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      Structure clarified for Hydro's European Works Council

      It is now clear how the European Works Council (EWC), the cooperative body for European trade unions, will operate in Hydro in the future. The trade unions and the company’s management have agreed to extend the agreement that previously applied to Hydro’s aluminium business.

      Among other things, this means that there will be a joint meeting in the European Works Council once a year. This year’s joint meeting will take place in March.

      Its purpose is to raise issues, to inform, and to discuss questions of a more strategic nature for both Hydro as a company and for each of the business areas. Svein Richard Brandtzæg and Torstein Dale Sjøtveit, who head up the two business areas Aluminium Products and Aluminium Metal respectively, will participate in the meeting.

      The remaining meetings will take place at sectoral level. Working committees consisting of up to four persons have therefore been set up for each sector. The main task for the working committees is to prepare the European Works Council meetings.

      The EWC in Aluminium Metal consists of 11 representatives from different Hydro locations and offices – two from Karmøy, Rheinwerk, Sunndal and Årdal, one from Cologne/Bonn, Slovalco and Vækerø/Oslo, as well as an observer from Kurri Kurri in Australia.

      In Rolled Products there are 13 representatives in the EWC – four from Grevenbroich, two from Hamburg and one from Holmestrand, Inasa, Karmøy and Slim. In addition there are two observers from Alunorf and one from IG Metall.

      In Building Systems the EWC consists of six employee representatives – two from Toulouse and one from Atessa, Alelli, Ponbal and Ulm respectively. In addition,  IG Metal will attend with guest status.

      In Extrusion Eurasia the EWC has 14 representatives. Here there is one representative from Chateauroux, Chrzanow, Karmøy, Lucé, Magnor, Nenzing, Ornago, Portalex, Rackwitz, Raufoss, Raeren, the UK, Tønder and Uphusen respectively.

      Meanwhile, in the Automotive Structures business sector the European Works Council consists of representatives for Alunord, Raufoss, Skultuna, Tønder and Wackersdorf. In addition, a US observer – from Holland, Michigan – will attend.