Societas Europaea Employee involvement Implication des travailleurs Beteiligung der Arbeitnehmer Jean-Claude Le Douaron ASE-ETUCO-EGA

United Steel SA United Steel AG United Steel SA United Steel ltd United Steel AS United Steel AB 8

United Steel SE 8

SE Council Regulation on the Statute for a European Company Nr 2157/2001 Council Directive supplementing the Statute for a European Company with regard to the involvement of employees 2001/86/CE

Involvement – Implication –Beteiligung - inflytande = Information, consultation & participation = Information, Anhörung & Mitbestimmung = Information, samråd & medverkan

Involvement of employees Means any mechanism, including information, consultation and participation, through which employees representatives may exercise an influence on decisions to be taken within the company;

Information Means the informing of the body of representative of the employees and/or employees representatives by the competent organ of the SE on questions which concern the SE itself and any of its subsidiaries or establishments situated in another Member State or which exceed the powers of decision-making organs in a single Member State at a time, in a manner and with a content which allows the employees representatives to undertake an in-depth assessment of the possible impact and, where appropriate, prepare consultations with the competent organ of the SE;

Consultation Means the establishment of dialogue and exchange of views between the body representative of the employees and/or the employees representatives and the competent organ of the SE, at a time, in a manner and with a content which allows the employees representatives, on the basis of information provided, to express an opinion on measures envisaged by the competent organ which may be taken into account in the decision-making process within the SE;

Participation Means the influence of the body representative of the employees and/or the employees representatives in the affairs of a company by way of: - the right to elect or appoint some of the members of the companys supervisory or administrative organ; or - the right to recommend and/or oppose the appointment of some or all of the members of the companys supervisory or administrative organ

SA AS GMBH SE Holding + SE AB AG SA ltd SE AG SE 1. Merger 2. Holding 3. Subsidiary 4. Transformation

SE Statute Dualistic Monistic

SE SE Statute Dualistic Monistic SNB

0 % > 1 rep 10% 10 % < 2 rep 20% + SE AB AG + 20 % Experts

Negotiations Verhandlungen SNB Involvement of employees Implication des travailleurs Beteiligung der Arbeitnehmer

SE Negotiations on involvement Member States should be able to provide that representatives of TU may be members of a SNB SNB may request experts of its choice (also EIFs), present at negotiation meetings in advisory capacity SNB shall take decisions by an absolute majority (representing an absolute majority of the employees) 2/3 majority to terminate or not open negotiations 6 months + (6 months)

Article 4 Content of the agreement …shall negotiate in a spirit of cooperation with a view to reaching an agreement scope composition of the representative body procedure for the information and consultation frequency of meetings resources allocated to the RB alternative procedures for information and consultation participation level

Standard rules (Art 7) The parties so agree; or No agreement (6 + 6

Standard rules Information Consultation Representative body (1 – 10%) Select committee Information and consultation on Strategy Investme nts RB Working method s

Standard rules Information Consultation Regular written reports from management Agenda of administrative or supervisory organ Copies of all documents submitted to the general meeting of its shareholders

Exceptional circumstances …affecting the employees interests to a considerable extent If the management doesnt take in to account the opinion of the workers a further meeting with a view to seeking an agreement. Part 2 c = negotiations ?

Standard rules - Participation AG SE If participation rights exist + SE AB AG If > 25% of the employees are covered by participation rights If < 25% of the employees are covered and the SNB decides so

Standard rules - Participation AS GMBH SE Holding SA ltd SE Subsidiary If > 50% of the employees are covered by participation rights If < 50% of the employees are covered and the SNB decides so

Opting out in case of merger Member States may provide that the standard rules referred to in Part 3 of the Annex shall not apply in the case referred to in paragraph 2, point (b) of an SE established by means of merger But Article 12.3 in the Regulation In order for an SE to be registered in a Member State which has made use of the option referred to in Article7(3) of Directive 2001/ /EC, either an agreement pursuant to Article 4 of the Directive must have been concluded on the arrangements for employee involvement, including participation, or none of the participating companies must have been governed by participation rules prior to the registration of the SE.

Articulation avec dautres dispositions Comité dentreprise européen (Dir. art.13.1): la directive 94/45/CE sur le comité européen ne sapplique pas sauf en cas d« option zéro » les dispositions relatives à lorgane de représentation prévues par accord ou par lannexe de la directive sy substituent Dispositions sur la participation (Dir. art ): les dispositions nationales sur la participation ne sappliquent pas à la SE (tout en continuant à sappliquer à ses filiales éventuelles) les dispositions relatives à la participation prévues par accord ou par les dispositions de référence dans le règlement sy substituent

Articulation avec dautres dispositions Représentation et implication nationales (Dir. art.13.3): pas datteinte aux droits nationaux dimplication et aux droits de participation dans les filiales possibilité de prendre des dispositions pour assurer le maintien des structures nationales de représentation en cas de fusion et donc de disparition des sociétés constituantes Accords collectifs et dispositions nationales sur les conditions demploi (Reg. art.29.4 et 37..9): en cas de disparition des sociétés constituantes par fusion ou transformation, transfert à la SE des droits et obligations des sociétés participantes en matière de conditions demploi résultant de la législation, de la pratique et de contrats individuels ou des relations de travail

Articulation avec dautres dispositions Prévention du détournement de procédure (Dir. art.11): possibilité de mesures pour éviter lutilisation de la SE aux fins de priver les travailleurs de droits dimplication

Confidentialité Vis à vis des tiers (Dir. art.8.1): non communication dinformations communiquées à titre confidentiel.pour les représentants et les experts, même après expiration du mandat Non communication dinformations (Dir. art.8.2): conseil dadministration ou de surveillance nest pas obligé de communiquer des informations lorsque leur nature est telle que, selon des critères objectifs, leur divulgation entraverait gravement le fonctionnement de la SE, de ses filiales ou dune société participante, ou leur porterait préjudice cas et conditions selon dispositions nationales

Confidentialité « Tendenzschutz » (Dir. art.8.3): possibilité de dispositions particulières pour les SE à orientation idéologique, dinformation et dexpression dopinions lorsque ces dispositions existent déjà dans le droit national Recours (Dir. art.8.4): instauration de procédures de recours sur lexigence de confidentialité et la non-communication dinformations possibilité dinstaurer un recours sur la sauvegarde de la confidentialité