European Works Councils and Industrial Relations: A Transnational Industrial Relations Institution in the Making (Routledge Research in Employment Relations)

The creation of European Works Councils is arguably the most important measure taken in global industrial relations in recent years. Adopted with the primary goal of facilitating European-level workers' participation in information-sharing and consultation in multinational companies, EWCs have also been central to a wide-ranging process of institution-building at the European level. European Works Councils charts the growth in the number of EWCs and the development of practices associated with EWCs between 1994, when legislation on EWCs was adopted, and 2009, when the initial legislation was amended. Drawing on original, large-scale, survey data, the book shows that the quality of information and consultation is generally poor, thus bringing into question the soft touch legislative approach to employee participation of the European Commission. The reforms implemented within trade union organizations to accommodate the development of EWCs are explored, together with the initiatives taken to extend the role of EWCs beyond information and consultation to incorporate negotiation. Articulation between EWCs and trade union organizations is shown to be integral to EWCs as institutions of information and consultation, and as a means to influence managerial decision-making. Similarly, the development of EWCs is shown to be a process contested by employers' organizations and managers on the one hand and labour organizations on the other. The character of this contestation ensures that the category 'EWC' includes a wide range of institutional forms and practices Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Dedication......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Figures......Page 12 Tables......Page 14 Abbreviations......Page 16 Preface......Page 20 1 Setting the Scene......Page 24 2 The Articulation Activities of European Industry Federations......Page 51 3 EWC Agreements: The Impact of the Directive on Coverage, Barriers, and Content......Page 78 4 Information, Consultation, and Company Restructuring: Views on the Core EWC Agenda......Page 101 5 EWC Infrastructure: Articulation in the Context of Communication, Training, and Collective Identity......Page 140 6 Beyond the Formal Information and Consultation Agenda......Page 174 7 From Review to Recast: Contesting the Revision of the Directive......Page 203 8 Conclusion: Towards a Transnational Industrial Relations Institution......Page 234 Appendix......Page 256 Notes......Page 264 References......Page 274 Index......Page 296 Aspects Of The Employment Relationship Are Central To Numerous Courses At Both Undergraduate And Postgraduate Level. Drawing From Insights From Industrial Relations, Human Resource Management And Industrial Sociology, This Series Provides An Alternative Source Of Research-based Materials And Texts, Reviewing Key Developments In Employment Research. Books Published In This Series Are Works Of High Academic Merit, Drawn From A Wide Range Of Academic Studies In The Social Sciences. The book assesses the development of European works councils, the first transnational institutions of employee participation. Drawing on survey data, it shows that European works councils rarely meet the objectives intended for them by the European Commission, and are in the process of long-term development, the outcome of which is uncertain. The creation of European Works Councils is arguably the most important measure taken in global industrial relations. Drawing on survey data, this book shows that the quality of information and consultation is generally poor, thus bringing into question the soft touch legislative approach to employee participation of the European Commission The creation of European Works Councils (EWCs) is arguably the most important measure taken in global industrial relations in recent years. This text examines the communication and information-sharing between workers' representatives and top management in multinational firms to assess whether EWCs are achieving their objectives