ICFTU OnLine…
188/980910/JD

Brussels, September 10 1998 (ICFTU OnLine): Given the increasingly international composition of European Works Councils, it would seem desirable. English opens most doors, not only among the Anglo-Saxon groups. In the Scandinavian companies for example, there is a tendency towards uniformity: meetings and communiqués are in English only, and EWC delegates are expected to become proficient in the language. Just getting by is no longer enough, particularly when faced with a highly technical proposal or a document on the "deverticalisation" of the enterprise. Pierre Laurent of the Danone works council has found this to be the case, and is opposed to this creeping uni-lingualism which he considers undemocratic. "It is wrong to believe that union delegates - and I am talking about colleagues from the shop floor, not the academics or top level technicians, who are a small minority - are capable of expressing themselves clearly and freely in a language which is not their own. Which is why we have obtained an agreement that everything has to be translated and that everyone can express themselves in their own language."

Although the directive says nothing about delegates’ right to language training, many agreements foresee that the enterprise will cover the cost of translation. Too bad if management does not like it. "It’s extremely expensive" say the Sara Lee company (France). "We have had to find a special budget for it, and find somewhere where we can accommodate six booths for simultaneous translation. Not to mention all the written work. We are prepared to do it however, as the price we have to pay to maintain the European spirit, to allow partners from other countries to express their views and avoid having a French only committee. Actually the French are the biggest single group and the most active..."

Understanding what is said, understanding others: Günther Vandeveld of the Belgian metalworkers’ federation believes it is something that goes beyond the four walls of the conference room. This experienced EWC delegate despairs of what could at times resemble de-briefings: "it was after a meeting of the Belgian subsidiary of the German group Schmaldach Lubeca. We ate and we talked, but only in small groups: there was a table of German speakers, another for English speakers, the Czechs and Hungarians at another, etc. There’s bound to be a problem when so many countries are represented, but it is a shame, because these informal moments are terribly important. They should be an opportunity for us to strengthen our relations, to create a real sense of solidarity."