European Works Council Alcoa

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European Works Council Alcoa

• Seminar October 22 24, 2007
• Praha

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ALCOA Production
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Alcoa

• Alcoa is a multinational company with operations
  in North and South America, Asia, Europe and in
  Iceland and at present time the company analyses
  African market.
• Alcoa focuses its production above all at
  production of hard and soft aluminium-base
  alloys.
• Priorities of the company are primary products (
  so-called bars for further manufacturing).
• Other production is focused on construction
  sphere, aluminium sheet rolling, packaging and
  consumption sphere, aerospace and cosmonautics,
  cast products for automobile industry, bunched
  cables for cars and other products.

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Alcoa in Europe

• Alcoa operates at present time in 14 EU member
  states
• Employment in Europe 24 343 employees
• Major employment in automotive related activities
  more than 12 000 employees.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum

• Alcoa EWC has been established in 2000 based on
  signed agreement between the EWC negotiating
  committee and the management in Europe.
• At that time 8 EU countries were represented.
• Alcoa employment in Europe at that time
• 12 753 employees
• Key for representation of the individual
  countries was part of the agreement according to
  which the EWC did have 17 members and the
  negotiating committee 3 members.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum Czech Republic Accession
into the EU

• In 2004 by the Czech Republic accession into the
  EU we got the right to become EWC members at the
  same time also Hungary got the representation.
• According to the given key (number of employees
  in respective country) Czech Republic got 5
  representatives and Hungary 5 representatives.
• First contacts with the EWC took place via the
  German representative this EWC member visited
  our plant. He explained us the purpose of the EWC
  and invited us to nominate until certain deadline
  2 Czech representatives and to send their names
  to the EWC Secretary.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum Czech Republic Accession
into the EU

• Elections took place in our company TU
  organisation that established the EWC members
  the chairman and the member of the company TU
  committee.
• Our first participation at the EWC meeting took
  place in April in Hungary.
• This first meeting surprised us in a negative
  way.
• EWC at that has been passive and it was not quite
  clear how it should negotiate/discuss with the
  management.
• It has been agreed with the management that the
  EMF EWC coordinator would participate in the
  meetings.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum

• EWC work started to change substantially
  especially by organising training for the EWC
  members.
• System of the EWC meetings 2 days training
  followed by two-days meeting with the Europe
  management.
• According to the agreement one annual meeting was
  held with the possibility of extraordinary
  meeting, if necessary.
• Programme of the meeting was set by the select
  committee together with the management.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum

• Disputes arose on observing the agreement by the
  management.
• Therefore proposals were presented on the changes
  in the agreement.
• Management did not want to agree with the changes
  for quite a long time.
• EWC threatened with the arbitration due to
  non-fulfilment obligation from the agreement by
  the management.
• To avoid the arbitration management started to
  negotiate amendments of the agreement.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum

• Based on these negotiations the agreement changed
  for the benefit of the EWC.
• Negotiating body has been extended to five
  members.
• EWC meetings have been extended to two three-days
  meetings a year one and half day for training
  and one and half day for the meeting with the
  management.
• Competences of the committee were extended and
  regular quarterly meetings with the management
  were established.
• Approach of the management changed fundamentally.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum

• In 2006 elections into the new committee took
  place.
• In these elections I became the second
  substitute.
• Due to the JV SAPA/Alcoa completion some WC
  members left for this joint company. Two members
  of the committee terminated their activity at
  Alcoa and therefore I became in June 2007 regular
  member of the committee at Alcoa.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum

• Representative from each country must ensure
  transfer of information to other trade unionists
  and employees. EWC members inform each other by
  e-mails and quarterly reports from their
  countries.
• Information brochure has been published.
• At present time our own web-pages are created
  within the Alcoa web.
• OS KOVO is informed via the international
  department, where information and reports are
  send.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum

• EWC is annually informed about the economic
  results of the company and of the individual
  divisions.
• Strategy of the company in different areas,
  outlook, etc. are discussed.
• We are informed about the restructuring plans and
  possible location closures and staff reductions.
• We can influence conditions under which job
  reductions take place.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum Concrete Examples

• Consultation during closing the plant Swansea, UK
• Creation of negotiation body SAPA/Alcoa
  information and consultation take place here even
  after setting up joint company.
• Consultation in EuroForum about the impact of the
  strike in VW Brussels on the Czech Republic (in
  this case also other active players OS KOVO
  through its international department and OS KOVO
  President, EMF and the Works Council in
  Brussels).
• The intention to buy Alcan shares by Alcoa (again
  big activity of OS KOVO international department,
  involvement of Alcoa EWC, Alcan EWC and the EMF).
• Planned AFL division restructuring agreement on
  consultation since the first steps of the company
  in this matter.

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EWC - Alcoa EuroForum Conclusions

• EWC is an important part of workers
  representation at the multinational companies.
• Information gained through the EWC is very
  important and not available from other sources.
• It is of utmost importance to have EWC
  representatives with real interests to enforce
  European legislation observance as well as the
  workers interests in all EU countries.
• Alcoa EWC started at present time to function
  according to the vision of individual countries
  representatives.