Challenges such as representing mostly English-speaking staff from all around the world and communicating with staff who work from home or abroad.

Because the various workplaces do not belong to a specific area, Arbeit und Leben, IG Metall, ver.di and the Berlin Tech Workers Coalition have decided to join forces to organize a conference that focuses on the specific issues that arise in tech office workplaces and offers ideas for next steps Works Councils can take in the upcoming months.

After a word of welcome and inputs by the initiators the conference, we will focus on questions of facilitating WoCo communication with staff with a special focus on remote work as well as on several upcoming questions around co-determination, such as workplace monitoring or WoCo strategies for mass layoffs.

Program

9:00 am - 10:00 am:    Welcome, Introduction statements by Jan Otto (IG Metall), Marcus Borck (ver.di) and Laura (Berlin Tech Workers Coalition)
10:00 am - 12:00 pm:  Parallel workshops on WoCo communication with staff. Trainer: Daniel Gutierrez (European Alternatives)
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm:  Lunch break
1:00 pm - 2:45 pm:      Afternoon workshop phase 1: Digital communication, Legal framework of collaboration between Works councils and Unions:

Workshop 1: Works Council communication with coworkers in mobile/remote work scenarios. Trainer: Antje Dieterich (ver.di)
Workshop 2: Legal framework on WoCo communication and on collaboration between Works Councils and unions. Trainer: Daniel Weidmann (dka Rechtsanwälte)
Workshop 3: Collective bargaining agreements at the workplace. Opportunities and consequences for Works Councils. Talk with Britta Berlet (chairwoman of the Works Council North East CARIAD), n.n. (Bosch.IO WoCo member), n.n. (Telekom WoCo member) and Thomas Weber (IG Metall)

3:00 pm - 4:45 pm: Afternoon workshop phase 2: Best practices for Works Council participation and co-determination:

Workshop 4: Effects of workplace monitoring on staff, works agreements against monitoring. Input by Phoebe Moore (University of Essex Business School  / International Labour Organization, UN, Geneva);
Workshop 5: Works Councils’ participation rights in restructuring and mass dismissal scenarios with Artur Skorniakov (Bcom WoCo member), Oren Berkowitz (SoundCloud WoCo member) and Anselm Mathes (PayPal WoCo member)
Workshop 6: Berlin Tech, migration and the role of works councils. Input by Stefania Animento (Berliner Institut für empirische Integrations- und Migrationsforschung, Humboldt University)

5:00 pm to 6:00 pm: Reflection phase, next steps & closing

6:00 pm: Get together at Café Madame, Mehringplatz 10, 10969 Berlin

As the conference will provide knowledge that is necessary for the activities of the Works Council, Works Council member can attend during working hours acc. to sec. 37 par. 6 and par. 2 BetrVG. The conference costs as well as the catering fee t must be covered by the employer.

Location: IG Metall Berlin, Alte Jakobstraße 149, 10969 Berlin
Time:       from 9 am to 6 pm
Exemption:   §37.6 BetrVG/works constitution act
Seminar costs: 150 €
Catering fee:     75 € plus VAT
Seminar number   222-269

We kindly ask that you register until September 16, 2022 along with a confirmation by your employer that the conference costs will be covered with the form provided below.

For further questions please contact Thomas Weber, 0151 29 23 11 13 or thomas.weber@igmetall.de

Find the invitation below:

If you like to know more about IG Metall, click here