Workplace Employee Representation and Industrial Relations Performance: New Evidence from the 2013 European Company Survey

Addison, J.; Texeira, P.

Abstract

Using cross-country data from the European Company Survey, we investigate the relationship between workplace employee representation and management perceptions of the climate of industrial relations, sickness/absenteeism, employee motivation, and staff retention. For a considerably reduced subset of the data, a fifth indicator – strike activity – is also considered alongside the other behavioral outcomes. From one perspective, the expression of collective voice through works council-type entities may be construed as largely beneficial, especially when compared with their counterpart union agencies either operating alone or in a dominant position. However, if heightened distributional struggles explain these differential outcomes in workplace employee representation, it should not go unremarked that the influence of formal collective bargaining is seemingly positive.

Citation

Addison, J., & Texeira, P. (2019). Workplace Employee Representation and Industrial Relations Performance: New Evidence from the 2013 European Company Survey. Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik, 239(1), 111-154. https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2017-0146

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 30, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jul 5, 2018
• Publication Date: Jan 31, 2019
• Deposit Date: May 31, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 1, 2018
• Journal: Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik
• Print ISSN: 0021-4027
• Electronic ISSN: 2366-049X
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 239
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 111-154
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2017-0146
• Keywords: Employee representation, Works councils, Union agencies, Labor organization, Collective bargaining, Strikes, Industrial relations climate, Employee motivation and retention.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1329686