EWC NETwork (expert network on European Works Councils) and EWC functioning
Description
The project aims to evaluate the functioning of EWCs as to whether and how they can contribute to the further development of the European dimension of industrial relations. A certain number of EWCs were established more than ten years ago and this gives scope for an in-depth analysis of their contribution to the establishment of European industrial relations. This project is a continuation of previous research carried out at the ETUI-REHS, referring to the EWC database and the contents agreements, the findings of the EWC survey conducted by Jeremy Waddington and several existing EWC case studies mainly on their role in Multinational companies operating in the EU-new member states (from the ViVe-project).
The research project will mainly focus on:
- the role of EWC within the different layers of workers' information and consultation in cross-border operating companies;
- the impact of EWC agreements and focusing on the contents of information and consultation and their role within the whole industrial relations system including the question of acceptance by management, developments in the relationship between EWCs and trade unions at national as well as at EU level.
The research approach will focus on identifying “vice-versa effects” from EWC practices on domestic systems of industrial relations (“vice effect”) and backwards to the whole system of EU industrial relations (“versa effects”). In order to carry out this project the expertise and contacts with partners established in the ViVe II Project from 2005/2006 will be continued. The continuation of that collaboration will be facilitated by organization of a three-day workshop in June 2007, as well as by conducting case studies by experts from Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Co-operation with external national experts will ensure a proper assessment of the impact of EWC on national systems of industrial relations.
Additionally, the research results will be debated with partners from European Industry Federations (EIFs) and Social Development Agency (SDA) in the light of recent developments and challenges. For this aim external researchers, e.g. from the above mentioned research module and practitioners e.g. particularly interesting EWCs (approximately 2 for each meeting), will be invited in order to provide additional input for the discussion with EIFs and SDA.
Closer cooperation and involvement of EIFs is an important goal within the project. It is designed to increase coordination of actions, research, initiatives and information exchange between the research world and practitioners and provides mutual benefits for the actors involved.
Another major aim of the project concerns the establishment of better communication and exchange between providers and users of this specific research field as well as better coordination of data services from different sources. A EWC NETwork will be set up for closer cooperation with EWC experts and EWC coordinators in the respective EIFs as well as EWC experts from the SDA.
In order to achieve synergies, EWC issues will be put on the agenda of the meetings of the SEEUROPE expert network. Moreover, a tool for internal communication will be placed at the disposal of the EWC NETwork. Technically, it will be implemented via the project “worker participation online”.
Researchers
Jeremy Waddington
Project Co-ordinator of the ETUI-REHS, Researchphone: + 44 161 306 8797
Irmgard Pas
Data processing managerphone: +32 (0) 2 224 0511
Dr. Norbert Kluge
Senior researcher. Head of the ETUI-REHS SEEurope projectphone: +32 (0) 2 224 05 08
Romuald Jagodzinski
Researcherphone: +32 (2) 224 04 73
Béla Galgóczi
Senior researcher, ETUI-REHSphone: +32 (0) 2 224 04 92
