The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has created an important new online resource for researchers and practitioners with an interest in European Works Councils (EWC s). A database is now publicly available at http://www.eurofound.ie/ewc/ [1] containing detailed information on the provisions of 386 voluntary Article 13 agreements concluded before the EWCs Directive (94/45/EC) [2] came into force in September 1996 and of 63 Article 6 agreements concluded after the Directive took effect. The provisions of each of these agreements have been coded against a classification scheme which enables the user to search their contents under one or more of a series of headings including: company concerned; scope and nature of the EWC; role; composition; organisation; meetings; facilities; confidentiality; and protection. Agreements concluded under both Articles can be accessed in one search. [1] http://www.eurofound.ie/ewc/ [2] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=31994L0045&model=guichett
As of October 1999, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has made available on its website a database containing the details of some 450 European Works Council agreements, plus the full text of around 220 agreements.
The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has created an important new online resource for researchers and practitioners with an interest in European Works Councils ( EWC s). A database is now publicly available at http://www.eurofound.ie/ewc/ containing detailed information on the provisions of 386 voluntary Article 13 agreements concluded before the EWCs Directive (94/45/EC) came into force in September 1996 and of 63 Article 6 agreements concluded after the Directive took effect. The provisions of each of these agreements have been coded against a classification scheme which enables the user to search their contents under one or more of a series of headings including: company concerned; scope and nature of the EWC; role; composition; organisation; meetings; facilities; confidentiality; and protection. Agreements concluded under both Articles can be accessed in one search.
Full-text versions of almost 160 Article 13 agreements (in up to five language versions) and over 60 Article 6 agreements are also held in the database. These can be downloaded in PDF format. The SPSS data file coding the contents of these 386 agreements can be downloaded from the website by those wishing to undertake any further analysis.
Commenting on the development of the database, Hubert Krieger of the Foundation said that it provided a unique and free source of information for management and employee representatives. The establishment of EWCs has given rise to unprecedented levels of European-level negotiating activity and practitioners need to be kept fully informed of developments within sectors and regions. An online, searchable database provides the most effective way of delivering the information. Further, updates of the information are planned by the Foundation.
A related report, Negotiating European Works Councils, an analysis of the provisions of the 386 Article 13 EWC agreements, written by Paul Marginson , Mark Gilman , Otto Jacobi and Hubert Krieger, has been published by the Foundation, together with DGV of the European Commission .
For further information, contact: Felicity Hogan, press officer, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, e-mail: felicity.hogan@eurofound.ie