Disseminating Best Practice Proceedings of the Information and Consultation Regional Seminar Series Disseminating Best Practice Proceedings of the Information and Consultation Regional Seminar Series Contents Foreword 4 Chapter 1 Overview of the ‘Disseminating Best Practice Project’ 6 Chapter 2 The European Employee Information and Consultation Directive, 2002 9 Chapter 3 Key Lessons from NCPP Case Study Report 13 Chapter 4 The Social Partner’s Perspective 22 Chapter 5 Disseminating Best Practice Seminar Series – Case Study Presentations 26 Chapter 6 Disseminating Best Practice Seminar Series – Dialogue and Debate 33 Appendix A Attendance List for Information and Consultation Conferences, 2004 40 4 Foreword The European Employee Information and Consultation Directive is due to be transposed into Irish law during the course of 2005. It is an important development in Irish employee relations, as it increases employee information and consultation rights. The National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP) believes that it also represents an exciting opportunity to foster and deep- en partnership-style approaches to managing and anticipating change at the enterprise/organisational level. It was in this context that the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, funded by the EU Commission’s DG Employment and Social Affairs, undertook case study research into current information and consultation practices and procedures within fourteen public and private sector organisations in Ireland. The key findings and results of this project were contained in a publication entitled Information and Consultation – A Case Study Review of Current Practice. The NCPP also produced associated learning material entitled The Information and Consultation Directive – Everything You Need to Know. In seeking to build on the success of this initial work, the NCPP, with the support of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), secured further funding from DG Employment and Social Affairs for a Disseminating Best Practice Project based on the hosting of four regional seminars on the subject of information and consultation. This report represents a summary overview of the proceedings at this series of regional seminars. Aside from details of the key contributions from the NCPP, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the report includes a synopsis of the eight organisational case studies that were presented over the course of the four regional seminars. It also incorporates details of the issues that were generated by the open dialogue and debate between all of the delegates and participants, which was an integral element of each of the events. 5 The European Commission’s DG Employment and Social Affairs funded this project and I would like to thank the staff at the Commission for their support and advice throughout. The series of regional seminars were hosted in conjunction with both the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Irish Business and Employers Confederation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both organisations for their contributions to this project and in particular the following individuals: Fergus Whelan (ICTU), Liam Berney (ICTU), John Brennan (IBEC), Heidi Lougheed (IBEC), Adrian Beatty (IBEC) and Donagh Corcoran (IBEC). Sincere thanks also to all the organisations and individuals who participated in the research seminar series. Finally, I would like to thank the team from the NCPP, in particular Dr. Damian Thomas, who was the project co-ordinator and author of this report and Gaye Malone and Julia Kelly who provided such excellent administrative support throughout this project. Lucy Fallon-Byrne Director National Centre for Partnership and Performance 6 Chapter 1 Overview of the ‘Disseminating Best Practice Project’ In 2003, the National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP) undertook a research project, funded by DG Employment and Social Affairs, in relation to the European Employee Information and Consultation Directive (see Chapter 2). This project involved the NCPP conducting case study research into current information and consultation practices and procedures within fourteen public and private undertakings in Ireland (see Table 1). The key findings and results of this project were table 1 EU Information and Consultation Directive Project – contained in a publication entitled Information Participating organisations and Consultation – A Case Study Review of Current Practice. The NCPP also produced associated Allianz Ireland learning material entitled The Information and Consultation Directive - Everything You Need to Barnardos Know. This document is a step-by-step guide for Beckman Coulter Instruments trainers, employers, employees, trade unionists and Dell employee representatives that outlines the content and objectives of the European Employee Infor- Dublin City Council mation and Consultation Directive. Both of these Electric Paper Company documents are currently available for downloading from the NCPP’s website, www.ncpp.ie. ESB In seeking to build on the success of this initial Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology project, the NCPP, with the support of the Irish GE Interlogix Congress of Trade Unions and the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, secured further funding Medtronic from DG Employment and Social Affairs for a Multis Disseminating Best Practice Project based on the Nortel Networks hosting of a series of regional seminars on the subject of information and consultation. Roches Stores Vhi Call Centre Overview 7 Project objectives Seminar’s format In organising these regional seminars, the NCPP Each of the four regional seminars were organised aimed to achieve a number of specific objectives, along similar lines. Following an introduction and namely: overview of the purpose of the seminar from the relevant Chair, Dr. Damian Thomas (NCPP) p To promote and disseminate the key lessons presented a detailed discussion of the key lessons and findings from the NCPP’s case study and findings from the case study research into research project current practice that the NCPP had undertaken (see p To highlight for employers, employees and worker Chapter 3). This presentation also incorporated an representatives the potential opportunities and overview of the main elements of the European mutual benefits that can be generated by the Employee Information and Consultation Directive adoption of innovative and practical measures in (see Chapter 2). Individual presentations were then relation to the management of information and made by the Irish social partner organisations that consultation rights represent employers and labour, namely the Irish p To profile a number of individual exemplars Employers and Business Confederation and the Irish of good practice that make the case for Congress of Trade Unions. This provided both improving how organisations seek to inform, bodies with an opportunity to articulate their views consult and engage with employees and/or on the Directive and to outline what they perceived worker representatives as the main challenges and opportunities p To increase awareness of the overall content, associated with its implementation in an Irish nature and objectives of the European Employee context (see Chapter 4). Information and Consultation Directive One of the core objectives of this series of seminars p To provide employers, worker representatives was to promote and disseminate the key lessons and social partner bodies with an open forum to and findings from NCPP’s case study review of discuss and debate the potential implications, current practice. Consequently at each of the semi- challenges and opportunities associated with nars, the delegates heard presentations from organ- the eventual transposition of this Directive into isations who had participated in the project and Irish law. who were considered to have displayed good practice in relation to how they sought to Description of seminars communicate and engage with their employees. Between May and October 2004 the NCPP, assisted Over the course of the four seminars the delegates by IBEC and the ICTU, hosted four regional seminars heard presentations from the ESB, GE Interlogix, in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Carrickmacross Dell Direct, Vhi Call Centre and Allianz (see Table 2). (Co. Monaghan) on the topic of Information and In seeking to build on this original work it was also Consultation – A Case Study Review of Current decided to invite presentations from organisations Practice. As was indicated above, this project aimed who, although not involved in the initial research to increase awareness and promote shared learning project, were identified as displaying good practice about information and consultation amongst in relation to their current information and employers, employees, worker representatives, trade consultation practices.1 As such the regional unions and employer representative bodies. As seminar series also included presentations from such the NCPP with the support of ICTU, IBEC, Aughinish Alumina, Heineken Ireland, Tesco Ireland individual trade unions and the Chartered Institute and MANDATE (see Table 2). A summary of some of of Personnel and Development (CIPD) actively the main issues raised by these various promoted each of the seminars through their presentations is provided in Chapter 5. regional organisational networks. In total 240 people attended the four regional seminars (a full 1.