Proactive, Inclusive, Reactive: Employee Involvement for Sustainable Multinational Companies: PIRsus

Programme(s): Social Prerogative and Specific Competencies Lines (SOCPL)

Project ID: 101189867

Topic(s): SOCPL-2024-INFO-REPR

Type of action: SOCPL Project Grants

Objective:
Europe’s industry is undergoing the most massive and swift transformation it has ever faced. Millions of jobs are expected to substantially change or be cancelled due to the twin green and digital transition. Transnational restructuring is happening as a daily reality for the trade union representatives active in multinational companies and more specifically in European Works Councils [EWCs]. The challenges are of an unprecedented scale and the unique nowadays’ context calls for a rethinking of our approaches to social dialogue at company level. With restructuring already taking place a proper dialogue on anticipation and management of change in a socially responsible manner must become a reality. To secure that “no person and no place is left behind” the green and digital transformations, transnational social dialogue must also secure the full involvement of trade union representatives from all countries and all regions before decision are made. As we celebrate 20 years of EU enlargement to Central and Eastern European Countries [CEEC] and are reflecting on a European Commission’s proposal aimed at improving the effective compliance with and enforcement of the EWC Directive, lessons are to be learnt for the future. The current project thus intends to make transnational social dialogue more: • Proactive, by reviving the concept of European company agreements negotiated with a trade union mandate, • Inclusive, by better integrating the no-longer “new” Member States and candidate countries in EWCs’ work, • Reactive, by support EWCs in times of conflict through guidance on conflict resolution mechanisms, from mediation to court action. A series of 12 company-based meetings and a European conference will help foster the exchange of concrete social dialogue practices from which recommendations for action will be derived and shared with trade union representatives in the +650 MNCs under industriAll Europe’s scope.