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on 7 February, the management of the US group Cargill, which specialises in supplying food ingredients and in commodity trading, signed an Agreement for the Establishment of the European Works Council of Cargill with a special negotiating body. This new agreement is based on Directive 2009/38, and thus supersedes the previous one. “It was a very long and at times difficult process but we are happy with the outcome”, says Enrico Somaglia, Company Policy Officer at the European Trade Union Federation EFFAT (see press release). The agreement applies to Member States of the EU and the European Economic Area plus, regardless of its status vis-à-vis these other two entities, the United Kingdom. The committee will meet once a year for a three-day plenary session and will appoint a select committee made up of six members who should represent different countries if possible, and should be sufficiently fluent in English to enable them to communicate. The select committee will meet three times a year and once with management. The select committee can invite local employee representatives from the country hosting the meeting to attend. It will be informed in the event of any exceptional circumstances and has powers to call an extraordinary information and consultation meeting, which can be opened up to members representing the country or countries affected by the plan. The agreement provides for the European Works Council’s information and consultation process dealing with transnational issues to always commence before national procedures are triggered. The committee can be assisted by one or two experts of its choosing. It will have an annual budget, managed by the select committee, to cover the costs of meetings, training and the services of experts and even a legal expert in the event of a dispute.
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