Transcript Geen diatitel

An introduction for
EFBWW
General introduction
2.
EMF Principles
3.
EMF EWC Task Force
4.
Binding Guidelines
5.
EMF EWC Co-ordinators
6.
Other activities
7.
Role EWCs vs. Trade unions
1.
By Luc TRIANGLE, Chairman EMF EWC Task Force
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1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION
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demand for more than 25 years
first experiences : 80’s (Volkswagen, Renault,
SKF, ...) turning point 22/09/94
art. 13 (150 agreements) and art 6. period
Now : 250 agreements, +60 % workforce
covered, 70 ongoing negotiations, still 150 - 200
to go
Total : 650 agreements, 12000 to 16000 workers’
representatives involved
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2. EMF PRINCIPLES
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European approach instead of national approach
Strong co-ordination
- binding guidelines negotiation process
- EMF Co-ordinators
- Task Force : negotiators, trade union coordinators, guides for the existing EWCs
Initiate negotiations
EWCs and European company policy are now
one of the three main items in EMF activities
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3.
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EMF EWC TASK FORCE
25 – 30 members (= experts, negotiators, trade
union coordinators = all in one person)
Started in 1994 with only a few participants,
annual increase of participation. Important :
always the same person ! Continuity !
Countries : all EU cy’s (except : Irl., Gr.) + N, CZ,
P, H
5 two day meetings/year, English, Brussels + other
No external financial support (except seminars)
Elected chairman + support of EMF secretariat
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3.
EMF EWC TASK FORCE
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Agenda : untill 1998 mainly ongoing negotiations,
from 1999 : also support existing EWCs
 Ongoing negotiations :
. Coordination start new procedures
. Follow – up ongoing negotiations
. Decision on signing (or not signing) an agreement (see
guidelines)
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4.
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BINDING GUIDELINES (= Eur.
approach)
No difference between Spanish, German or
Norwegian ‘negotiator’
Each SNB, one ‘EMF expert’
Guarantees a minimum quality in all agreements
guidelines, approved by EMF Executive
Committee (11/96)
Task Force decides in case of draft ‘under
requirements of guidelines’
Examples : Fiat, GE, ...
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4.
BINDING GUIDELINES
Content :
 Procedure
 Pre-meeting
 Simultaneous translation
 EMF expert
 Exceptional circumstances
 Steering committee
 Recommendations : C & E Europe, ...
 ...
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5. EMF EWC Co-ordinators
Objective : EWCs should become real European
information and consultation bodies, with trade
union (EMF) influence, support and guidance
How : designating an EMF Co-ordinator for every
existing EWC
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5. Role EMF EWC Co-ordinators
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Must know what happens in his/her EWC
First contact for other unions
Support and guide for EWC members
Safeguard the European approach of the EWC and
the EMF policy towards existing EWCs, CB, IP
Role EWC in exceptional circumstances
Link between EWC(members) and EMF
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5. EMF EWC Co-ordinators
Role EMF :
 Assemble and support EMF co-ordinators
 Training
 Continuous flow of information on EMF
decisions, opinions and activities
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5. EMF EWC Co-ordinators
Benefit or value :
 One (EMF) approach towards existing EWCs
 Not only of use for EWC support, but also extra
input for EMF sectoral activities, collective
bargaining and industrial policy
 From a EWC Task Force to a Task Force on
Company policy and EWCs
=> EMF Ambassadors in the 250 existing EWCs and
for the 5000 to 6000 individual members
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5. EMF EWC Co-ordinators
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Nomination of EWC Co-ordinators
 Objective : designation of an EMF Co-ordinator
for every EWC
To achieve all this : full support needed from every
EMF member union
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6.
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OTHER ACTIVITIES
Action plan Task Force till 2003
Sectoral conferences (steel, ICT, automotive, ...)
Survey in cooperation with ETUI
Role EWCs (negotiation ?) and role vs. Trade
unions (see point 7)
Revision of the directive
European Company Statute
Database
Role EWCs in case of restructuring, mergers,
acquisitions
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6.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
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Global works councils (in cooperation with IMF)
 Trainers manual and training seminars
 Cooperation with CB and IP committee
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7. ROLE EWCs vs. TRADE UNIONS
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two - pillars at company level : employee pillar
and trade union pillar
 employee - pillar : works council, betriebsrat,
conseil d’entreprise, ondernemingsraad, ….
 Trade union pillar : shop steward, vertreuensman,
délégué syndical, kaderlid, militant, …
 in some countries : trade union pillar took over
role employee pillar
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7. ROLE EWCs vs. TRADE UNIONS
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at European level : structure of social dialogue
intersectoral : UNICE vs. ETUC
sectoral : WEM, Eurofer,... vs. EMF
company : European company managem. vs. … ?
EWC ?
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7. ROLE EWCs vs. TRADE UNIONS
- > missing link in the European structure of social
dialogue : no legal trade union role at European
company level
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Do we need a legal trade union role ?
Yes, because not every EWC is as unionised as the
EWCs of GM, FORD, SIEMENS, … which are
100 % unionised and steered by the unions.
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7. ROLE EWCs vs. TRADE UNIONS
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A legal trade union role at European company
level and a clear (legal) understanding on the role
(and limits) of the EWCs must guarantee that the
EWC (also these with only a few union members)
becomes not a council which also starts
negotiations with management and in that way
becomes a competitor for (national) legal trade
union rights.
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7. ROLE EWCs vs. TRADE UNIONS
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EMF demands legal rights for trade unions at the
European company level
 EWCs : partners, no competitors
 Complementarity between tasks (and limits !) of
EWCs and trade unions
- EWCs : mainly (improved) information and
consultation rights
- Trade union : collective bargaining on wages,
working time (= classic trade union items)
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