THE Government is committed to meeting the EU deadline for the introduction of works councils in large companies. The Minister for Labour Affairs, Ms Eithne Fitzgerald, has said the directive to give greater consultation to workers will be law by September 22nd.
Under the legislation, any company employing over 1,000 people, or more than 150 in two or more EU member states, will have to set up a works council to have "dialogue" with worker representatives. The company will also be obliged to give information to the council on its Finances and its plans.
Ms Fitzgerald said at least 200 multinationals in Ireland would have to create works councils, although some industry observers believe the tally will be over 300. There has been resistance to works council legislation in other EU states by some employers, including objections to having union representatives on councils.
The Minister said the Government was "giving considerable attention to the need to provide a means for the resolution of disputes which may arise following the enactment of legislation". Where disputes did arise, she added, "there is a need to encourage parties to resolve difficulties in an efficient and cost efficient manner".
She was speaking at a conference on "Implementing the European Works Council Directive", organised by EIRI Associates for large scale companies operating in Ireland.
The conference was also addressed by the chairman of the European Parliament's Social Affairs and Employment Committee, Mr Stephen Hughes MEP. He said he was in discussions with the EU Commissioner on Social Affairs, Mr Padraig Flynn, on reducing the threshold on companies where works councils must be established to 50 workers.