THE EU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Mr Padraig Flynn, yesterday initiated a consultation process which will lead to new rights to information and consultation for employees at national level. The process, which will initially involve seeing whether the European social partners can agree the details of a package, will extend to Ireland and Britain rights enjoyed by workers in some form in all other member states.

Mr Flynn's announcement followed that by the European Commission of a detailed action plan for completing the single market which it intends to put to the Amsterdam summit on Monday week. The programme seeks renewed political commitment to completing the single market by January 1st, 1999, in parallel with the launch of the euro.

Speaking at a press conference to introduce the plan, the President of the Commission, Mr Jacques Santer, also handed an olive branch to the new French government in calling for the summit to consider how best to intensify economic cooperation between the member states.

Mr Flynn's initiative is likely to mirror at a national level the Commission's approach to worker information and consultation at multinational level. The commissioner emphasised that he would prefer the social partners at company level to work out the form that consultation would take.

Mr Flynn made clear that he believed the legislation should extend to legally nullifying corporate decisions, like the relocation recently of Renault, which are taken without due consultation. He insisted that the new rights would not be a cost to employers but, by providing a more secure and committed workforce, would enhance competitiveness.