Works Councils

As the influence of labour unions declines in many industrialized nations, particularly the United States, the influence of workers has decreased. Because of the need for greater involvement of workers in changing production systems, as well as frustration with existing structures of workplace regulation, the search has begun for new ways of providing a voice for workers outside the traditional collective bargaining relationship. Works councils - institutionalized bodies for representative communication between an employer and employees in a single workplace - are rare in the Anglo-American world, but are well-established in other industrialized countries. The contributors to this volume survey the history, structure and functions of works councils in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Canada and the United States. Special attention is paid to the relations between works councils and unions and collective bargaining, works councils and management, and the role and interest of governments in works councils. The book demonstrates that well-designed works councils may be more effective than labour unions at solving management-labour problems.