THE COLLECTIVE RIGHTS OF EMPLOYEES IN THE CRISIS OF THE EU

International Conference (simultaneous translation: English, French, German) The Conference will focus on the Right to Strike, and the right to Information and Consultation   March 2-3, 2012 at the ver.di Bildungs- und Begegnungszentrum Clara Sahlberg, Koblanckstr. 10, 14109 Berlin-Wannsee

The Programme (pdf-file)

Friday, March  2, 2012  

1:00 pm:    doors open, conference registration

2:00 pm:        Mechtild Kuby, Lawyer, Lawyer specialising  in labour law, Arbeitnehmeranwälte, Berlin: Welcome; “A network for European lawyers for employees – more necessary than ever!”

2:15 pm:        Prof. Dr. Jens Schubert, Director of the federal Legal Department of the United Services Union – ver.di, Berlin: “The EU in times of crisis and the consequences on employment rights”. He will focus on the EU Commission’s activities in connection with the relation-ship between basic social rights and the single European market – as well as the im-pact of fiscal law on national employment markets and wage policy.

MAIN TOPIC 1: RIGHT TO STRIKE IN THE EU   

2:45 pm:        John Hendy, QC, Barrister, London, President of the International Centre for Trade Union Rights: “The Right to Strike as a fundamental human right in a time of austerity.”

3:15 pm:        The Right to Strike in individual EU member states in conflict with international law

–    Jean-Luc Wabant, lawyer, SAF, Lille and Paris

–    Sophie Remouchamps, lawyer, president of the Association TERRA LABORIS, Brussels

–    Peter Berg, lawyer, legal adviser of the federal state district NRW of the United Services Union ver.di, Düsseldorf

4:00 pm:        coffee break

4:30 pm:        lectures continue

–    Prof. Dr. Antonio Baylos Grau, University of Castilla de la Macha, Department of labour law, Ciudad Real and Madrid

–    Prof. Dr. Antonio Loffredo, University of Siena, Department of labour law, Siena

–    John Hendy QC, Barrister, London

5:15 pm:        panel discussion

– “The Right to Strike in the EU Member States and International Law – evaluation and conclusions for its practice”

Participants: Jean-Luc Wabant, Sophie Remouchamps, Peter Berg, Prof. Antonio Baylos Grau, Prof. Antonio Loffredo, John Hendy QC,                                   Followed by questions and panel discussion with conference participantsModerators: Jan Buelens, lawyer, Progress Lawyers Network and researcher University of Antwerp, Antwerp, and Michael Schubert, Lawyer, specializing in labour law, Arbeit-nehmeranwälte, Freiburg

7:30 pm:        dinner for conference participants at the Bildungs- und Begegnungszentrum Clara Sahlberg

Saturday, March 3, 2012               

MAIN TOPIC 2: INFORMATION AND CONSULTATION OF EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATIONS IN THE EU   

10:30 am:    Prof. Filip Dorssemont, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium: International and EU law, its guidelines for information and consultation of employee representatives in the EU and the European Commission’s “Fitness-Check”

11:00 am:    Ralf Peter Hayen, Head of the Legal Department of the Federal Board of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), Berlin: The European work councils and the new EBR (European work councils) directive 2009/38/EG – deficiencies of transposition particularly in Germany

11:30 am:    Jochen Homburg, the Industrial Union of Metal Workers, Federal Board (IG Metall), Frankfurt/Main: Experience with the work and effectiveness of European work councils

Following: questions and panel discussion with conference participantsModerators: Rüdiger Helm, Lawyer, Arbeitnehmeranwälte, Munich, Thomas Schmidt, lawyer, ELDH Secretary General, Düsseldorf, Regina Bell, lawyer, lawyer specializing in labor law Arbeitnehmeranwälte, Munich    12:45 pm:    lunch for the participants of the conference at the Bildungs- und Begegnungszentrum Clara Sahlberg

2:00 pm:        Introduction and discussion of country reports on the practice of information and con-sultation of employee representations in France, Belgium, GB, Germany, Spain and Italy

Note: Print-outs of the country reports (in English, French and German) – the an-swers to a questionnaire posted on the network – will be mailed to all participants before the conference and will also be available during conference registration on Friday. The content of the country reports is expected to be known by those partic-ipating in the discussion.

Moderator: Rüdiger Helm, Lawyer, Arbeitnehmeranwälte, Munich, Thomas Schmidt, lawyer, ELDH Secretary General, Düsseldorf, Regina Bell, lawyer, lawyer specializing in labor law Arbeitnehmeranwälte, Munich

5:00 pm:        end of the conference

Additional Information

Conference Fees:– Participants from Germany: € 100,– (1 day), € 150,– (2 days)- Participants from other EU Member States: € 80,– (1 day), € 120,– (2 days)

The fee includes: conference documents, coffee break, dinner on Friday and lunch on Saturday at the “Bildungs- und Begegnungszentrum Clara Sahlberg”, simultaneous translations into English, French and German on both days There are  a limited number of double and single bedrooms at the BBZ Clara Sahlberg available for  € 58,- (single room) or € 87,- (double room), incl. breakfast, per night.

Please book your room with your registration. (s. registration form) by mail or fax

For registration (conference and rooms) and questions please contact: or fax: Rechtsanwälte Hummel – Kaleck, Berlin, 030/44679220

If you wish to sign up for one day only, please make sure to explicitly note this when registering.Please transfer the fee amount to the following bank account:Banc: Berliner VolksbankBanc code: 100 900 00Account number: 236 452 9000BIC: BEVODEBB – IBAN: DE04 1009 0000 2364 5290 00FOR REGISTRATION AND BOOKING OF ROOMS PLEASE USE THE REGISTRATION FORM (word-file)

Your registration is not confirmed until the fee has been received.For directions please visit  www.bbz.verdi.de

The BBZ Clara Sahlberg is located on the shore of the beautiful Wannsee (lake). To get to the BBZ from the Berlin Central train station (“Berlin Hauptbahnhof”) please take city train 7 (“S-Bahn”) to Wannsee (approx. 26 min), then transfer to Ringbus 114 and get off at Koblanckstraße (4 stations, approx. 5 min).

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Organisers of the Conference:

Initiative to the Network European Lawyers for Workers

in cooperation with

– European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH/EJDM)
– Vereinigung Demokratischer Juristinnen und Juristen  (VDJ), Bundesvorstand und AK Arbeitsrecht (the Association of Democratic Jurists, Germany, Federal Board and Labour Law Working Group)
– Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, ver.di, Bundesvorstand (United Services Union, Germany, ver.di Federal Board)
– ArbeitnehmerAnwälte (cooperation Lawyers for employees, Germany)
– Syndicat des Avocats de France, SAF (the French Trade Union for Lawyers)