The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes today’s vote in the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee, and calls on Member States to confirm their approval at the Council of the EU on 19 June.
This vote marks a significant step forward in strengthening workers’ rights in multinational companies across Europe and sets the stage for final adoption of the revised European Works Council (EWC) directive. The strong majority of committee members (35 votes in favour, 10 against and 3 abstentions) shows the broad support for a stronger and more enforceable say for workers in multinationals.
The next milestones are the formal approval by the Council of the EU on 19 June in Luxembourg following COREPER’s green light, and the European Parliament’s plenary vote scheduled for September.
European Works Councils are vital transnational bodies for workers’ cross-border information and consultation in multinational companies. However, the current directive, adopted in 2009, has proven insufficient, lacking robust enforcement mechanisms. The ETUC has consistently pushed for a revision, putting forward its Ten Demands for a Modern European Works Council Directive to ensure meaningful consultation, timely access to information, and enforceable rights.
The revised text—although still under technical legal check— represents a significant step forward, especially if the final provisions reflect the ETUC’s core demands.
ETUC Deputy General Secretary Isabelle Schömann said:
“The ETUC welcomes today’s vote as a crucial step towards the final adoption of a directive that strengthens workers’ involvement and democracy at work in multinationals, and thanks the rapporteur Dennis Radtke and the shadow rapporteurs for this achievement, as well as the MEPs mobilised to make social and economic progress a reality. It sends the right signal: the EU is delivering for workers and reinforcing the European social model and social progress.
“This sends a clear message for the plenary vote in September: A democratic consensus to revise the EWC Directive has been reached. Workers must have a say in the decisions that affect their workplace and working conditions, especially in times of major economic, industrial, and environmental transformation.
“European Works Councils are key to ensure the effective exercise of democracy at work. This revision of the directive must ensure that their rights are not just formalities, but enforceable tools to shape fair and sustainable transitions.”
“The ETUC will continue to assess the final text carefully and advocate for full and ambitious implementation.”
