First Sector Meeting of the “JustWork” Project: Exchange on “Workplace Democracy” in the Chemical Industry

On November 6th and 7th, the first sector meeting of the “JustWork” project, dedicated to the topic of “Workplace Democracy”, took place in Vienna. Trade unionists and works council members from the chemical industry in Austria and Slovenia met for a two-day sector meeting to exchange experiences and best practices on working conditions and day-to-day participation rights.

The direct exchange between colleagues from Henkel, Borealis, LAT Nitrogen, and Geberit was particularly exciting. For many participants, it was a unique opportunity to network across international borders and learn from one another.

Involving Employees in Decision-Making

The discussions focused on fair wages, working hours, occupational health and safety, pay transparency, equal opportunities, and training opportunities for employees. The Austrian works council members presented in detail the collective bargaining system of the chemical industry and compared it with practices in Slovenia. It became clear that a key element of successful employee participation is the continuous involvement of employees in decision-making, especially when it comes to modernisation efforts and ecological or production-related changes.

A best-practice example showed how employees can actively contribute ideas and provide suggestions anonymously via hotlines or town-hall formats, and how important an “open-speech” culture is. It is crucial that managers model a culture of openness and give employees the space to share their perspectives.

Freedom of Expression

The Slovenian participants reported that freedom of expression in the workplace is still not taken for granted—an inheritance from the early privatisation period of the 1990s. Works council members said that employees’ direct criticism is often softened before it is passed on during discussions with management.

Together, the participants discussed current challenges such as securing skilled workers, shift models, and outsourcing. The aim was to identify concrete levers to strengthen participation rights. At the end of the meeting, common priorities were defined and next steps for cross-border cooperation were agreed.

The sector meeting underscores the importance of international exchange for effective employee representation and shows how learning from one another can help sustainably to improve working conditions.