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Economic and Industrial Democracy, Vol. 24, No. 3, 317-347 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/0143831X030243002

Transforming German Workplace Relations: Quo Vadis Cooperation?

Carola M. Frege

Rutgers University and London School of Economics

This article argues that in order to successfully explore any structural transformation of industrial relations, actors' attitudes need to be taken into account. In the case of Germany, then, significant transformation would be instantiated by change in works councils' traditional cooperative attitudes. Survey findings reveal that despite deteriorating bargaining conditions, cooperative attitudes prevail among works councils in the chemical and postal/telecom industries towards management and union. Contrary to popular scholars this suggests workplace stability rather than change. The article then explores determinants of cooperative attitudes and finds that balanced power relations between works council and management accompany cooperative attitudes. If works councils feel powerful they are more likely to express cooperative attitudes towards management. Thus, even in Germany's highly institutionalized context, workplace cooperation is dynamic and dependent on actors' day-to-day power relations.

Key Words: cooperation • Germany • industrial relations • transformation • workplace relations • works councils


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