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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)

Results of the 1998 works council elections

Between 1 March and 31 May 1998, works council [1] elections took place in around 33,000 German establishments. In contrast to countries such as France (FR9809131F [2]), the results of the German elections are not published by a central authority. However, a preliminary evaluation of the results

27 listopada 1998
Article
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Works councils and their right of appeal - current trends

Works councils in the Netherlands have had conspicuous success during 1998 in overturning the strategic business planning decisions of employers. Rulings have arguably, however, shown that the right of appeal of works councils does not present a fundamental attack on the policy-making freedom of the

27 listopada 1998
Article
Employee representation
Work organisation

1996 works council election results published

In autumn 1998, the French Ministry for Employment published the results of the two-yearly works council elections that took place in 1996. Turn-out among employees was slightly down on the 1994 elections, while medium-term trends in support for the candidates of the various trade unions were

27 rujna 1998
Article
Employee representation
Social partners

National survey on attitudes to trade unions

Since 1987, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has represented its affiliated trade unions as a "social partner", negotiating four successive national agreements. These agreements have gradually incorporated an increasing range of issues. Having developed this role, ICTU has significantly

27 rujna 1998
Article
Social partners
Industrial relations
Employee representation
Participation at work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Unions present detailed proposals for renewal of Works Constitution Act

The idea of having a "works constitution" (Betriebsverfassung) at the level of the establishment, ensuring employees an institutionalised interest representation in the form of works councils [1], has a long tradition in Germany and represents a major pillar of the country's industrial relations

27 kolovoza 1998
Article
Employee representation
Social partners
Participation at work
Labour law
Labour and social regulation

Euro-FIET adopts resolution on achievement of Social Europe

A resolution on Achieving a Social Europe through the social dialogue and European Works Councils [1] was adopted by the European Regional Organisation of the International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees (Euro-FIET), at its eighth annual conference held in

27 srpnja 1998
Article
Social dialogue
Collective bargaining
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

LO concerned about measures promoting self-employment

Contractor, free agent, self-employed, freelancer - there are many names for people selling their competence, skills, services and labour without having an employment contract. Even if Sweden, together with Denmark, has the lowest figures in the EU (8% of the total occupied labour force compared

27 srpnja 1998
Article
Non-standard employment
Labour market participation
Small and medium-sized enterprises
Labour law
Employee representation
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Union survey suggests that a quarter of Estonians are willing to work in Finland

In March 1998, Finland's SAK trade union confederation commissioned a survey, enquiring about the willingness of Estonians to move to Finland and their views on some labour market and industrial relations issues. According to the results - published in June - over a quarter of those interviewed

27 srpnja 1998
Article
Migration and mobility
Employment and labour markets
Working conditions and sustainable work
Employee representation

Company-level bargaining underway in the food sector

A particularly important stage in the renewal of company-level agreements in the Italian food sector started in June 1998. As usual, Galbani (part of the Danone group) has played a "pace-setting" role, followed swiftly by Nestlè, introducing important new provisions in the areas of industrial

27 srpnja 1998
Article
Participation at work
Employee representation
Working time
Work organisation
Pay and income

Debate over mandating employees to conclude collective agreements

The May 1998 legislation introducing the statutory 35-hour working week in France has given a new emphasis to the "mandating" procedure in collective bargaining. This mechanism, which allows a trade union to appoint an employee to negotiate and sign agreements in companies with no union delegates

27 srpnja 1998
Article
Social dialogue
Collective bargaining
Employee representation
Industrial relations
Industrial relations and social dialogue
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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