IndustriAll Europe is particularly pleased with the support of the European Parliament to strengthen democracy at work. An overwhelming majority of 414 MEPs voted in favour of a new Directive which will provide EWCs with the tools they need to anticipate and manage the many challenges our industries are facing.

This concludes a lengthy legal process, in which MEP Dennis Radtke played a key role as initiator of a report on the revision of the EWC Directive, which was adopted in February 2023.

The new Directive largely responds to the key priorities for a EWC Directive that delivers for workers, as put forward by the ETUC and strongly supported by industriAll Europe since 2017.

Some of the highlights of the new Directive include:

• Clarifications on topics, such as the definition of transnational matters, the use of confidentiality and the support by legal and trade union experts;
• Extension of the competences to include crucial issues, such as the anticipation of change and management of restructuring processes including green and digital transitions;
• A clear instruction that consultation of the EWC must take place prior to the adoption of any decision.

We are now counting on a swift approval by the Employment Council of the European Union, followed by the transposition into national legislation.

Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe said: “This is a major step forward for all European Works Councils , who have been struggling for far too long to have their rights respected and to be truly involved in the decision-making process in their company. IndustriAll Europe will be at the forefront, ensuring that all of our more than 550 European Works Councils can fully benefit from these new conditions.”