Trade union shopfloor representation in Germany

Most publications on German industrial relations tend to focus on works councils but miss trade union delegates and senior delegates. Seeking to address this lack of research, a case study of a large manufacturing plant is used to examine the role of union delegates and senior delegates and their relationship to works councils. The case study seeks to show why works councils are inextricably linked to the union movement, even though both are structurally separated. Research findings support the notion that both are in a mutually supportive relationship. Furthermore, the evidence also suggests that trade union shopfloor representation is of crucial importance for works councils, industrial democracy and trade unions in German industrial relations.     

Trade union membership and dismissals

In Germany, there is no trade union membership wage premium and a membership fee of 1% of the gross wage. Therefore, prima facie, there are strong incentives to free-ride on the benefits of trade unionism. We establish empirical evidence for a private gain from trade union membership which has hitherto not been documented: in Western Germany, union members are less likely to lose their jobs than non-members. In particular, using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel we are able to show that roughly 50% of the observed raw differential in individual dismissal rates can be explained by the estimated average partial effect of union membership.     

The train drivers' strike in Germany 2007–2008: warnings for the future of the German trade union movement?

The authors review the strike that took place during 2007–08 that was called by the oldest existing German trade union, the professional union of train drivers Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokführer (GDL). In so doing, the outcome of the strike is analysed, together with the dynamics of relationship between the GDL, the industrial union TRANSNET, the Gewerkschaft der Bahnbeamten und Anwärter (DBDA), the union of the civil servants employed by the German railway, and the railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB AG). These relationships are examined as paradigmatic of politics of a particularistic organisation like GDL and for politics of an encompassing organisation like TRANSNET. These relationships raise the question: would the growth of professional unions in Germany lead to an erosion of the German system of industrial relations, which currently is still relatively stable due to the predominance of encompassing industrial unions?     

White-collar unionisation in West Germany, 1960–1976

The rapid growth of white-collar trade union membership in the UK in recent years has been paralleled by a similar phenomenon in Germany. Hermann Bayer and his colleagues explain the causes and results of the growth in trade unionism in West Germany against a background of socio-political developments.     

Ver.di and trade union revitalisation in Germany

Recent research on the fate of organised labour in western Europe has emphasised the capacity trade unions have to develop and implement revitalisation strategies as well as the fact that different trade union movements implement different strategies. In the case of Germany, trade unions have tended to defend existing mechanisms of social partnership and restructure the movement through mergers. This article argues that this approach has severe limitations given the diverse transformation of the German political economy. It presents research on the revitalisation strategies of Germany's new service sector trade union Ver.di established in 2001. The article argues that Ver.di has an awareness of the necessity of adopting new and comprehensive strategies for revitalisation, but that it is tending towards traditional strategies. This disadvantages those regions and sectors where institutions of industrial relations are not embedded.     

新形势下企业工会工作的探索与实践

企业工会是管理者与基层人员沟通的桥梁,在提高企业管理水平、推动企业发展中发挥了关键性作用。当前,企业工会工作存在企业对工会工作的重视程度不足、无法有效发挥工会工作的职能效应以及企业没有全面支持各项工会工作的开展三方面问题。为了确保新形势下企业工会工作能够取得良好的效果,论文提出相关人员需要优化工会工作模式,提升工会工作效果,建立健全的工会工作机制,保证工会工作有序进行,强化企业工会职能,突显工会价值。     

Embedded collectivism? Workplace representation in France and Germany

In most countries of Western Europe it makes little sense to speak of non‐union employee representation, as this is understood in the Anglo‐American world, for the principle of collective representation independent of the employer is strongly institutionalised. In this article we examine experience in two countries. In Germany, works councils with a wide repertoire of rights typically work in close partnership with trade unions. The system has experienced strains in recent years, and a growing proportion of mainly smaller workplaces are covered neither by councils nor by collective agreements; but there is virtually no evidence of alternative ‘voice’ mechanisms, and systems of direct participation are normally introduced by negotiation with councils. In France, works committees have fewer powers, and a divided trade union movement has been less successful than its German counterpart in ‘embedding’ the legally mandated institutions, at least in the private sector. Despite some common trends in both countries, national distinctiveness remains very apparent. There is growing scope for managerial strategic choice, but this is still institutionally bounded. Much more generally, countries displaying characteristics of a ‘European social model’ can be expected to sustain a close articulation between union and ‘non‐union’ channels of representation.     

新时代背景下如何提高工会干部教育培训整体水平

工会作为我国联合企业,是保护广大职工的重要部门,在新时代发展环境下发挥着重要作用。当下,随着我国对工会工作提出的全新要求,为满足要求标准和政策落实,工会需在原有基础上加大对整体干部的素质、业务、理论等多方面水平的教育培训,以此构建一支符合时代发展,可以满足工会工作开展的全新队伍。论文分两个部分对新时代背景下如何提高工会干部教育培训整体水平进行分析研究,首先对新时代背景下加强工会干部教育培训工作的重要意义进行阐述,之后对新时代背景下提高工会干部教育培训整体水平提出相应建议,希望能对工会工作改革有所帮助。     

加强基层工会会计管理的探讨

工会会计作为上级工会财务制度的执行者和本单位工会财务工作的管理者,其财务活动的规范性和有效性将直接关系到全市工运事业的整体发展。结合我市各级工会财务工作的现状、存在问题,就如何提高会计工作管理水平做粗浅探讨。     

浅谈基层工会干部应具备的基本素质

基层工会干部的基本素质是搞好工会工作的关键,阐述基层工会干部应具备的基本素质。     

工会管理在企业人力资源管理中的影响分析

工会在企业发展中具有重要作用,是企业和员工之间沟通、交流的平台。论文在对工会基本情况进行介绍的基础上,系统分析了工会管理在企业管理中所发挥的作用。论文最后提出了强化工会管理在企业人力资源管理中影响的有效举措。     

British trade union membership,density and decline in the 1980s: a research note

This article is concerned with British trade union membership statistics. It provides three different estimates of trade union density and considers their meaning and significance. It also assesses the reliability of union membership figures, and finally it provides fresh data on the unemployed membership of trade unions.     

British trade unions in Ireland

This article examines various influences on the organisation of British trade unions in Ireland. The constitution of the ICTU is considered in the context of the drive towards an Irish-based and controlled trade union movement. The organisational response of British-based unions to these nationalist pressures is assessed using union rule books and interviews with trade union officials.     

Time dependency of trade union membership

Event-history analysis is used to model the time dependency of two decisions: the decision to join a trade union, and the decision to leave a trade union. We formulate two hypotheses with regard to these two decisions and parametric regression models are used to investigate these hypotheses. The process of joining a trade union can be described by a decreasing rate, using a Weibull. For the process of leaving a trade union, we suggest an increasing rate that decreases after several years, a process best described by a log-logistic model.     

新形势下企业工会工作面临的挑战及措施

工会作为企业与职工沟通的重要桥梁,应当充分发挥自身的作用,提高企业管理水平。但新形势下企业工会工作仍然面临一定的挑战,如企业未给予工会工作足够的支持、职工需求多元化、工会经费预算和使用管理缺失等。如果企业未及时采取解决措施,将会在很大程度上阻碍企业的发展,所以企业要根据自身的实际情况和发展需求来应对挑战。基于此,论文主要分析了新形势下企业工会工作面临的挑战,并提出了有针对性的解决措施。     

对加强工会资产管理的几点思考

加强工会资产管理是工会组织促进经济社会发展、与时俱进履行职能的重大举措,当前工会资产监督管理正处在关键时期,大量工作亟待调整、规范和改革。     

The trade union merger process in Europe: defensive adjustment or strategic reform?

In most Member States of the European Union, trade unionists are reforming trade union structures through engagement in the merger process. This article charts the scale of the merger process since 2000 and identifies the key features of the unions that result from it. The article assesses the outcome of the merger process by reference to aspects of trade union purpose. While much of the merger process is shown to be defensive, particular mergers are highlighted as comprising features that may assist in the renewal of trade union organisation.     

Personnel Policies and Practices in British Trade Unions: An Exploratory Study

Full-time trade union professional employees play a significant role in the formulation and implementation of union policy and are, therefore, an important asset of any labour organisation. In recent years, researchers have begun to focus on this important union resource. This study reports the results of a survey of the internal personnel policies and practices of British trade unions in an effort to gain insights into trade unions as organisations.     

浅谈海外工程项目如何开展工会工作

海外工程项目如何开展工会工作,在全球化经营的过程中成为一个难点。本文通过分析老挝工程项目特点及员工工作现状,阐述企业工会的特征,同时提出工会工作思路,并且提出相应的政策建议,进而为海外工程施工提供参考依据。     

A Meta‐Analysis of the Effect of Common Currencies on International Trade*

Abstract. Thirty‐four recent studies have investigated the effect of currency union on trade, resulting in 754 point estimates of this effect. This paper uses meta‐analysis to combine, explain, and to summarize these disparate estimates of common currency trade effects. The hypothesis that there is no effect of currency union on trade is easily and robustly rejected at standard significance levels. Combining these estimates implies that a currency union increases bilateral trade by between 30 and 90%. Although there is evidence of publication selection, there is also evidence of a genuine positive trade effect beyond publication bias.