Works councils for the UK?

Assessing the impact of the EU employee consultation directive

Mark Hall, Andrea Broughton, Mark Carley and Keith Sisson. An IRS report in association with the Industrial Relations Research Unit, Warwick Business School, 68 pages, paperback, £80.00 (£60.00 for trade unions)

This report brings together the key points known so far on the EU directive on employee information and consultation with a wealth of factual information.

It provides in separate chapters: a detailed explanation of the text of the directive and how it came to be passed; a fairly brief description of the existing information and consultation rights in other EU countries; an analysis of the current position in the UK; and a look at how the directive could be used to extend partnership.

However, for UK trade unionists probably the most interesting chapters will be the two on implementing the directive in the UK, covering "the legal framework" and "the key practical issues". All the main issues are examined although, because the directive leaves wide powers in the hands of national governments, the conclusions are inevitably speculative.