European works councils in multinational enterprises: Background, working and experience (MULTI 83)
Multinational Enterprises Programme, Working Paper No. 84. Deals with the genesis of the Council Directive 94/45/EC and describes the establishment of a works council or of a procedure for the purposes of informing and consulting employees. Discusses the subsidiary requirements regarding information and consultation in case where no agreement has been reached. Analyses the possibility of concluding pre-existing agreements (1994-1996). Includes the text of the Directive (1994 and 1997), the state of transposition of the 1994 Directive into national law, a list of companies which have concluded voluntary agreements and, finally, experience with Article 13 agreements, as evaluated by the ETUC.
The European works councils, the result of the Directive of 22 September 1994 which introduces a procedure for the purpose of informing and consulting employees in Community-scale undertakings or groups thereof, will influence the practice of industrial relations and human resources management, not only in Europe but beyond. This working paper, which combines an academic analysis as well as insights and experiences at various types of meetings, gives an overview of and presents experiences on the application of the Directive and its assimilation as national law. Concepts such as "information and consultation", "employee representation", are examined. A number of agreements concluded by way of implementing the Directive are also analysed.