European Work Council meetings are traditionally in-person, but recently some companies have been switching (or trying to switch) to virtual EWC meetings.
Already some companies organise the Select Committee meetings virtually to be able to meet much faster and to save travel time and costs. When it comes to organising the plenary EWC meeting, companies could save a small fortune in travel and hotel expenses with remote meetings! And less travel means less CO2 emissions, so it seems like a win on all fronts. However, so far, not all countries consider that virtual EWC meetings fulfil the requirements of an EWC — except for France, who allows them across the board.
That might be changing in Italy, though! Since 2014, the tissue paper manufacturer Sofidel has been fighting to implement remote EWC meetings. And, in February of this year, the district court in Lucca, Tuscany ruled that the “unprecedented technological evolution” of the 21st century should be considered and that an advanced video conferencing system would be allowed”.
I’m excited to see what effect this has going forward. As someone who regularly interprets at EWC meetings, I would love the chance to do this fascinating work remotely from time to time!
Has your company ever considered moving to virtual EWC meetings?
It seems to be the trend for the future, in any case for some of the meetings linked to the EWC, such as Select Committee meetings. Multiple solutions are available to best serve your company’s and EWC needs.
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