The Establishment of European Works Councils

First published in 1999, this volume evaluates the context, role and development of EWCs through eight case studies and asks whether EWCs will promote the Europeanisation of Industrial relations. The EWCs were the first European institution in the field of social policy and went far beyond simply requiring national implementation of a common framework. They were innovative in their requirements for a judicious blend of subsidiarity, shared responsibility and flexibility. This study represents the culmination of research carried out between September 1996 and September 1997 and sets out to anchor a number of qualitative case-studies in a systematic, nationally comparative approach.

Wolfgang Lecher, Bernhard Nagel, Hans-Wolfgang Platzer

Part 1. Introduction. 1. Scope and Method of the Research. Part 2. The Context for the Development of European Works Councils. 2. Political Europeanisation - Economic Globalisation? 3. The Transformation of Corporate Strategies. 4. The Legal Context for EWCs: The Directive and its Precursors. 5. The Establishment of EWCs: Process and Course of Development. Part 3. Industrial Relations in Western Europe. 6. National Industrial Relations and the Context for EWCs in Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. 7. EWCs as a Catalyst for European Industrial Relations. Part 4. Eight Case Studies on the Establishment of European Works Councils. 8. Fields of Interaction of EWCs. 9. Schmalbach-Lubeca: Countervailing Power through Information. 10. Hoechst: the EWC as the 'Fourth Tier of Codetermination'. 11. The EWC at Bull: Tackling the 'Long Haul'. 12. The EWC at Rhône Poulenc: The Politics of Incrementalism. 13. The EWC at GKN: Still Searching for Independence. 14. ICI: The Untypical Briton. 15. The EWC at Merloni: 'Left in the Lurch'. 16. The EWC at ENI: Building Block of a European Corporate Culture. Part 5. Conclusions and Prospects. 17. Implications of the Case Studies. 18. EWCs in the 'European Social Model' - From Information Committee to Social Actor. 19. The EWC Model as Political Objective. 20. National Prospects: EWCs in Italy, France, the UK and Germany. 21. Will EWCs Promote the Europeanisation of Industrial Relations?