2019-10-24 12:00
Today the EU General Court issued its judgment in case ‘EPSU vs European Commission’ over information and consultation rights of workers in governments. The case had concerned the question on the leeway the European Commission possesses to decide to not propose to the Council to convert an EU social partner agreement into an EU-wide binding directive. The Court concluded that the Commission’s right of initiative means it can decide on whether or not to make social partner agreements legally binding in all EU member states.
The European social dialogue committee on central government administrations, where CESI forms an employee social partner delegation ‘TUNED’ together with EPSU, had adopted a social partner agreement on more equal information and consultation rights for central administration personnel in December 2015. Since then, the European Commission has objected to propose to convert the agreement into an EU directive.
CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “This is a disappointing news for 9.8 million central government workers across Europe who are denied similar rights for information and consultation which private sector workers already enjoy under binding EU legislation.
CESI will seek to consult with its social dialogue partner EPSU on how to help ensure that in the future all central administration personnel in Europe can be covered..
More information about the case is available on EPSU’s website. The full judgment, including all case documents, can be accessed in all EU languages via the Court’s website.
