EWCs in the new Member States : Case study: KBC Bank

KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company was established in 1998 following the merger of three Belgian financial institutions. This case study is based on interviews carried out in Poland and the Czech Republic between March and July 2006 with representatives of the KBC European Works Council. Additional information and background material was also delivered by the Secretary of the EWC of KBC at an interview in Belgium and in the context of the project’s expert workshop in Warsaw in June 2006. KBC has had a European Works Council (EWC) since 1996, when the original agreement was signed at the then existing Kredietbank, with amendments made in 1999 and 2004. The KBC EWC is a joint body established under Belgium law.