European Works Councils

European Works Councils are international bilateral bodies representing management and staff in transnational companies. They are required by EU Directive 1994/45 in companies that have at least 1,000 employees within EU states, with at least 150 employees in each of two or more states.

NEW: "EWCs in the Media Sector: the Way Forward" - Sofia, April 2007
The EFJ organised a European Works Council seminar in Sofia on 20-21 April 2007, with the support of the European Commission.  Participants, shop stewards and union officers dealing with the companies, in particular with European works councils, discussed perspectives for the future.
Over 30 participants from 10 European countries discussed the state of play and progress to make for setting up works councils in media companies that operate in several countries. The EFJ’s ambition is to make EWCs an actual tool to fight “double standards” of Western media companies who operate in Central and Eastern Europe, and often to not respect decent working conditions.


Download the Agenda of the Meeting (PDF)
Download Report of the Meeting (PDF)
Download Handbook on EWCs (in English) (PDF)
Download Handbook on EWCs (au Deutsch) (PDF)
Download Survey in EWCs in the Media Sector (PDF)

Want to join the EFJ Online Forum for EWCs? Register on http://ewcnetwork.aceboard.com/


Company files:
- ORKLA: the European Federation of Journalists assisted in the implementation of European Works Councils within the Norwegian media company Orkla, present in Scandinavia and in Poland.

- WAZ: in June 2004, the EFJ organised the first preparatory meeting in Budapest for a European Works Council in the German media company Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung which owns several newspapers in Central and Eastern European countries.