Dr. Jonathan Lavelle:

There are many issues here, with a lot of ambiguity around European works councils. As Mr. Sack said, this is bigger than some of the specifics that have been talked about already. The biggest issue is around the statutory and financial means for European works councils to carry out their duties.

There is a lot of ambiguity around that. There is a need to delve into those issues and address them in legislation. Perhaps it might be the case that this is bigger than just a quick fix and that there are bigger issues that need to be addressed. This has been pointed out at European level. There is very much a focus on the means and whether EWCs have the means to carry out their duties. Mr. Sack mentioned that if they do not have access to enforcement, it is very difficult for them to have a means to carry out their duties.