Formation, development and current state of industrial democracy in Germany

Abstract

The article covers the history and development of German co-determination (works councils and board-level representation). The first section addresses the terminology of industrial democracy by comparing the different meanings in English and German industrial relations vocabulary. This is followed by a section on the history of the institutions of worker committees, works councils and board-level representation in German industries, beginning from the first voluntary introduction of worker committees by social-minded employers through the periods of the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic and on into post-war Germany. A third section addresses the present role and functions of works councils, including their learning process by interaction with management and their symbiotic relationship with the trade unions, followed by a section on the differences and similarities between works councils and human resource management. The last section analyses the changes and current trends in the field of shop-floor participation, works councils and board-level representation.