
Democracy at work is key to mapping out an inclusive and sustainable way forward. (…) Workers’ participation in all its forms must be recognised as a rich resource for shaping and adapting the workplaces of today and the future, especially in times of crisis. - Aline Hoffmann, ETUI
Democracy at work is critical in shaping fair and inclusive societies. The EU Green Deal, the Resilience and Recovery Plans, and the new Industrial Strategy and Digitalisation will only be effective with the participation of workers and trade unions. At workplaces across Europe, workers’ representatives and trade unions are engaged in information and consultation and collective bargaining about working conditions and the governance of companies. Within European multinational companies, European Works Councils (EWCs) and SE-Works Councils (SE-WCs) have a pivotal role to play in protecting and representing the interests of the European workforce, not only during this period of crisis but also in the wave of company restructuring that has already begun to sweep across the continent.
To mark the year of democracy at work we have compiled a set of further readings and resources that you may want to look into:
- Hoffmann et al. (2020), Democracy at work in a pandemic, Benchmarking 2020
- Jagodziński & Stoop (2020), How to deal with confidential information, Manual for European workers representatives
- De Spiegelaere et al. (2019), Democracy at Work, Benchmarking 2019
- De Spiegelaere and Jagodziński (2019) Can anybody hear us? An overview of the 2018 survey of EWC and SEWC representatives
- Cremers & Vitols (2019) Exercising voice across borders: workers’ rights under the EU Cross-border Mergers Directive
- Pendleton (2019) Financial participation in Europe: opportunities and risks for employees
- Hoffmann & Vitols (2018) The EU company law package: how it should be improved to strengthen workers' rights and avoid abuse through cross-border company mobility
- Conchon & Waddington (2017) Is Europeanised board-level employee representation specific? The case of European Companies (SEs)
- Conchon & Waddington (2015) Participation rights in practice: what are the power bases of worker representatives at the board?
- Conchon (2015) Workers’ voice in corporate governance: A European perspective - in cooperation with the TUC
- Interactive website 'A better world with more democracy at work'
- Infographic 'Quotes on the importance of democracy at work'
- Infographic 'Can Democracy at Work help fix the democratic crisis?'
- Infographic 'Changes to the EWC legal framework: pressing evidence'