Avoiding the Union at the Workplace

Abstract

Employer resistance to works councils is not a phenomenon that has been closely associated with German labour relations. While classic studies characterise the “German model” in terms of social partnership, more recent accounts seem to observe more diverse practices. Based on data provided by the WSI survey of paid union representatives (2012, 2015), this article investigates employer practices to obstruct or inhibit the election of works councils and analyses the diffusion of such strategies at the establishment level.