News

A new agreement for the METRO EUROFORUM was signed last week, 3rd of April in Dusseldorf (Germany), where the group is headquartered, on the occasion of the its Annual Plenary meeting.

The new agreement reinforces rights for transnational information and consultation for 26 workers’ representatives from the METRO group in 16 countries in the Europe, including a new member from Croatia, the country that joined the EU on the 1st of July 2014.

The main objective of the renegotiations were to bring the agreement in line with the recast EWC directive and the German transposing legislation.

The new agreement counts on a new definition of information and consultation and of transnational matters, a better definition of roles within the EUROFORUM and in particular the role of the Steering Committee and for the EUROFORUM coordinator.

Workers’ representative will also have the opportunity to organize a second meeting every two years on a specific topic such as: health and safety, training, equal opportunities etc.

Thanks to the new agreement, EUROFORUM  delegates have the right to 8 days of training, both group and individual-based per each of the four years of mandate. METRO employees’ representatives in the EUROFORUM can also be assisted in their functions by two experts of their choice. UNI Europa has a permanent seat as trade union expert.

The first EUROFORUM agreement was signed on 11 October 1996 and renegotiated in 2006. Discussion on renegotiations started on 15 April 2013. Steering Committee members, UNI Europa and METRO labour relations manager met five times before reaching a final agreement on 15 January 2014.

While the challenge is now to put the agreement into place, UNI Europa considers it as a positive step towards improved rights of information and consultation in one of the biggest retailers in Europe.

For more information contact: Laila Castaldo Laila.castaldo@uniglobalunion.org