EWCs’ Cross-National Employee Representative Coordination: A Case of Trade Union Cooperation?

Abstract

This article argues that, in order to explore the extent to which cross-national union representatives’ cooperation can be achieved within the context of European integration, articulation between the European and the national (local) union levels needs to be examined. Comparative research findings in two European Works Councils (EWCs) reveal that the creation of complementary links of coordination among employee representatives at European level depends on the extent to which European trade union organizations can successfully align their policies to the national and local context. Two combined sets of factors are found to mutually affect the efficacy of such articulation: the ‘voluntary’ context within which EWC agreements are set up; and the national union orientations towards the common European policy issues. Thus, prospects and concerns are raised regarding the use of Europeanization as an essential factor for supranational trade union cooperation.