This guide has been developed by the ETUC in order to help trade unionists and practitioners in the area of information and consultation around Europe to play an active role in this process and to make the most of the new provisions in the European Works Council Directive as amended by Directive 2009/38/EC. It is an article-by-article legal commentary, written in an accessible style so that it can be used by everybody with interest in European… Find out more

This paper is the result of critical discussions held in the framework of the SALTSA project on the post-2010 continuation of the Lisbon process. The general conclusion is that Europe will continue to need, in the future, a common strategy for growth and sustainable development which builds on the experiences of the ‘old’ Lisbon strategy. That is why the paper starts with analysing the Lisbon process and discussing its various shortcomings. The… Find out more

During the last 15 years, research on European Works Councils has revealed significant information concerning the structure, dynamics and ability of EWCs to represent employees’ interests. A multitude of factors and conditions influencing the work and results of EWC activity have been identified. Until now, however, there has been little systematic theorising about EWCs and their specific character as ‘interest organisations within profit… Find out more

Many companies today seem to have become little more than money-machines, seeking the highest returns from global markets. Employees, and indeed many managers too, are the slaves rather than the masters of such companies. Works councils and trade unions are reduced to mopping up the social consequences of their decisions. That is why this book, edited by Michael Gold, Norbert Kluge and Aline Conchon, depicts the everyday realities of serving as… Find out more

The European Company Statute (ECS) is one of the most important pieces of legislation adopted so far by the European Union. It aims to regulate, on a voluntary basis, the internal functions of a business operating in more than two European countries at the same time.Published by Peter Lang, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of the history, structure, legal basis and likely impact of the ECS, examining its evolution over some 30 years… Find out more

Is the Europe 2020 strategy leading us, as it promises, towards smart, sustainable and inclusive growth? This is the main question addressed by this publication on the eve of this year’s Spring European Summit. The ETUC and ETUI offer a critical assessment of the strategy and its various components: will it be able to provide a framework for the creation of more and better-quality jobs? Are the policies and indicators set to promote an increase… Find out more

This year's Benchmarking Working Europe report embarks upon a social stocktaking of the reaction to and impact of the financial, economic and social crisis as a means of feeding into the post-crisis and EU2020 debate. Among the questions addressed this year are the following:What were the macro-economic developments and policy responses? How has income developed in the crisis? How have labour markets responded to the financial and economic… Find out more

This year’s report provides an assessment of Lisbon Strategy. It asks whether the EU is really moving in the direction of knowledge-based growth, examines whether the EU has witnessed the creation of more and better jobs and considers whether the Union is succeeding in attaining greater social cohesion. The report highlights:The discrepancy between the initial targets set in 2000 and the results achieved so far. There has been only limited… Find out more

Since the launch of the Lisbon Strategy, the ETUC together with the ETUI-REHS has produced an annual Benchmarking publication for the European Social Summit. Its aim is to establish what progress has been made in selected areas of importance to workers and which are of crucial significance for a Social Europe. This year’s report tackles the issue of Europe’s social reality. It highlights in particular the issues of quality employment and the… Find out more

EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PUT ON JOB QUALITY European labour markets face a range of significant challenges for which the current institutional and political answers are at the cost of the quality of jobs, quality of employment opportunities and workers' rights. Benchmarking Working Europe 2007 shows how emphasis should be put on job quality, including wage growth, decent working conditions, better training distribution enhancing training satisfaction… Find out more

The European social model under pressure The concept of the European social model has been central to the development of the European Union. Social inclusion, social rights, social dialogue and an important role for the social partners have been recognised as key elements of Europe and are among Europe's core values as defined in the draft Constitutional Treaty. These values are fundamental to preserving the trade union and worker support for… Find out more

The aim of this new ETUI Working paper is to identify the changes and enduring features of EU political/policy discourse and to seek to explain them by tentatively relating them to factors regarded as their determinants. In the first section, a theory of EU discourse is presented, in the context of its relationships to law and the funding of policies. Subsequently essential elements of official discourse as manifested both before and after the… Find out more

The EWC Directive of 1994 and its transposition in the Member States have been of considerable interest to trade unions over the years. Some of the key elements in the procedure for establishing EWCs are covered in these PowerPoint presentations, which contain slides on nine important aspects of the directive (e.g. those companies affected, the SNG, controlling undertakings, subsidiary requirements, Article 13, the transposition process, etc). Find out more

What role should macroeconomic policy play in achieving the economic and employment goals that the European Union set itself at the Lisbon Council in 2000? The conventional wisdom is that macroeconomic policy must be solely oriented towards ensuring price stability, and that the goal of more and better jobs simply requires more and more structural reforms. The contributions to this book are varied, but they are united in rejecting this view.… Find out more

The Memorandum outlines a series of recommendations for policy making regarding EWCs based on fifteen years of research on how they function in practice. Its aim is to promote better functioning EWCs via a stronger and clearer legal base. Find out more

With the Lisbon strategy of 2000, Europe set itself ambitious economic and political goals. Within the framework of a ten-year strategy, the European Council wants to make the EU into the most dynamic and competitive economic area in the world. High social standards underpinned by the European social model and ecological sustainability were important elements of the strategy thus clearly underlining the importance of achieving the strategy… Find out more

The working paper analyses the impact of EWCs on four different groups: shareholders, creditors, managers and employees. It argues that EWCs provide a net benefit. There are no significant negative impacts on shareholders and creditors while there are clear positive benefits for employees and managers. Find out more

 Find out more

A few hundred giant multinational firms control major shares of the international economy. The decisions taken by central management of these multinational companies affect workers in all their European subsidiaries. The European Directive on European Works Councils (EWCs), requires multinational companies to build a bridge between their decision-making centre and European workers' representatives. Since its first publication in 2002, this book… Find out more

This booklet provides information on different aspects of the European Company (SE) such as the question of worker involvement, the national transposition processes and taxation aspects. Moreover, information is given on the development and the different national systems of worker participation on supervisory or administrative boards throughout the European Union. The purpose of this booklet is above all practical: it is intended for everyone… Find out more