Paths to Transnational Solidarity: Identity-Building Processes in European Works Councils

With national industrial relations systems struggling to keep apace with the global and mobile nature of capital, the emergence of the European works council has caught the imagination of both practitioners and scholars of this institution in the last two decades. European works councils find themselves at the centre of an ever emerging European industrial relations landscape, offering employees of multinationals within the European Economic Area the opportunity to work together in regulating employment conditions. An in-depth empirical study of five European works councils, this book offers a unique look into factors which promote and hinder the development of solidarity amongst employees. With a sociological bent, this volume is a must for EWC delegates struggling to deal with geographical, cultural and historical factors that undermine relations between them.

Hermann Kotthoff is professor of industrial and organizational sociology at Technische Universität Darmstadt. He is the author of significant research literature on industrial relations (German and European Works Council), corporate culture and sociology of management.
Michael Whittall has taught and researched in the area of European industrial relations for over twenty years. He is renowned for his work on European works councils, in particular the question of European identity.