A body where representatives of the management and workers of an establishment or a firm meet to discuss matters of mutual interest. These typically exclude wages, but include working conditions, health and safety, and individual or group grievances. Many managements find works councils useful in settling problems before they escalate into industrial disputes. They may also be used as a convenient occasion for briefing workers on the firm’s prospects and profits. Works councils generally do not have the power to make executive decisions, but unless management takes considerable notice of their proceedings, discussion not followed by action is liable to make problems worse rather than better. In some countries, and under the Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty, works councils are compulsory for larger firms.