Comité d'entreprise

   Works council. Structure representing the interests of employers and employees within a company or place of work. Comités d'entreprise have been obligatory since 1945 in all companies with 50 employees or more. When a company has more than one site, they are called Comités d'Etablissement. These committees must, by law, meet at periodic intervals, and are the channel through which management normally communicates important information to the workforce. Employers must consult with the committees on a number of major types of development concerning the future of the company, such as restructuring, collective layoffs, or significant changes in work practices. However in such matters the committees have only a consultative role, and cannot impose their view on management. Their main active role is to manage social and cultural activities in the company. Comités d'entreprise are made up of management, elected representatives of the workforce, and sometimes - as non-voting observers - appointed trade union representatives. Elected members serve a term of between 2 and 4 years. Frequently, but by no means always, they are trade union representatives.