FAQ
Reimagining
Works Councils 

1. I’m a Works Council member, can I get my company to give me the time to take this training?

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According to the Works Council Act (article 18.2) your company has to give you five days per year to undergo any training that the Works Council finds necessary to successfully do your job as a Works Council member. That training should be during working hours, if possible, and your company still has to pay your regular salary while you are in that training. 

 

If you are a member of a Works Council, your company needs to give you at least five days a year for training (article 18.3.b).

 

According to the SER (The Social and Economic Council for the Netherlands):

 

 “Works Councils and entrepreneurs both benefit from the Works Council being an expert and equal sparring partner for the entrepreneur. It is therefore important that Works Council members can follow specific courses or training. This ensures that a works council has added value and is a good advocate for the employees.”​

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2. What if the Works Council already has a training plan for the year?

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The majority of Works Councils do not utilize the full annual entitlement to training and it is extremely common for individual members to attend training for upskilling on their own in addition to joining the full WoCo or several members for joint training. 

 

Each member of the Works Council has a right to this entitlement, so, review the scheduled training your WoCo may have for the coming year and discuss what adjustments may be made to accommodate attending this course in lieu of an already scheduled course. Please reach out to us if you need some suggestions for how to start this dialogue within your WoCo. You can reach us at wocotraining@undercoveractivist.com 

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​3. I’m a Works Council member, can I get my company to pay for this training?

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According to the Works Council Act (article 22.1), your company needs to pay for any costs deemed “reasonably necessary” for you to perform your duties as a Works Council member. This includes training (article 22.3). 

 

The SER (The Social and Economic Council for the Netherlands) “encourages directors and Works Councils to continue investing in expertise.” 

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4. I’m a Works Council member who asked my company to pay for this training, but they told me “there’s a budget freeze”? What can I do?

 

According to the Works Council Act (article 22.1), your company needs to pay for any costs deemed “reasonably necessary” for you to perform your duties as a Works Council member. This includes a minimum of five days of training, per member, per year (article 22.3). Even if there is a “budget freeze”.

 

Basically, it’s not legal for your company to deny you the training you require as a Works Council member, especially if you can deem it “reasonably necessary”. 

 

If your company still pushes back, according to Article 18.4 of the Works Council Act, your Works Council can request that a judge of the sub-district court rule that the company pays for your training. 

 

Of course, we want to avoid it ever escalating to that step. So, if you are struggling to get your company to pay for this training, please reach out to us at wocotraining@undercoveractivist.com, and we can provide you with some templates and advice that will help you communicate with your employer to try to get this training covered by them. 

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5. I’m not a Works Council member, can I get my company to pay for this training?

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Most companies offer an annual learning and development budget for each employee. If you’re not sure what that budget is, ask your manager or HR. If this training falls into that budget, then ask your manager if you can take it! This training will upskill you in leadership, communication, prioritization, employee engagement, and more.

 

If you’re struggling to get your manager to approve this training to use your learning and development budget, reach out to us at wocotraining@undercoveractivist.com and we can provide you with some templates for communicating with your employer to show relevance of this training to your role and to get this training covered by them. 

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6. I’d rather take this training as AN individual (i.e. not paid for by my company), can I do that?

 

Yes, we’re offering a few discounted seats in this training for individuals who are paying for the training out of pocket. Select the “individual” option when checking out. 

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7. How many people from my Works Council should attend this training?

 

We recommend that about 1-3 people from your Works Council attend this training. 

 

These can be Chairs, Co-Chairs, Committee Chairs, Committee Members, or just regular Works Council members! We think any type of Works Council role could benefit from this training. 

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 8. What if I want my whole Works Council to take this training? 

 

That’s great! The unique value add we’re trying to provide for this specific training is to gather people from different companies so we can share our struggles as Works Council members and problem solve together. 

 

However, if you’re interested in running a version of this training for your entire Works Council specifically, we’d be happy to arrange that. Please reach out to us at wocotraining@undercoveractivist.com to arrange a training for your entire Works Council.

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9. I work in the office of the Bestuurder, Human Resources, Employee Relations, or in labor relations and want to support my Works Council from the business side. Can I take this training?

 

That’s great! The unique value add we’re trying to provide for this specific training is to gather people from different companies so we can share our struggles as Works Council members and problem solve together. 

 

However, if you’re interested in organization centered training specifically, we’d be happy to arrange that. We can help you with establishing a WoCo, elections, improving communications and relationships, and more. Please reach out to us at wocotraining@undercoveractivist.com to arrange a training for your entire Works Council.

 

10. Do you do more than just training? 

 

Yes! We’re currently taking on our first clients for longer-term consultative partnerships with Works Councils. We’d love to work with your Works Council on the specific topics, initiatives, or problems you’re facing to help you achieve your goals! 

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11. I can’t join this training but would be interested in future sessions, how do I know when the next one is happening?

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Please subscribe to our email list to be notified of future Works Council Strategy Lab trainings. 

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12. I still have questions about this training, how can I get them answered? 

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We’d be happy to answer them. Please reach out to us at wocotraining@undercoveractivist.com and we’ll get back to  you as soon as possible! 

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