Will the minimum wage directive be repealed?

In November 2022, the directive on adequate minimum wages came into force. Its objectives are not limited to adequate minimum wages; the aim is to reinforce collective bargaining coverage too. 20 EU countries, including Germany, where collective agreements cover less than 80% of the working population...

Guidelines on the AI Regulation

On 4 February 2025, the European Commission presented guidelines to ensure the consistent, effective and uniform application of the contents of the AI Regulation. The guidelines are not legally binding, but they provide explanations and practical examples to help understand and comply with the requirements. They focus on prohibited high-risk AI...

No further labour law initiatives planned

The European Commission presented its work programme for 2025 on 11 February 2025. The focus is on initiatives to simplify legislation and remove “unnecessary regulations” that burden companies. Three so-called “omnibus” packages are to review and simplify environmental and investment rules...

First national collective agreement for banks in Romania

Since 27 November 2024, a universally binding collective agreement has applied to all 45,000 bank employees in Romania. This is the first time that the banking union FSAB has succeeded in actively using the collective bargaining reform adopted by parliament in November 2022 to extend a collective agreement to the entire industry...

No digital access rights for trade unions in Germany

On 28 January 2025, the Federal Labour Court in Erfurt dismissed in the last instance the complaint filed by the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IGBCE) for digital access to the Adidas plant. The test case began in 2021, when many of the 5,400 employees at the sportswear...

Weekly working hours in Spain to drop

On 4 February 2025, the Spanish left-wing government coalition, approved a bill to reduce weekly working hours from 40 to 37.5 hours while maintaining the same salary. It is considered a “historic step” since working hours had not been modified since 1983. On 20 December 2024, the government reached an agreement on...

British conciliation body rejects right to face-to-face meetings

On 23 December 2024, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) in London, which continues to be the first instance in British EWC law after Brexit, ruled on a complaint filed by the EWC of the British Council. The complaint concerned the language and cultural institute's decision to outsource some functions, such as IT...

High Court deals with EWC issue for the first time

The High Court in Dublin has reserved three full days, from 1 to 3 July 2025, for the hearing of the legal dispute concerning the US company Verizon Communications. At the heart of the case is the question of whether the Irish EWC Act (TICEA) is compatible with the EWC Directive. On these grounds...

Finnish IT group once again with EWC agreement

On 30 October 2024, an EWC agreement was once again concluded for Nokia after three years of negotiations. After many acquisitions and a large-scale restructuring of the group, the long history of the EWC “by law” operating on the basis of the subsidiary requirements has come to an end. In practice...

Swedish architecture and engineering group with new EWC agreement

On 19 November 2024, a revised EWC agreement was concluded for Sweco in Stockholm. Europe's largest architecture and engineering firm has 22,000 employees (incl. 7,100 in Sweden) and has been steadily growing for years, partly through the acquisition of numerous small and large companies in the industry...

EWC for German-Austrian medical device manufacturer

On 29 October 2024, an EWC agreement was signed between the Special Negotiating Body and the Central Management of Lohmann & Rauscher in Neuwied (Rhineland-Palatinate). The company has 5,400 employees in 29 countries worldwide. The new European Works Council is made up of 15 delegates from 12 countries, who meet once a year...

Belgian packaging manufacturer sets up EWC

On 11 December 2024, an EWC agreement was concluded at the headquarters of VPK Group in Dendermonde (East Flanders). The group has 6,500 employees in 16 European and four non-European countries at 70 locations. The EWC has up to 25 members (maximum) including the UK and is responsible for issues that affect at least 10%...

French certification company sets up EWC

On 13 December 2020, an EWC agreement was signed in La Défense, a business district in Paris, between the Special Negotiating Body and the central management of Apave. With 16,500 employees in 55 countries, the company is mainly active in technical monitoring and materials testing and is growing strongly...

Spanish clothing group preventing harassment at work

On 25 November 2020, Inditex's central management published an agreement concluded with the European Works Council on the prevention of violence against women and harassment at work. It applies to 126,000 employees in Europe (96,000 of whom are women) and makes human rights and health and safety at work a top priority...

Framework agreement on work-life balance

On 20 December 2024, Safran's group management signed an agreement with the European Federation of Industrial Trade Unions (IndustriAll) to improve work-life balance. The French aerospace supplier hereby reaffirms its commitment to non-discrimination against employees with families in terms of salary and...

Fair treatment of employees in change management

On 27 January 2025, the SE works council and Eppendorf's central management agreed on principles for the socially responsible management of restructuring. The EWC Academy had been supporting the SE works council on this since September 2024. The agreement came about because the SE works council of the Hamburg-based...

Improved relations with trade unions at German logistics group

On 2 December 2024, a new OECD protocol for the postal and parcel company DHL was signed in Berlin. This is intended to improve the dialogue with the international trade union federations UNI and ITF. In addition to the meetings at the global level, in the future there will also be regional dialogue forums between...

World's largest tea producer commits to tackling sexual harassment

On 16 December 2024, Lipton Teas and Infusions management released a Joint Commitment on preventing sexual harassment, concluded with the International Union of Food Workers (IUF). Female workers are considered to be particularly vulnerable in agricultural supply chains. The Dutch company, a former Unilever division...

Global framework agreement with additional chapters

On 27 January 2025, a new framework agreement on global social and environmental responsibility was concluded in Paris for the French state-owned electricity company Électricité de France (EDF), the second largest electricity producer in the world. The signatories include several French and global trade union organisations...

A website documenting the implementation of the minimum wage directive

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) provides information on its WAGE-UP website concerning the fixing of minimum wages, the collective bargaining systems of EU countries and progress in implementing the minimum wage directive. The deadline was 15 November 2024, but most governments have not met it...

Developments and analysis of AI legislation

The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is an independent non-profit organisation committed to reducing existential risks to humanity, in particular risks arising from artificial intelligence (AI). Established in 2014 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, it also has an office in Brussels. For instance, it called on the European Commission to take...

Social security country by country

An updated version of the MISSOC database has been available online since 7 January 2025. It provides information on the social security systems in the individual EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (as of July 2024). The Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC) provides comparative tables...

Worldwide cooperation between US trade unions

The Solidarity Center, established in 1997, is the largest international workers' rights organisation in the United States. Together with the AFL-CIO trade union confederation, it supports workers around the world in their fight against discrimination and exploitation and in their efforts to achieve shared prosperity in the global economy...

Social standards in the outsourcing of business processes

On 10 December 2024, the DGB trade union educational institute in Düsseldorf published a brochure entitled “Superoutsourcing” as part of the “Good Work Worldwide” project funded by the German government. It describes the megatrend of business process outsourcing (BPO) to the Global South. It is no longer limited to individual IT serviceS...

Guide to artificial intelligence (AI)

This practical guide to AI was published on 14 January 2025 and is aimed in particular at works councils. AI systems are an integral part of workflows and decision-making processes and influence the design of working environments. The EU regulation on artificial intelligence has been in force since August 2024...

Handbook for European Works Councils in the transport sector

On 17 January 2025, the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) in Brussels presented a handbook and training videos for European Works Councils. The transport sector is highly internationalised, but lags far behind in the establishment of European Works Councils. Of 120 transport companies that meet the criteria of the EWC Directive...

Guidance for reinforcing collective bargaining

On 27 January 2025, the umbrella organisation of service sector trade unions (UNI-Europa) presented a study with a country-specific analysis of the current status of collective bargaining systems. All EU countries are presented individually in the 56-page report. The report is linked to the implementation of the minimum wage directive...

17th Conference for European and SE Works Councils in Hamburg

A few days before the start of the trilogue negotiations on the revision of the EWC Directive, 53 participants from eight countries gathered in Hamburg on 27 and 28 January 2025 to obtain first-hand information on the current status (in the photo, MEP Gabriele Bischoff in the middle). Other topics included recent developments in EU law...

Restructuring at French industrial gas producer

Since 6 January 2025, the EWC Academy has been advising the Air Liquide European Works Council in the run-up to a planned transnational restructuring. As part of the EWC consultation, the possible effects on employment were analysed. On 19 and 20 February 2025, the EWC rendered its opinion at an extraordinary meeting held in Paris...

EWC establishment in US software company

On 4 and 5 February 2025, the EWC Academy provided training for the members of the Special Negotiating Body (SNB) of Salesforce. The US software company is particularly active in cloud computing and has not yet established an EWC. It is expected to operate under Irish law and be located in...

EWC training at Dutch semiconductor manufacturer

On 6 and 7 March 2024, the EWC Academy held a training course for the European works council of NXP Semiconductors. The largest semiconductor manufacturer in Europe, based in Eindhoven, was a division of the Philips Group until 2006. After the spin-off, a separate EWC was established in 2007...

Strengthening European works councils in Austria

On 29 August 2023, the Austrian Supreme Court of Justice in labour and social matters dismissed an appeal by the central management of Mayr-Melnhof Packaging against the ruling of the Vienna Higher Regional Court of February 2023. This decision was communicated to...

Background information ahead of the European Parliament elections

In July 2023, the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation published an 18-page brochure presenting the institutions of the EU, in particular the composition of the European Parliament. It is elected every five years, the next time in June 2024. Germany sends 96 out of 750 MEPs...

US electric car manufacturer refuses collective bargaining agreements

Since 27 October 2023, more and more Tesla garages in Sweden have been out on strike. The IF Metall trade union initially called a strike for Tesla workers in twelve garages, but 100 garages are now already affected. Since 7 November 2023, there have been extensive solidarity actions by