A qualitative analysis of the role of European Works Councils in British workplaces

Redfern, DC

Abstract

A Qualitative Analysis of the Role of European
Works Councils in British Workplaces
The establishment of European Works Councils (EWCs) as a formal mechanism to
foster the provision of international information and consultation has been well
documented in industrial relations literature. The creation of the Single European
Market (SEM) led to corporate restructuring amongst multi-national companies but
deprived employees of an opportunity to influence decisions, which were invisible.
EWCs were intended to contribute to redress that gap through providing information
and consultation at a multi-national level. The implementation of the European Works
Council Directive (1994) has stimulated considerable research and debate. The mainly
quantitative literature has considered the content of agreements, implementation rates,
structures and sector distribution. Some academics have seen an opportunity for union
and employee representatives and have written in positive terms about the potential of
EWCs. However qualitative research with longitudinal comparative studies, which
explore the views of managers, trade union representatives and working people, are
less evident in the literature. Comparatively little is known of the views of "ordinary"
employees who do not attend but are expected to be beneficiaries of activity at a
forum. Some forums have now been in operation nearly a decade and it is time those
issues were addressed.
Through drawing on 43 semi-structured interviews and numerous secondary sources,
this thesis examines the impact of EWCs on six British based companies to evaluate
the extent of their contribution to industrial relations. Interviews were undertaken in
2001 and 2004 with strategically placed managers, trade unionists, employee
representatives and other working people whom they aspire to represent. In particular
this thesis is placed within existing theoretical debates concerning the desirability of
statutory intervention as a mechanism for employee involvement and its
consequences. Forums were carefully selected and a balance was sought in terms of
companies that are indicative of the sector distribution of EWCs. In each instance the
forum was steeped in the Anglo-Saxon approach to information and consultation,
although the ownership of parent companies was more diverse.
The aims of this research concern the role of EWCs in industrial relations hi British
companies and the evaluation of the:
(i) contribution made to industrial relations in case study companies and
its impact on the lives of people at work
(ii) pattern of representational arrangements for forums and the issues that
arise,
(iii) methods used by management to exercise control over EWCs.
The thesis challenges the prevailing optimistic interpretation of the development of
EWCs and the research methods used to arrive at that theoretical view. A detailed
insight is provided into how a forum works. An analysis is given of the nature of the
limited contribution to industrial relations in British companies and, in the process,
the lives of working people. Apparently insurmountable representational issues are
revealed, as are an extensive range of methods for ensuring managerial control
through manipulation. It is argued that the statutory role and minor input will be
enough to ensure that in at least unionised sectors forums survive.

Citation

Redfern, D. A qualitative analysis of the role of European Works Councils in British workplaces. (Thesis). Salford : University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2005