German Trade Union Mining, Chemistry, Energy (IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie - IG BCE) Partners: Association of German Employers in the Chemistry-Branch (Bundesarbeitgeberverband Chemie - BAVC);
Association of the German Chemical Industry (Verband der Chemischen Industrie – VCI).

The German constitution enshrines the freedom of association in the field of labour relations and includes the principle of workers’ participation in their companies’ decision-making. The Works Councils are crucial instruments to enable partnership between employers and employees. While the Union generally has great influence in the nomination of candidates, the entire body of employees elects the Works Council. Hence the Councils have considerable impact on companies’ economic decisions.

In Germany, since the 1970’s the number of legislative acts for environmental protection, especially applicable to chemical industry, has been augmenting, while implementation and administrative monitoring often lacked in tension with short-term economic interests. Led by the principles of sustainability the Union envisaged that neither too strict general legislation nor collective bargaining would solve the particular problems in individual companies. IG BCE developed a twofold strategy focussed on reaching voluntary environmental agreements from chemical industry and sought a way to expand Works Councils’ influence into ecological and social tasks.

In August 1987 these efforts led the partners (IG BCE, i.e. The Union; BAVC, i.e. Employers; and VCI, i.e. Chemical Industry) to sign a Declaration on Environmental Protection and founding the "Company for Information of Works Councils concerning Environmental Protection in the Chemical Industry" (GIBUCI).

Changing consumption and production patterns, economic growth, capacity building.

• GIBUCI initiated a new dimension of partnership between management and employees. It empowers Works Councils to conclude works agreements on environmental protection.

• GIBUCI, as a unique company with Union and Industry as partners with equal rights and (financial) obligations, ensures that Works Councils’ members get informed and taught in the field of environmental protection. It continually develops training materials and to date organised more than seventy training sessions (on legal principles, environmental management, ecology-taxes or special environmental laws).

• The Works Councils reached the ratification of more than 60 works agreements, which give employees control over e.g. monitoring some 100.000 chemicals, licensing procedures, safety analyses, storage and transportation of hazardous substances, soil contamination, waste disposal, or changes in workplace environment.

• Created an environmental spokesperson within the Union with the major task to support the Works Council considering also local, regional and social aspects.

• GIBUCI affected the "Responsible Care" initiative of the German chemical industry, by providing guidelines promoting companies’ commitment to environmentally sound processes and products.

• The Union enabled Works Councils to evaluate their companies, making the "Responsible Care" an important instrument to ensure German companies’ compliance with international environmental standards.

Since it’s foundation in 1987 GIBUCI’s meetings turned more and more from merely informative events to important discussion platforms. The partnership between employers and employees ensures economically, socially, and environmentally skilled employees. This provides an outstanding contribution to sustainability driven companies and serves for mutual advantage. Whereas Union and employees reached higher impact on environmental decisions, industry welcomes the input of employees’ ideas and knowledge. GIBUCI experience has been replicated in other sectors such as the German paper industry.

It is expected that employees continue having an impact on the "Responsible Care" initiative, as well as in the adoption of a new declaration of the chemical industries social partners.

Dr. Bernd Heins
IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (Trade Union Mining, Chemistry, Energy)
Abteilung Umweltschutz (Department Ecology)
Königsworther Platz 6
30167 Hannover Germany
Tel. (+49 511) 7631 272
Email: bernd.heinz@igbce.de