The Palette of workers' rights (2019) provides an overview of 37 EU directives providing the workers with rights to information, consultation and participation in various areas of law.
It aims to emphasise that workers' have broad information and consultation rights in both general and specific circumstances. The specific pieces of legislation can be combined and should be chosen depending on the scenario at hand (e.g. EWCs can also refer to the collective redundancies directive, or seek contact with health and safety representatives of workers based on separate legislation).
The existing Community rights of employees to be informed and consulted and to be represented on the company’s supervisory or administrative board (participation) is still fragmented. In total, more than 37 EU Directives provide information and consultation rights in some kind, either in specific cases or at large. The existing directives are a clear expression of the willingness at European level to make employees citizens at their workplace. This is also mirrored in the EU Charter of fundamental rights (referred to in the Lisbon Treaty) which gives information and consultation rights the status of a basic right of European citizens.