The ILO-CEET s Labour Law and Industrial Relations Specialist, in cooperation with Gianni Arrigo, professor of EU labour law at the University of Siena, provided comparative overviews concerning some of the labour law issues dealt with in the new draft. The creation of works councils in the Czech Republic, as in many other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, creates problems for the actions of trade unions.
Trade unionists see works councils as a competing system of representation.
They generally argue against having a works council system at all, preferring to maintain the present system and reinforcing trade union rights in enterprises. A number of alternative solutions have been discussed in this area with trade union representatives. During the discussions on these issues, the contents and meaning of a new European directive on information and consultation were analysed by Professor Arrigo. Regarding rules and procedures for the termination of employment, ILO Convention No. 158 and Recommendation No. 166 on the termination of employment were reviewed. In particular, discussions dealt with the exclusion of certain categories of workers or exclusions based on the employment contract, and the reasons for termination of employment.