Around 10 million workers across the EU have the right to information and consultation on company decisions at European level through their EWCs. 

They give representatives of workers from all European countries in big multinational companies a direct line of communication to top management. 

They also make sure that workers in different countries are all told the same thing at the same time about transnational policies and plans. 

They give workers’ representatives in unions and national works councils the opportunity to consult with each other and to develop a common European response to employers’ transnational plans, which management must then consider before those plans are implemented.