Why Worker Participation in Europe?
- Worker participation is a Fundamental Right in Europe laid down by the European Chart of Fundamental Rights (Art. 27).
- Worker participation is an essential part of the European Social Model. At the same time, worker participation strengthens the European Democracy in practice and the economic competitiveness of European companies.
- Worker participation highlights the fact that a company should not be defined by the sole interest of its shareholders and managers but also by the stakeholders (as a principle of Corporate Governance).
- Worker participation means that social interests can be make effective at the level of decision making of a company.
- Worker participation has to be underlined, thus, by European legislation in order to enforce workers making their interests to the same extend effective as those introduced by the shareholders.
- European legislation ruling worker participation rights at transnational level is based on a broad political consensus of the European Parliament and among European Governments until today.
Worker Participation and the Lisbon goals
Worker involvement undeniably mirrors the Lisbon goals at the micro-level constituted by the workplace, making workers into citizens at their workplaces. Worker involvement serves, at the same time, two major objectives: to make social rights effective in order to strengthen democracy and social understanding, and to support companies in achieving economic competitiveness. More than 14,000 members of European Works Councils or works councils in European Companies (SE), supported by their trade unions, have adopted a pro-active role in this regard, particularly in relation to the need to resist and tackle economic crisis without excessive social damage.
Worker interest representation in Europe – Towards a better understanding of the pieces of a still unfinished jigsaw
European labour relations are becoming more and more like pieces of a jigsaw fitting together specific features of national labour relations (which continue to exist) with cross-border elements of interest representation provided by EU legislation, such as the EWC directive and the European Company (SE) directive. The latter are increasingly driving the dynamics of development towards a more comprehensive model of European labour relations by providing tailor-made arrangements for trans-border operating companies. The links between different pieces of the jigsaw are becoming more obvious and visible. The webportal www.worker-participation.eu supports such a holistic view by providing continuously updated empirical and conceptual information on the subject.
The type of labour needed by European companies – skilled, mobile, committed, responsible, and capable of using technical innovations and of identifying with the objective of increasing competitiveness and quality – cannot be expected simply to obey the employers' instructions. Workers must be closely and permanently involved in decision-making at all levels of the company.
Final report of the `High-level expert group on workers’ involvement` (Davignon group), 1997
