The idea behind the establishment of European Works Councils (EWCs) is that these are bodies which should be informed and consulted on company decisions and actions. However, this flow of information is often disrupted by confidentiality constraints imposed by management. Three central research... Find out more

On 31 January 2020, at 23:00, the United Kingdom (UK) officially ceased to be a member of the European Union (EU). One of the many areas that will likely be directly affected with regard to workers’ rights is the organisation and functioning of European Works Councils (EWCs). EWCs are company-level... Find out more

Are foreign multinational companies more or less likely than domestically-owned firms to recognise trade unions and engage seriously in collective bargaining? On the face of it, a multinational company is in a stronger position relative to employees as it can play off one group against another. On... Find out more

Letterbox companies are legal entities set up by businesses to benefit from a regulatory framework in a jurisdiction in which they have little or no material operations. They enable ‘regime shopping’ for lower taxes, wages, labour standards and social contributions, as well as for different legal... Find out more

This publication, that consists of unique survey data, gives an insight into the functioning of European Works councils (EWC) from the perspective of employee representatives. It presents the results of the largest survey of EWC representatives conducted to date. The survey documents the opinions on... Find out more

This policy brief considers the lack of European Works Councils through a Belgian perspective. It discusses Belgian companies who are currently engaged in establishing one or have developed ‘functionally equivalent’ structures. The remaining companies are confronted with serious obstacles to... Find out more

This book contains the results of a study of workers' rights to information, consultation and participation in EU and national law covering cross-border mergers, which was undertaken by the ETUI’s GOODCORP network of academic and trade union experts on company law and corporate governance. Based on... Find out more

This book aims to shed light on how the process of collective bargaining has changed across the European Union over the last two decades. It also examines whether and to what degree changes in the level which bargaining takes place have had an impact on pay and conditions, as well as trade union... Find out more

Multi-national corporations (MNCs) are constantly undergoing a process of standardisation and reorganisation (S&R), which is fuelled by the rapid development of information technology (IT). These developments require an in-depth and systematic inquiry as they have serious ramifications for labour... Find out more

This new working paper explores why there is a persistent wage gap between western Europe and the new EU Member States of eastern and central Europe. Why is it still the case that after 27 years of transition from state socialism and 14 years of EU membership the closing of the gap in living... Find out more