EWCs: Injunctions still on the agenda

Denis Radtke, MEP, still wants EWCs to have injunctive rights in ongoing negotiations. This would disrupt national industrial relations, incentivizing local disputes to escalate to a European level, potentially leading to management’s funding of these injunctions. Meanwhile unions are also moving on restructuring and EU Procurement Laws.

The big picture: This move could set a precedent that shifts the balance of power in restructuring negotiations across Europe, posing risks to management decision-making processes.

What’s next: Member companies should urgently communicate these concerns to legislators, particularly national governments, to prevent potential systemic changes. We will circulate a paper on what the potential ending of the EWC Article 13 exemption. We will also be organising a web meeting on this issue in the last week in October.

Restructuring: We wonder how far management would get with their EWC if they were to say that IndustriAll Europe no longer regards restructuring as an “exceptional circumstance” but a daily reality, after IndustriAll Europe said that “... company restructuring is no longer an exceptional circumstance. It has become a daily reality faced by trade unions and workers and a regular feature across all sectors and activities.”

EU Procurement Laws: Unions want a “social conditionality” clause in EU Public Procurement Laws. This clause would restrict public contracts to union-friendly companies, affecting many European businesses… though only 15% of European private sector workers are unionized, limiting contract eligibility.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Unions new online tool to help workers navigate restructuring: restructuringnavigator.eu