Dedalus and Arianna

Each EWC has its own story. The story of the Freudenberg EWC began at the end of the ‘90s and it was not all rosy. Recently, with the appointment of a new manager, the relationship with the multinational worsened. Right now, we are working on an agreement, which can regulate the information and consultation processes once and for all.

“We ask to receive news in a timely manner and not a second before the Group makes its decisions”, says Giuseppe Iavarone, member of the select committee. “Luckily, we are solving this problem. After having expressed our intention to turn to a conciliation board to resolve the issue, the company became more open towards us.”

In a moment when we are not sure whether we will receive news about the intents of the management, the only solution is an effective communication among delegates. If, within a branch, we suspect some corporate manoeuvres, we talk about it in the EWC and ask the management for an explanation. Iavarone deeply believes in the wealth that can be triggered by human relationships, for both personal and strategic reasons.

He is very passionate about cultural differences. He proudly spreads the values of the CGIL to his colleagues of the works council, and he would like to adopt the German approach within his trade union. “They go straight to the point, they are practical. This helps to better focus on the problems in the long term, and to find solutions that are more advantageous on a whole.”

Thus, training is important. With training, ideals become more concrete, motivations more solid, as  the responsibility of EWC members becomes more clear. Can a well-oiled council help to strengthen a European trade union movement? Iavarone thinks that we need quite the opposite. It is the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) which must help the EWC. “It does so in part by sending experts when we need to examine some specific issues in detail. Thanks to their analysis of economic phenomena, we manage to understand the situation and get ready to act. But this is not enough. We are plunged into a much more general scenario, our point of view must be broader. I think that the ETUC should exert pressure on European policy-makers, if we want to have at least some hope of improving our destinies. EWC, ETUC, and the European institutions must make up a single united front. We cannot make it on our own.”