In a new survey entitled “Union busting in Germany,” the Otto Brenner union foundation sounded the alarm: in spite of the high level of regard union representatives get in German businesses and of the strong legal framework surrounding them, some businesses are trying to systematically oppose the introduction of works councils or to keep them from doing their job. To do so, like in the US, they use specialized lawyers, communication agencies or private investigators. These measures, which have been present in Germany for a few years, are still ‘light-years’ away from what goes on in the US but are no longer isolated examples, the foundation points out.
Networks of players specializing in union busting. In the introduction to the study, Jupp Legrand, Director of the Otto Brenner foundation, reminds that the “German model” is still, as it was under the “Bonn Republic,” relevant: unions are powerful, recognized, respected stakeholders, and the work done by hundreds of thousands of employee representatives in works councils is highly esteemed. However, he says this is only “one side of the coin.” Within the framework of globalization, some...
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