The EU Council has today agreed its negotiating position on the European Works Council Directive, which seeks to make representation of workers more effective in large multinationals by making works councils (EWCs) easier to set up, better funded, and better protected.

First proposed in January, the directive would impose new rules on employers, requiring them to justify why information is confidential and cannot be disclosed to the EWC, and provide financial aid to cover certain aspects of EWCs’ operating expenses, including legal fees.