European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legal regulations provides information on regulations in the Member States of the European Union and Norway which are explicitly or implicitly linked to anticipating and managing change.
11, 13 and 15
According to the Co-Determination Act, all employers are obliged to consult with affected trade unions when the need for restructuring, defined as significant changes to the business, is being contemplated. Where an employer is not bound by a collective agreement it is obliged to consult with all affected trade unions (i.e. trade unions that have members facing termination due to redundancy). An employer bound by a collective agreement only has to consult with the trade union that has signed the agreement.
In a redundancy situation, the employer must present the following information to the trade union(s) in connection to the primary negotiations:
The purpose of the consultations is to give the unions possibilities at an early stage to give additional input that may change the company’s decision making. However, this does not give the unions the right to veto and any outcomes of a restructuring process are ultimately at the company’s sole discretion.
A party who is required to negotiate must appear at the negotiating session and, if necessary, submit a reasoned proposal for the solution of the question to which the negotiations relate. The parties may jointly choose the form of negotiation. During these consultations, the employer has to specify the grounds for the restructuring. The employer, however, enjoys considerable freedom to cut jobs for business reasons, e.g. redundancies. The employer may for instance close down a business regardless of whether it is profitable or not, or restructure the business due to new technology or due to the use of temporary agency workers.
No information available.
Eurofound (2015), Sweden: Staff information and consultation on restructuring plans, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/staff-information-and-consultation-on-restructuring-plans/sweden
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