Examples of good information and consultation in practice : The Alcatel Lucent European Works Council

Isabelle GUILLEMOT NEUBAUER FGMM-CFDTSecretary of Alcatel-Lucent EWC

1 - Alcatel-Lucent in short

2 - EWC Agreement

3 - EWC Composition and Meeting

4 - EWC practice and works

5 - EWC Social dialogue what else

FYI- History-milestones-happenings

1- ALU picture

R&D PROFILE Budget: approx €2,3 billion Active Patents Held more than

29,000so with Patents in progress ~45,000

total 7 Nobel Prizes Won

WORDWILDE Presence 600 sites more than 110 countries (130 en

2009) Employees <75,000 (>77 in 2009)

Michel COMBESChief Executive Officer

PARISGlobal Headquarter

Annual REVENUES €14.45 billion (2012)

~ €16 billion (2009)Debt CS & GS € 2,2 billions

2- ALU EWC = ECIDEWC named European Committee for Information and Dialogue

Created in 1996 under EU directive 94/95/CE(article 13) Based on french law. To introduce “consultation” as new EU directive 2009/38/CE agreement is under renegotiation

60 k€ yearly budget Freedom for working groups, training and communication tools entrusted to the Secretary elected for 2 years among Coordination Committee members. De facto belongs to largest union in largest country (CFDT France, since 1996)

Accounting and economic expert assisted by French WC

Confidentiality obligation sensitive issues

3- ECID membersBase end 2012 % HC 2013 2011 2009

Austria 1,7 406 1 1 1

Belgium 6,6 1582 2 2 2

Bulgaria 9,1 2171 3 3 0

France 36,6 8723 7 7 7

Germany 14,1 3368 3 3 4

Ireland 0,5 124 0 0 1

Italy 8,1 1938 2 2 2

Netherlands 1,8 438 1 1 1

Poland 3,4 820 2 2 2

Portugal 0,7 170 1 1 1

Romania 5,6 1333 2 2 2

Slovakia 0,8 196 1 1 1

Spain 3,7 878 2 2 2

Switzerland 0,8 200 1 1 2

UK 5,5 1303 2 2 2

ECID Perimeter 23 countries23 866 employees

14 countries represented

30 members 30 Substitute members possibilities

Renewal based on headcount of end even year (2008, 10, 12, 14...) And it takes place at the following autumn meeting (2011,13, 15...)

7 Working languages BG, DU, EN, FR, GE, IT, SP

3- ECID and unions

Most ECID members belong to an unionbut ECID is not a union

Designation of delegates is made as per national rules. No union: Ireland, Slovakia, UK1 union: Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,

Romania, SwitzerlandSeveral unions: France (4), Bulgaria (3) , Italy (3),

Belgium (2), Spain (2)All types of Union actions

Petitions, demonstrations, strikesExpertise the plans, counter-planInvolve political level, media buzzHelp to create union where doesn’t existedWorks council negotiations

3- ECID meetings

2 plenary meetings per year1 day preparatory + big ½

day plenary with management+ ½ debriefing

Spring and Autumn + extraordinary meetings

Training session1 three days’ per term (2 years)

Coordination Committee 5 people elected by EWC

In charge of closer contact with Management & making ECID work (regular exchanges)

From largest subsidiaries in Europe Today France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Romania

2 meetings per year to prepare plenary meeting 1 day but 2hours with ManagementWinter, Summer + extraordinary meetings

4- ECID practices

Strong relationship with IndustriAll Attendance to ICT group and IndustriAll EWC related meetings.IndustriAll expert attends to all official EWC meetings and

assists the secretary in all not official discussions with he Management :

Union related questionsInter-union relationshipEWC agreement evolutionMediator between employee representatives and

management in case of conflict.EMF role still unofficial: clarify in the updated

EWC agreement.

CommunicationWebsite on the Alcatel-Lucent intranet: Meeting reports, declarations, presentation, trade-unions information. No calls for actions!New ALU social tool "Engage" start to be used

4- ECID works

“Semi-official” thematic meetings based on needs - some example2005: visit to China; 2010: factory meeting in Stuttgart; 2011: Eastern Europe meeting in Sofia;2012: R&D in Strasbourg2013 : Managed Services“Internal” thematic working groupsSkills Management -> hope transnational agreementFunctioning -> to improve exchangesEmployment -> resourcing contractorsStress & Wasted money -> contest financial layoffsCampaign Low cost is expensive -> stop out sourcingLobbying for TIC -> always in progressCRS -> against power

4- ECID improvement

Good coordination inter unions

Good exchange of information between delegates

Always European lobbying for telecom industry with IndustriAll and with other EWCs

So more contacts and exchanges with other EWCs

Still to improve the interest and involvement from general staff!

Social dialog in spite of all is neither heavens, nor hell!

Management unaware of European social practices

unions are the witnesses of enterprise’s history

Mock dialogue false concessions forecasted from start ?

Enterprises take care of their imageefficiency and boost morale

Staff may exploit some fault lines, use legal obligations, including UE’s

Necessary to get results; dignity and fight stress

5- Social Dialog

Difficulties

Positive aspects

FYI- History –milestones - happeningsEWC agreement

1996 Alcatel-Alsthom EWC agreement, based on Article 13 (UE directive 94/95/EC). Anticipation agreement

1996 Signature by trade union representatives (France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, UK, Austria, Sweden)

1996 Directive 94/95/EC transposed2005 Lucent EWC agreement, based on Article 6 (UE directives 94/45/EC and 97/74/EC)2006 Discussions about improving the agreement start (process not yet finished in

2011!!)2006 Alcatel-Lucent merger. Lucent absorbed by Alcatel, its EWC ceases to exist and

Alcatel’s prevails2011 (expected) Directive 2009/38/EC transposed“Against” the company1996 First European demonstration to support negotiations for the EWC agreement2002, 2007 Lawsuits against Alcatel and Alcatel-Lucent on information / consultation2008 petition contest the golden parachute2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009 European Action days

joint demonstrations and other actions against lay-offs1999, 2009 Demonstrations in front of shareholders’ meeting in Paris2010 petition for the women’s rights in the company2012 Declaration of ALU Union at the Annual General Meeting of shareholders

Others1996-2011 Visits to support the future of the factories (Illkirsch, Vimercate, Concorezzo, Rieti, Geel,

Bydgoszcz…)2009-2011 Visits to support employee representatives in Eastern Europe (Slovakia, Romania,

Bulgaria, Poland)

FYI - History –milestones - happenings

In collaboration with the company2004 Participation in the Social charter of Alcatel.2006 Telework framework agreement in Alcatel.2011 Participation in commissions (workforce management)

Europe and the ICT sector2005 Alcatel Space and Alenia Space merger (working with EMF, EU DG competition and EU DG

social affairs)2007 Meeting at European parliament with MEPs (Strasbourg)2010 Petition to European parliament on the competitiveness of Telecom in Europe2013 Petition to Management and European authorities to defend European R&D and a fair

telecom market in EuropeInternal affairs2005 Training trip to China.2006 First ECID website launched.2006 Meeting with CWA (USA trade union)2009 First Elewijt seminar2011 Start of cross invitations between members to attend each other’s national meetings.

Good practices?Thank You!