ASL Aviation’s EWC ready for take-off

Last week I had the pleasure to be in Dublin to deliver the first European Works Council training for ASL Aviation, together with Kevin Duffy, former Chairman of the Irish Labour Court.

ASL Aviation is a leading cargo airline group, so the new EWC brings together quite a mix of people: pilots, maintenance engineers, sales people and office staff, from across Europe. Always an interesting combination.

The first meeting/ training of a new EWC always is a fascinating moment. In just one day you can already see the group taking shape: learning the basics of the EWC framework, discussing and exploring how they might work together, and – perhaps most importantly – getting used to each other’s different perspectives.

Language certainly played a role. The group consisted of colleagues from France, Belgium, Ireland and Poland, with French as the dominant language. We therefore worked with French interpreters online, which helped, and luckily everyone had at least some working knowledge of English. That made the conversations flow, more or less.

What struck me again is how strongly the national systems for labour relations shape the way people approach discussions and decisions. Even the role of the chair initially caused some confusion. In French and Belgian works council systems the chair is normally part of management, while employee representatives work with a secretary. So when talking about an employee chair in an EWC… it took a moment before the penny dropped 🙂

Exactly these kinds of moments make the European aspect in European Works Councils very real and fun.

All in all a very valuable day and a great start for the ASL Aviation European Works Council. Ready for take-off!

#EWC #EuropeanWorksCouncil #SocialDialogue