ABSTRACT
The restructuring meant that within a short time Schmalbach-Lubeca had moved from being a European company to a globally active group present on both the European and American markets. The company is also active on the Asian market and will extend its presence in the future. The Schmalbach-Lubeca group management board responded with a reworked draft agreement, which on some issues did not come up to the minimum standards of the Directive's subsidiary requirements. Negotiations dragged on for nine months. The change in the characterisation of body from European Committee to European Works Council in itself gave a foretaste of the roles which the employee representatives envisaged for it: it is not 'just' a European information committee. In a letter from management to the group works council it had been stated: 'One indispensable precondition is that participation by representatives from all countries is secured as only through this will it be possible to secure an exchange of information.'
