techport HR Suite

Software for the Works Council: Research and Insight into AI

HR software is subject to co-determination as soon as it collects data on employees. For the works council, this means having to assess functions, data fields, and AI settings, usually alongside their regular work and without their own legal department. For HR management, it means the rollout waits until these questions are answered.

The works council assistant is a module of the techport HR Suite. It supports the works council when researching laws and internal works agreements. In addition, it provides read-only access to the configuration of the AI applicant scoring. This ensures both sides work with the same information.

Does this sound familiar?

The works council is expected to evaluate new software and receives a product brochure instead of a list of data fields and evaluations.
A question regarding data protection leads to three different statutes and two older works agreements. By the time the relevant passage is found, the meeting is over.
HR plans to use AI in candidate selection. Nobody on the works council knows which criteria the AI applies or who approved them.
HR management answers the same questions for the third time because the answers are scattered across emails.
After every update, the works council asks what has changed, and nobody can verify it.

What the works council assistant can do

Research across 73 laws and regulations

The assistant searches across 73 laws and regulations, including the Betriebsverfassungsgesetz (Works Constitution Act), DSGVO (GDPR), Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (Federal Data Protection Act), KI-Verordnung (EU AI Act), Arbeitszeitgesetz (Working Hours Act), and Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (General Equal Treatment Act). You pose your question in natural language. The response cites up to eight sources, which you can read in full text.

Responses in legal assessment style

The responses are structured in the legal assessment style familiar to legal practitioners. Every statement is substantiated with a statutory citation. Where the law and documentation do not provide an answer, the response highlights this gap. Every response is preceded by a notice stating that it does not constitute legal advice.

Integrate internal works agreements

The works council uploads its works agreements as PDF, DOCX, or TXT files. They remain permanently stored and are visible only to the works council. The search integrates them, placing what has already been agreed within your company alongside statutory provisions.

Usable without AI

Those who do not want a formulated AI response can use the list of relevant legal provisions. This helps if the works council prefers to review matters itself or if the use of AI functionality has not yet been agreed upon.

Read-only insight into AI applicant scoring

If your company uses the AI applicant scoring of the techport HR Suite, the works council can understand how it is configured. The access is read-only. The works council sees:

the approved evaluation criteria for each position,
the versions of these criteria, as each release constitutes an immutable version,
the logs of the applicant scoring with every AI query and every human action, including any override along with its justification.

Why this matters: evaluation criteria may constitute selection guidelines. For selection guidelines, the employer requires the consent of the works council, and pursuant to § 95 Abs. 2a BetrVG, this explicitly applies even when AI is deployed. Whether your criteria fall under this must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. This access ensures that the works council sees the exact version that the AI actually uses. The legal situation is explained in our guide Works Council and AI.

For the review, it helps to understand how the AI applicant scoring is designed. The AI suggests, a human decides. The system never sends rejections automatically. Before approval, criteria are checked for characteristics under the AGG (General Equal Treatment Act), such as age, gender, or ethnic origin. Name, contact details, date of birth, marital status, nationality, religion, and photograph are removed prior to evaluation.

Benefits for both sides

For the works council

Faster access to relevant sources: statutes and internal works agreements in a single search.
Internal documents remain with the works council, as uploaded works agreements are visible only to them.
Control over AI backed by documentation: approved criteria, versions, and logs rather than verbal assurances.
Better preparation for negotiations and for collaborating with an expert.

For HR management and executive leadership

Fewer queries, as the works council finds sources independently and can inspect the AI configuration directly.
Co-determination based on actual system data rather than slide presentations.
Preparation for the EU AI Act (KI-VO): From 2 December 2027, employers must inform employee representatives before deploying a high-risk AI system in the workplace (Art. 26 Abs. 7 KI-VO). Read-only access facilitates this notification. Learn more in our guide EU AI Act in Human Resources.
No additional isolated tool: the assistant uses the same login, the same roles, and the same audit log as the rest of the platform.

What the works council assistant is not

The assistant replaces neither legal advice nor an expert pursuant to § 80 Abs. 3 BetrVG. It helps prepare questions and locate sources. Nor is it office software for works council administration. Meetings, invitations, and resolutions continue to be managed using your existing tools.

Data protection and operations

Personal login with two-factor authentication, roles and permissions per module. Each role sees only what it is authorised to see, verified by the server.
Comprehensive audit log: who changed what and when, with before-and-after tracking.
Hosted on servers in Germany, optionally available as an on-premises installation.
Data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 DSGVO.

One point belongs in every agreement: even when the works council processes personal data, the employer remains the data controller under data protection law (§ 79a BetrVG). Therefore, specify who may view which works council content in the system. A sample structure can be found in our guide Works Agreement on AI.

How to get started

Joint demo: HR and the works council review the assistant and the read-only view together.
Agree on rules: Access rights, visibility, and reporting must be defined in the works agreement.
Upload existing agreements: The works council uploads its works agreements and can immediately search both the law and its own repository.

If you would like support during implementation, our consulting service for HR Software and Works Council is here to help. Pricing is available upon request, depending on employee headcount and selected modules. Request a demo

Frequently asked questions

What is software for the works council?

Software for the works council supports works councils with research, documentation, or administration. The works council assistant in the techport HR Suite handles two tasks: legal research across 73 laws and internal works agreements, and read-only insight into the AI applicant scoring. It does not manage meetings, invitations, or resolutions. It is part of the HR platform that the employer also uses.

Does the works council assistant replace legal advice?

No, the assistant does not replace legal advice. Each response is preceded by a corresponding disclaimer. Responses cite statutory provisions and up to eight sources so that you can verify the statements yourself. For binding assessments and for evaluating AI systems, consult specialist legal counsel or an expert pursuant to § 80 Abs. 3 BetrVG.

Who can see the uploaded works agreements?

Uploaded works agreements are visible only to the works council and remain permanently stored. Under data protection law, the employer remains the controller for data processing carried out by the works council, as stipulated by § 79a BetrVG. Therefore, specify in the works agreement who is permitted to view which works council content in the system and who has administrative access.

Which HR software meets works council requirements regarding data protection?

No software meets these requirements on its own, as they stem from your works agreement and the system configuration. Look for roles and permissions per module, audit logs, retention periods, data access and export per individual, hosting in Germany, and a data processing agreement. The techport HR Suite provides these features. Whether they are sufficient should be clarified directly with your works council.

Can the works council modify the AI applicant scoring?

No, the works council has read-only access. It can view approved criteria, their versions, and the scoring logs. Criteria are approved in the system by a human on the employer side. Whether prior consent from the works council is required—for instance, because the criteria constitute selection guidelines pursuant to § 95 BetrVG—is defined in your works agreement.

Is the works council assistant available as an app?

There is no app in an app store. The techport HR Suite, and with it the works council assistant, runs directly in the browser on desktop, tablet, and smartphone. Works council members can therefore carry out research while on the go, using the same personal login and two-factor authentication as in the office.

Sources

Retrieved on 23 October 2026.