Works Councils: Consultation, Representation, And Cooperation in Industrial Relations

As the influence of labor 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.

As the influence of labor unions declines in many industrialized nations, particularly the United States, the influence of workers has decreased.

As the influence of labor unions declines in many industrialized nations, particularly the United States, the influence of workers has decreased.