

27 siječnja 1999
Article
Employment relationship
Collective bargaining
Employee representation
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Industrial relations in German-owned companies in the UK

Do German-owned companies transfer a cooperative industrial relations style to their UK operations, or are such companies taking advantage of the deregulated UK environment to increase their quantitative flexibility? These questions are particularly topical, following a number of high-profile events

27 siječnja 1999
Article
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Commission tables draft Directive on national information and consultation

The possibility of the introduction of an EU-level framework for employee information and consultation was first raised in the European Commission's 1995 medium-term Social Action Programme. Calls for EU legislative action in this area became louder after the crisis sparked off by the closure of the

27 prosinca 1998
Article
Labour and social regulation
Participation at work
Employee representation

700 companies covered by 1976 Co-determination Act

The German system of co-determination [1] includes two distinct levels and forms of employee participation - company level co-determination by works council [2] s, and co-determination on the supervisory board [3] of companies through elected employee representatives. There are three forms of board

27 prosinca 1998
Article
Employee representation
Restructuring

Results of first elections to Rsu representative bodies in the public sector

In November 1998, the first elections for Rsu worker representative bodies were held in the Italian public sector. The most significant results were the high participation rate and the success of the main trade union confederations, compared with independent unions.

27 prosinca 1998
Article
Employee representation

1998 Working Conditions Act passed

In early November 1998, the Lower Chamber of the Dutch Parliament passed a new Working Conditions Act. Under pressure from a majority in the Chamber, it adopted a number of amendments to the previous bill. For the most part, these changes will mean a continuation of the status quo. The most

27 prosinca 1998
Article
Health and well-being at work
Employee representation

Comprehensive survey maps contemporary workplace relations

The first findings of the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS) were published on 20 October 1998 (The 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey: First findings [1], Department of Trade and Industry, October 1998). The survey is the largest of its kind ever conducted, and involved face-to

27 studenog 1998
Article
Industrial relations
Work organisation
Employee representation
Participation at work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Trends in trade union membership

Trade union membership in Spain began to recover in the 1990s following a serious decline in the 1980s. Certain developments have encouraged greater membership amongst women, skilled workers and public employees, though it remains low amongst unemployed people and those in insecure jobs (mainly

27 listopada 1998
Article
Employee representation
Social partners
Unemployment
Gender equality
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Working group reports on industrial relations implications of transition from franc to euro

September 1998 saw the publication of a report on the impact of the introduction of the euro single currency on various aspects of industrial relations and other employment matters in France. The study, drawn up by a working group of employers, trade unions, social security organisations and the

27 listopada 1998
Article
Collective bargaining
Pay and income
Employee representation
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Trade union campaigning underway for important representative elections

Luxembourg's "social elections" of employee representatives on various bodies are due to take place in November 1998. The polls may well result in the elimination of FEP, the sole trade union with nationally representative status only for private sector white-collar workers. Will this be an

27 listopada 1998
Article
Employee representation
Social partners
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 studenog 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 listopada 2023
Reference period:
2019

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