(17 April 2018) Worker representatives from the French social services multinational, Korian met in Brussels on 11 April to establish network of trade unions from Italy, Germany, France and Belgium. The group discussed the next steps following the demand to establish a European works council in the company.
Jan Voets from the European Trade Union Institute provided representatives with basic information on the work of an EWC agreement. Jane Lethbridge, director of public service international research unit, PSIRU, presented a view on Korian’s industrial strategies and human resources management.
Workers exchanged views on working conditions in the Korian Group’s subsidiaries across Europe. This revealed that the company is keeping wages low and staffing levels to a bare minimum while increasing the competition between institutions among its European undertakings. Despite the fact that Korian is highly profitable, inadequate pay, part-time contracts and precarious working conditions are commonplace.
Participants agreed next steps to improve internal coordination and solidarity among trade unions and workers. The group of unions aims to develop new links of solidarity among workers, a prerequisite for anticipating change and restructuring processes and becoming involved in them.
The meeting followed a similar event organized with trade union representatives and workers from ORPEA, another multinational leader in the social care business, EPSU together with worker representatives is setting up a union network and reaffirm workers’ rights to be informed and consulted by central management on transnational issues of concern to the company’s employees and in this way to improve the quality of the service in the interest of all European citizens.
This meeting was organised with the financial support of the European Commission
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