An increasing number of employee representatives is getting challenged by implications of transnational corporate structures. Our trainers and advisers assist with targeted and strategic support to national workplace representatives and European works councils. Our programme includes advice and training in addition to research, presentations and publications.

Since January 2001 you can find at our Web page services for:

Workplace representatives

European works councils (EWC) and special negotiating bodies (SNB)

Employee representatives in supervisory boards and workers' directors

Trade union officers

Open-minded human resources managers.

Since 2nd January 2012, the EWC Academy is the successor of the former training and consultancy network "euro-workscouncil.net". A revised version of this website is in preparation. We ask for your patience.

A new EWC Directive:

The new EU Directive on European works councils became effective on June 5th, 2009. On April 23rd, 2009 the Council of ministers cleared the way, only British government abstained from the vote. The European Parliament had already agreed on December 17th, 2008 with a large majority.

→ Full text of the new EWC Directive
→ Press release of the European Commission of December 17th, 2008
→ Detailed documentation of the revision process since 1999
→ Current status of the transposition into national legislation (Report in EWC News no. 4/2011)

European Works Councils Conference in London 25th + 26th October 2012 The conference programme is currently in preparation. → Report: German-British EWC Conference in London, October 2011

You want to be informed on a regular basis?

Our German-language professional information service deals with issues around the European works council and related subjects. We send this free newsletter four times a year, an English version ("EWC News") is available since 2007.
→ Newsletter archives      → Sign up for free

Background Information: What is a European works council? See the European Industrial Relations Dictionary, an online reference tool  →  read the definition The legal basis of the EWC See the website of the European Commission on labour law  →  more on the EWC Directive EU Enlargement – What does this mean for the EWC?  →  more

Case study: Dubai Ports World
The agreement to establish an European Works Council

This case study assesses the new EWC agreement signed in May 2007 and the practice in the British company Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation (P&O) before and after the take over by the arabian group Dubai World. It includes the transcript of proceedings of a court case in London concerning the legal personality of the former P&O EWC. The study was produced with support from the European Commission as part of the "LINKS" project ("Possibilities and Limitations for European Works Councils in the Port Sector").
→ Download this case study

→ More special literature

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Country information for EWC work:

The following country reports have been published in EWC News:


→ Czechia (April 2007)                                      → South Cyprus (April 2007)

→ Ireland (October 2007)                                   → Turkey (August 2007)

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Interviews of our newsletter editors:

Manfred Monjé, secretary of the Hilton EWC → read this interview		Bernd Schneider, EWC chairman at Freudenberg   → read this interview
Gernot Hahl, EWC chairman at Linde Group → read this interview
Sean Bamford, EWC coordinator of the British TUC → read this interview		Simon Cox, EWC coordinator of the food and tourism trade unions (EFFAT)    → read this interview
Prof Dr Jeremy Waddington, EWC researcher, University of Manchester, UK → read this interview