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EFES NEWSLETTER - SEPTEMBER 2010
Public
policies for employee ownership in Europe
You are invited to attend the conference on November 26
in Brussels. With European Commissioner Michel Barnier,
Pervenche Béres from the European Parliament and many other
high representatives. The conference is organized by the
EFES for the Belgian Presidency of the European Union. Practical information
European Economic and Social Committee
The European Economic and Social Committee is the body
that gives representatives of Europe's social partners and
civil society a formal platform to express their points
of views on European issues. It has a key role to play in
the Union's decision-making process. It is now preparing
an own-initiative opinion on Employee Financial Participation.
This
SOC/371 draft opinion can be downloaded in all languages
The Report calls for a Council of Ministers' Recommendation.
It promotes the "building block approach"
and an optional simple, uniform incentive model, with the
same tax arrangements and incentives throughout the European
Union. The draft Report was amended and voted in Section
Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship. This new version
is available as well as our own comments on request to
the EFES' Secretariat.
Australian Employee Buyout Centre
The Australian Employee Buyout Centre was set up by
the Australian Government to preserve, protect and enhance
jobs through employee ownership. More
Press review
Much new information about employee ownership in August
2010, with 1.200 articles in this press review (on which
370 involving stock options and 301 about workers' cooperatives).
We made a selection of 46 remarkable articles in 13 countries:
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, India,
Italy, Poland, Trinidad, UK, USA, South-Africa.
Canada
and Germany: Employee ownership in small and medium
sized companies.
France:
New employee share plans in large companies: Axa, EADS,
Rexel, and some news from workers' coops.
Ghana:
Mineworkers call on government: The existing arrangements
where share options are paid only to selected management
staff should be extended to the ordinary mineworker as well.
India:
ESOPs back in vogue in IT companies.
Ireland:
Worker shareholders hire consultants about the Government's
proposal to split the Electricity Supply Board and transfer
ownership of the national grid.
Italy:
"È l'ora dei dipendenti azionisti" – It's time
for employee ownership.
Poland:
Polish Treasury approves employee buyout of Famed Lodz.
Trinidad:
ArcelorMittal workers demonstrate, asking to settle an Employee
Share Ownership Plan.
UK:
The recession has sparked renewed interest in share incentive
plans as a tax-efficient investment option for staff. David
Cameron's "Big Society" on the way: The first
wave of John Lewis-style "employee-owned" public
services are given the green light by ministers; the Coalition
announces 12 "pathfinders". Employee ownership
plan for Royal Mail. Good news for employees about capital
gain tax.
USA: ESOPs: Some real cases. Get capital through
employee ownership. The ESOP Association and the Employee
Ownership Foundation release results of the 2010 ESOP Company
Survey. "The data from the survey, which is done every
five years, proves the case for more employee ownership,"
said Michael Keeling. The eye-opening statistics of the
2010 survey are the increase in age of the ESOP and account
balances. Senator Sanders promotes a bill that would establish
state programs that support the move to employee ownership.
A second bill would create a United States Employee Ownership
Bank that would lend out money when employees of a business
are considering taking over a company from its original
owner.
The full press review is available
on:
http://www.efesonline.org/PRESS
REVIEW/2010/August.htm
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A
political roadmap for employee ownership in Europe
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EFES needs more members. Download the EFES membership form
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new on the EFES website?
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