Where's the Beef? Mcdonald's and its European Works Council

This paper analyses the establishment and subsequent meetings of the McDonald’s European Works Council (EWC) established under Article 13. The paper focuses on the extent to which a non-union firm can frustrate the intent of the EWC directive and especially where this is based on a voluntary agreement. The findings raise a number of questions. Who is an ‘employee representative’? How are such representatives elected in practice and what roles do existing national sub-structures play? Can employee representatives adequately co-ordinate their roles in the absence of significant unionisation? The findings suggest that where workforces have low levels of unionisation and employers are opposed in principle to such consultation arrangements, then it is difficult to guarantee even the limited aims of the directive. Furthermore, when challenged by powerful MNEs, legislatively underpinned national-level sub-structures, which are often assumed to make such European-level bodies accountable, may be unable to do so in practice