Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Telecoms and Software News
Telecoms and Software News: "Yesterday, SAP published a statement welcoming a decision by the eight employee representatives on its supervisory board to organise the elections for a workers' council. The employee representatives will arrange a company meeting in the near future, possibly next week, with the aim of electing a committee, which then has to organise the actual election of a workers' council.
Comment: At first sight, it looks like SAP has made a U-turn by welcoming the creation of a workers' council (see EuroView Daily, 28 February). Hardly a day has passed over the last week or two that SAP wasn't in the news with details of how it has attempted to prevent the creation of such a council. SAP voiced its determination to take matters to the federal constitutional court - so what has happened?
A stunning 91% of SAP employees voted against the formation of a workers' council in a general meeting on 2 March (see EuroView Daily, 3 March). However, the three defeated employees who were behind this move, and happen to be members of the trade union IG Metall, brought the issue in front of an industrial tribunal in Mannheim to try and force SAP to form a workers' council. The decision will be pronounced on 11 April. But given the current law on this issue, it seems certain that the outcome will be the imposition of an election committee by court ruling. This would result in trade union members being part of the election committee. "
Comment: At first sight, it looks like SAP has made a U-turn by welcoming the creation of a workers' council (see EuroView Daily, 28 February). Hardly a day has passed over the last week or two that SAP wasn't in the news with details of how it has attempted to prevent the creation of such a council. SAP voiced its determination to take matters to the federal constitutional court - so what has happened?
A stunning 91% of SAP employees voted against the formation of a workers' council in a general meeting on 2 March (see EuroView Daily, 3 March). However, the three defeated employees who were behind this move, and happen to be members of the trade union IG Metall, brought the issue in front of an industrial tribunal in Mannheim to try and force SAP to form a workers' council. The decision will be pronounced on 11 April. But given the current law on this issue, it seems certain that the outcome will be the imposition of an election committee by court ruling. This would result in trade union members being part of the election committee. "
