Employee participation

Elections to the Works Council took place at the beginning of the year, and the new Council officially started on 1 April 2013. The Works Council reports as follows about the year under review:

‘The Works Council is committed to putting modern employee participation into practice. That is why we ensure that we are involved as a partner in any changes at an early stage. In addition, we urge management and relevant employees to plan such changes jointly, in mutual consultation. This will stimulate employee participation, with responsibilities placed low in the organisation and managed on the basis of ‘coaching leadership’.

In a number of cases, the involvement of the Works Council has led to proposals being changed. In the case of parts of two Requests for Advice, the Council recommended that they not be implemented. As a result, the relevant decision was postponed, which meant there was time not only for further research, but also for dialogue between management and employees. We expect this to result in better proposals that enjoy broader support.

With regard to the appointment of the new CEO, the Council discussed the profile with the Chairman of the Supervisory Board. It did not prove feasible on this occasion to involve the Works Council in the selection of candidates. However, the Works Council had an opportunity to speak with the preferred candidate before making its recommendation.

In the coming year, the Council, the management and the trade unions will discuss together how and to what extent management’s wish to establish a new pay structure or system can be met.’