GERMANY: WELL-ORGANIZED, STRONG, AND COORDINATED UNIONS

• 17 major unions organized into the Federation of German Trade Unions (DGB).



• Powerful unions in heavy manufacturing (e.g., IGMetall).



• Strong work councils protected by law with much influence on shop-floor decision-making.



• Co-determination (Mitbestimmung): system of joint management-labor decision-making. First established by the 1951 Codetermination Act in mining and steel companies with more than 1,000 employees. The 1976 Codetermination Act established parity codetermination in all public companies with more than 2,000 employees.