European Works Council in times of crisis

In general
- Many measures have already been taken before the European Works Council is involved. Take action and position the European Works Council as a serious partner for the management.
- To do this make sure you have the support of your grassroots. Write a communiqué for all the employees. Make sure that the European Works Council provides information and is visible.
- Be clear about what the European Works Council expects from the management: what information does the European Works Council want and why. Communicate directly and ask the relevant managers questions.
- Make sure that the European Works Council’s own flow of information is properly managed. Stay in touch with fellow European Works Council members and with the local employee participation. Stay informed of what is going on on the work floor and give feedback to the central management.
- Try to get all the European Works Council members supported by trade unions as much as possible. This can be useful in times of crisis if the employees have to be mobilised.

Planned organisation

1. Analyse the plan
- Try to determine the motivation for the proposed plan.
- What information forms the foundation for the plan?
- What exactly is the problem in the current situation?
- Is the proposed solution the best possible solution for the problem?
- What other possibilities have been considered and why were they not chosen?
- Are there other possible solutions?
- What are the costs of this plan (investment) and what is it supposed to yield in what time?

2. Analyse the consequences of the plan
- What are the consequences for the company?
- What are the consequences for the employees?
- What are the plan’s greatest risks and how are the risks being managed?

3. Consequences at local level
- What does it mean for the number of jobs in the various countries?
- How is the legal position of the employees guaranteed at local level?
- What does the local employee participation structure look like (trade union/Central Works Council/Works Council) and what possibilities do they have locally?
- Exchange experiences with the reorganisation process with other European Works Council members.

4. Information and consultation
- Check the European Works Council agreement for the information and consultation process to be observed.
- Make clear agreements with the management about the timeline of the information and consultation.
- Make your recommendation in writing, even if this is not requested.

5. And then
- Agree that a few months after the reorganisation has been carried out, the European Works Council will receive an overview of:
* the consequences for the employees in each country;
* the social plans and other agreements at local level;
* the number of employees that have found a new job (internally and externally);
* the functioning of the reorganised organisation;
* the final costs of the reorganisation;
* the savings achieved.
- Evaluate the reorganisation and record the lessons learned for the future.
- Evaluate the Information and Consultation process and if necessary make further agreements.