Held in the context of the elaboration of an own-initiative report on ‘Democracy at work’, the hearing served to clarify practical and legal questions to be considered in policy efforts to increase information, consultation and participation rights of workers in corporate transformation processes, as they occur as a result of post-Covid recovery measures and the evolution of green-digital transitions. In particular, the hearing also looked at possible improvements to the European Works Council Directive 2009/38/EC.

Representing the voice of trade unions and workers, Aleardo Pelacchi, himself a seasoned trade unionist and experienced participant in European Works Councils, laid down practical approaches on how to strengthen the voice of workers in company-level decision making generally and within the European Works Councils in particular, noting:

• the need to strengthen the right to unionise as a basis for functioning worker representation at company-level. Only when trade union coverage and involvement can they effectively defend the rights of workers, he said.
• the necessity to further strengthen meaningful worker participation in European Works Councils. This should include real, ex-ante involvement and not just ex-post information transmittance after corporate decisions have already been made.
• the urgency to reform European Works Councils to the extent that they require their worker-participants to be unionists. Otherwise, fake (yellow) employer-dictated delegates could speak for workers in the Councils.
• the usefulness of establishing guidelines for more effective worker participation processes, whereby specific questions are brought up at company level, negotiated in a joint worker-employer declaration, and then discussed also with unions at the national level with a view to reaching more and further agreements on the matter.

The European Parliament will review its first draft report during the summer based on the findings of the hearing and eventually adopt it in autumn.

Further information about the file is available on the website of the European Parliament.