Enthusiasm reaches the seminar room

From 7 to 10 October 2025, the EWC Academy held a legal seminar in Würzburg on updating EWC agreements, with the revision of the EWC Directive playing an important role. The debate in the European Parliament and the decisive vote took place during...

SE works councils not affected by changes to EWC law

Since 2004, companies operating in several countries have been able to choose between a national legal form (e.g. German or French) and a European company (“Societas Europaea” = SE). Co-determination in the supervisory or administrative board of the SE and the rules for...

Call for an EU directive on subcontracting and labour intermediation

On 1 October 2025, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) formulated concrete demands in a resolution for an EU legal framework to regulate employment agencies, limit subcontracting and ensure liability throughout the subcontracting chain. Abuse in subcontracting and...

Is the EU directive on telework and the right to disconnect on its way?

On 6 October 2025, the second round of consultations with the European social partners on a planned EU directive on fair telework and the right to disconnect, which began in July 2025, came to an end...

Supply Chain Directive watered down

On 13 November 2025, the European Parliament held a crucial vote on the weakening of the Supply Chain Directive. 382 MEPs voted in favour, 249 against and 13 abstained. The majority could be reached because Christian Democrats and Liberals voted together with...

Tough formal requirements for collective redundancies

On 30 October 2025, the European Court of Justice ruled on two cases filed by the German Federal Labour Court. The issues related to the consequences of procedural irregularities in the notification of collective redundancies and possible sanctions. The two court rulings interpret...

Minimum Wage Directive remains in force

On 11 November 2025, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg announced the long-awaited ruling on the Minimum Wage Directive. It not only stipulates appropriate minimum wages, but also aims to reinforce collective bargaining. 20 EU member states in which less than 80%...

Labour Court made massive legal errors

On 14 November 2025, the High Court in Dublin ruled in the third instance on the legal dispute between the EWC chairman of the US company Verizon Communications and its central management based in Ireland. European works councils cannot take legal action as a collective body in Ireland...

Fine for trade union in Finland

On 19 September 2025, the Finnish Labour Court fined the aviation union IAU €67,000 for an illegal strike. On 2 December 2024, it had almost brought all air traffic at Helsinki Airport to a standstill. It is the first ruling since the reform...

New collective bargaining law in Italy

On 18 October 2025, a law to ensure fair minimum wages and collective bargaining came into force in Italy. There is traditionally no statutory minimum wage in Italy, but there is a very high level of collective bargaining coverage. In December 2023...

Action plan to reinforce collective bargaining in Ireland

On 5 November 2025, the Irish government published an action plan on collective bargaining policy. According to the EU Minimum Wage Directive, all EU countries with less than 80% collective bargaining coverage are obliged to do so...

Major French bank reorganises teleworking

On 1 July 2025, a revised charter on teleworking for 132,000 staff in 22 countries was concluded in Paris between the central management of BNP Paribas, the European works council and two European trade union federations. It replaces the charter from April 2022...

Employee shares and climate charter with the support of the SE works council

On 8 October 2025, the French care home operator Clariane launched the “Together” (French: “Ensemble”) programme, a share plan for the entire workforce. Regardless of country, profession or status, each of the 70,000 employees in six countries will...

Commitments regarding the introduction of artificial intelligence

At the plenary meeting of Axa's European works council in Madrid on 27 November 2025, a charter on social dialogue regarding the development of artificial intelligence (AI) was signed. It contains commitments on the involvement of employee representatives and...

Austrian logistics group integrates new EU directive

On 24 June 2025, a new EWC agreement was concluded for Gebrüder Weiss at the group headquarters in Lauterach (Vorarlberg). Gebrüder Weiss has been in existence for more than 200 years and is therefore considered Austria's oldest logistics company...

Swedish insurance company with European divisional works councils

A new EWC agreement for If Skadeförsäkring was concluded in Stockholm on 28 October 2025. It replaces the previous agreement from 2021 and became necessary due to the integration of a new subsidiary in Denmark in July 2025. The EWC has been in place since 2001...

Swedish group violates its own framework agreement in the United States

On 14 April 2025, a delegation from UNI Global, the international umbrella organisation for service sector unions, was prevented from entering an Elanders plant in New Jersey. The majority of the workforce at the logistics centre, which supplies customers in the New York fashion industry...

Japanese automotive supplier relocates EWC from France to Germany

On 25 November 2025, an EWC agreement under German law was concluded for Minebea AccessSolutions. The EWC was established in June 2014 under French law under the former name U-Shin. Minebea acquired U-Shin in April 2019 and...

Full-parity Supervisory Board for vehicle electronics spin-off

An SE participation agreement for Aumovio has been in force since 18 July 2025 and the SE supervisory board was inaugurated on 5 September 2025. The former Automotive division of the Continental group now operates as an independent listed company with...

Family business avoids Supervisory Board co-determination

DF World of Spices, based in Dissen (near Osnabrück), has become a European Company (SE) since 28 October 2025. The spice manufacturer has 3,100 employees, including 1,600 in Germany and 360 in Romania. With brands such as Fuchs and Ostmann...

Codetermination on supervisory board for Chinese battery manufacturer?

Contemporary Amperex Technology Thuringia (CATL) in Arnstadt has been operating as a European Company (SE) since 17 December 2025. Since no SE agreement could be concluded by the end of the six-month negotiation period, the entry in the commercial...

European works councils in the transport sector

The European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) in Brussels has set up a special EWC section on its website. Transport, a highly internationalised sector, confronts European works councils with a high level of cross-border restructuring. On 12 November 2025...

Case studies on co-determination in the use of artificial intelligence (AI)

On 5 February 2025, the Hans Böckler Foundation published an empirical study entitled "Bots in the office – artificial intelligence and the transformation of office work in the digital age". It is based on 80 interviews in 21 companies and contains numerous case studies. These include a large technology group that...

History of the European umbrella federation for service sector trade unions

On 3 March 2025, a review of 25 years of UNI Europa was published. The union began its work in January 2000 after its four predecessor organisations decided to merge (similar to the formation of ver.di in Germany in 2001). The publication is divided into three chapters. The first part traces...

Current employment trends in EU countries

The EU's annual employment report has been available since 12 March 2025. It provides an overview of employment and social policy developments and the measures taken by the Member States. The focus is on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The employment rate...

Guide to collective bargaining for gender equality in the workplace

On 20 March 2025, the European Industrial Trade Union Federation (industriALL) published a guide "to equip trade unions with the tools and strategies needed to put equality firmly on the collective bargaining table". The report is the result of an EU-funded project on equal opportunities in the green and...

German-Polish works council seminar in Gdańsk

From 2 to 4 April 2025, a seminar was held in Gdańsk for the second time (photo: seminar participants in front of the Crane Gate, landmark of the former Hanseatic city). The participants, half from Germany and half from Poland, exchanged views on labour relations in their countries and...

EWC and SE introductory seminar at Montabaur Castle

From 22 to 25 April 2025, 20 works council members from nine companies attended the annual introductory seminar at the Montabaur Castle Training and Conference Centre, located directly at the high-speed train station halfway between Frankfurt and Cologne. The seminar was a combination of taster days for newcomers with...

Unilever to spin off ice cream division

British consumer goods group Unilever plans to spin off its ice cream division by the end of 2025 and list it on the stock exchange. It will operate under the name "The Magnum Ice Cream Company" and will be based in Amsterdam. In 2024, it generated sales of €8.3 billion. On 28 April 2025...

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...

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, must develop action plans to...

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 systems...

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...

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, the European Commission has been conducting infringement proceedings against the Irish government since May 2022