New rules on corporate sustainability reporting

In future, all companies with 250 or more employees will not only have to disclose their annual financial statements, but also report on sustainability issues such as environmental rights, social rights, human rights and governance factors. This is required by a new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which came into force...

Legal action against the Adequate Minimum Wage Directive

On 18 January 2023, the government of Denmark filed an nullification suit against the Minimum Wage Directive before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The directive entered into force on 14 November 2022 and all EU states must transpose it into their national law within two years. Denmark is refusing to do so...

Social dialogue to be reinforced

On 25 January 2023, the European Commission presented its proposals on how EU Member States can promote social dialogue and collective bargaining within the respective countries. Fewer and fewer people belong to a trade union and in some sectors, such as the care sector or platform work, there is hardly any collective bargaining...

Falling turnout at elections in large companies

As is the case every four years, all works councils in Germany were newly elected between March and May 2022. The Works Constitution Act prescribes a universal election period, and derogations are only allowed in exceptional circumstances. In countries like France, on the other hand, each company sets its own election date...

EWC establishment still possible in England after Brexit

On 25 January 2023, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) in London, the first instance in British EWC law, ruled that the 2 Sisters Food Group must establish a European Works Council. The case was filed on 4 October 2022, well after Brexit. The Birmingham-based food manufacturer has 13,000 employees and production sites in the UK, Ireland...

Further consultation in the Irish Parliamentary Committee

On 8 February 2023, the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment continued its discussion on EWC law that had begun in June 2022, this time on the legal enforcement of EWC rights in Ireland. Three experts were consulted on the subject, including Dr Werner Altmeyer from the EWC Academy in Hamburg, who participated by video...

EWC expenses abroad come before the Federal Labour Court in Germany

On 17 February 2023, the Lower Saxony Regional Labour Court rejected the claim from the EWC chair of Mayr-Melnhof to hold the German subsidiary of the Austrian packaging manufacturer responsible for reimbursing interpretation and lawyer costs. The invoices were issued to the company address at the Delmenhorst plant (Germany)...

Works council members are entitled to attend seminars in person

The Düsseldorf Regional Labour Court ruled on 24 November 2022 that works council members cannot be obliged to participate in a webinar instead of attending a seminar in person. The reasoning behind the ruling was made public in January 2023. The airline Eurowings, based in Düsseldorf...

Temporary agency workers to receive same "overall protection" as permanent employees

On 15 December 2022, the European Court of Justice ruled that although temporary agency workers may be paid less than the permanent workforce, they must however receive adequate compensation to ensure "overall protection". This could be in the form of additional days of paid leave...

Compensation for pay discrimination

On 16 February 2023, a business graduate from Dresden (Saxony) succeeded in obtaining a back payment of €14,500 and in addition a compensation of €2,000 before the Federal Labour Court. The employer, a metal construction company in nearby Meissen, invoked the principle of freedom of contract. The difference in salary of €1,000 per month...

US automotive supplier establishes EWC under German law

On 12 December 2022, an EWC agreement was signed for BorgWarner at the headquarters of their European central management in Mannheim. The negotiations were initiated when BorgWarner acquired the US company Delphi Technologies in October 2020, where an EWC had already existed since 1996. BorgWarner, one of the 25 largest automotive suppliers in the world...

French payment service provider with exemplary provisions

On 17 January 2023, after a negotiation period of almost three years, an EWC agreement was signed at Worldline's headquarters in the Paris office suburb of La Défence. The EWC, which is chaired by the employer, meets three times a year and is composed of 30 members from 17 countries representing 13,500 workers. The largest countries...

US company excludes British delegates

As of 1 January 2023, a new EWC agreement has come into force for the IT company IBM and remains under the jurisdiction of Germany, the EU country with the largest workforce. The EWC has existed since 1999 and meets twice a year under the chairmanship of the employer. The employee side has fewer delegates than prescribed by....

First EWC without agreement in Spain

After several attempts to negotiate an EWC agreement for the US company Lincoln Electric since 2017, union pressure finally led to the election of representatives for a European works council "by law" on the basis of subsidiary requirements starting on 3 October 2022. The US welding equipment manufacturer...

Polish employers' association launches online courses on the subject of EWCs

The EU-funded Re-Invent project presents its activities on a new website. The aim of the project is to promote employee involvement in multinational companies in the services sector. It is led by the Federation of Polish Entrepreneurs in cooperation with employer associations in Saxony...

Call center world leader reinforces social responsibility

After years of pressure, the international federation for skills and services sectors (UNI Global Union) has succeeded in concluding a worldwide framework agreement with Teleperformance on 1 December 2022. The French company has 420,000 employees in 88 countries and is committed to freedom of association...

Updated guide for mobile workers

In mid-November 2022, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) presented the fifth edition of its guide for mobile workers. First published in 2004 and regularly updated, it aims to provide assistance to mobile workers. The guide contains information for cross-border workers, posted workers, people working...

15th EWC and SE conference in Hamburg

On 30 and 31 January 2023, and for the first time since the outset of the Corona pandemic, the EWC Academy's annual conference was able to return to its usual date and with almost as large a turnout as before. Almost 50 participants from six countries were able to catch up on the latest developments...

German commercial vehicle manufacturer establishes global works council

On 24 November 2022, the Daimler Truck World Works Council held its inaugural meeting at the truck assembly plant in Wörth am Rhein. With over 10,000 employees, it is the largest of the 40 sites in the group, which has 100,000 employees worldwide. After the spin-off of the truck division from the Daimler Group...