Source: WSI
: WSI Mitteilungen
"WSI-Mitteilungen" is a scientific journal providing up-to-date information on the results of research on current issues of relevance to trade unions. It is aimed primarily at the academic and business communities, trade unionists and policymakers.
The journal is published in German language six times a year. For all articles, abstracts are available in English.
| More about the journal | Archive (Abstracts) |
| Information for authors |
Issue 06/2024
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 411–420
Nadja Bergmann, Alexandra Scheele, Claudia Sorger
Essential but not Recognised? Paid Employment and Care Responsibilities of Retail Employees during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Abstract
During the Covid-19 pandemic, sales assistants and cashiers in the retail sector were among the “systemically relevant” occupational groups that only briefly received public recognition. For many employees, the demands and working conditions of these jobs are stressful, and the organization of work and working hours make it difficult to reconcile work and family life. Added to this are low social prestige and relatively low income. Drawing on Honneth’s reflections on the “Working Sovereign” and using findings from a qualitative empirical research project, the article examines how employees experienced their working situation during the coronavirus pandemic. Beyond the specific question of whether and how working conditions can be improved, the authors discuss the connection between the limited opportunities for co-determination at company level and democratic decision-making. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 421–428
Hartmut Hirsch-Kreinsen, Thorben Krokowski
"Trustworthy AI" Challenges and Perspectives of a German-European Project
Abstract
With the rapid pace of development of artificial intelligence (AI), there are growing concerns about the ethical, legal, and social risks of its use. For this reason, there have been political efforts in Europe and Germany for some time to regulate the use of AI under the heading of “Trustworthy AI” (TAI). The article asks which actors are driving the regulation of AI, what unresolved challenges are associated with it and what structural limits the current regulatory approaches are coming up against. It also addresses the question of the extent to which far-reaching regulation of AI can serve as a special feature of an independent European or German AI development path in global technology competition. Given the large number of questions that have remained unanswered to date, in particular unresolved implementation problems, the authors argue that a sceptical view of the objectives pursued is advised. However, in view of the dynamic development of AI and its constantly expanding application potential, the authors consider socio-political regulatory approaches to be indispensable. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 429–440
Serife Erol
How Works Councils Promote Workplace Training. Options for Action and their Determinants
Abstract
Participation in further training is crucial to maintaining employability, especially for low-skilled workers who have fewer opportunities for employer-supported training. Works councils, with their extensive co-determination rights, serve as essential mediators, promoting the just distribution of training opportunities and related financing within companies. However, little is known about the circumstances that motivate works councils to promote workplace training. Based on the WSI Works and Staff Councils Survey, this article examines the factors influencing works councils’ initiatives to promote workplace training. Aside from key organisational determinants including training-supportive structures, works agreements on training, and collective bargaining agreements, the article also analyses interaction modes within intra-company relationships. The findings reveal that training-supportive structures, institutional frameworks, and effective conflict resolution by works councils significantly enhance their engagement in promoting further training. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 441–449
Thorsten Schulten, Torsten Müller
The EU Minimum Wage Directive as a Directive to Strengthen Collective Bargaining
Abstract
The EU Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union, adopted in October 2022, goes far beyond ensuring adequate (statutory) minimum wages. Its second central objective of fundamentally strengthening collective bargaining throughout the EU de facto makes it a collective bargaining directive. Due to the limited competences under European law in the area of wages and collective bargaining, the Minimum Wage Directive relies less on binding substantive standards than on procedural rules and substantive recommendations. It thus creates a European frame of reference for national policy initiatives aimed at strengthening collective bargaining. Its concrete effects therefore depend crucially on its implementation and use at national level. Against this background, the article analyses the extent to which the Minimum Wage Directive can contribute to increasing collective bargaining coverage in Germany. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 450–457
Dorothee Spannagel, Jan Brülle
Unequal Participation: Marginalized Poor – Insecure Middle. WSI Distribution Report 2024
Abstract
Every German citizen has at least minimal opportunities for social participation, de jure. De facto, the opportunities for participation in mainstream society are highly unequal. It is the aim of this report to show where material and political participation are endangered in the lower half of the income distribution. The authors’ results emphasize: While material participation is severely restricted primarily for the poor, precarious political participation extends into the lower middle of the income distribution. In the bottom half of the income distribution, some feel alienated from the political system and tend to turn their backs on democracy. At the same time, worries about individual economic future are widespread in this income bracket. Participation becoming brittle among one half of the population has consequences for society as a whole, including the overall stability of the political system. Combating these trends and fostering participation among persons in the lower half of the income distribution are among the most important challenges of our time. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 458–466
Wolfram Brehmer
The Methodology of the WSI Works and Staff Councils Survey
Abstract
This article provides a detailed insight into the methodology of the WSI Works and Staff Councils Survey (“WSI-Betriebs- und Personalrätebefragung”). It covers the development of the survey from its inception in 1998 to the current panel study, which started in 2015 and had its sixth wave in 2023. The article explains the survey’s population, analyzes the probabilities of encountering works or staff councils, and discusses sample selection, panel maintenance, questionnaire development and pretesting, survey periods, and the execution of telephone interviews. Furthermore, it presents the survey’s contents, in particular those of the most recent wave in 2023. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 467–476
Martin Behrens, Heiner Dribbusch Codetermination still Contested Findings of the Fourth Survey on Employer Resistance to Works Council Elections
Abstract
This article presents the findings of the fourth survey on employer resistance to works council elections. It was completed in 2023 and is a follow-up study to similar surveys amongst local trade union organisations conducted by the WSI in 2012, 2015 and 2019. The evidence confirms that the establishment of a works council is a contested issue. The article puts employer resistance to works councils in the context of the German system of industrial relations before presenting the survey and its evidence. It concludes with a brief examination of the motivations and structural backgrounds of the obstruction of works councils and proposals for legislative reform to tackle the problem. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 477–484
Juliane Achatz, Brigitte Schels, Cordula Zabel
Impacts of Subsidised Employment on the Division of Labour in the Household
Abstract
Using the German programme “Participation in the labour market” as an example, the study examines the effects of subsidised employment on the amount of time male and female long-term benefit recipients spend on paid work and unpaid work at home, and on the division of labour within the household, as aspects of employability. It uses data from the survey “Quality of life and social participation”. Weighted regression analyses for a treatment and a control group show that participation leads to a considerable additional time burden and rearrangement of the time spent on unpaid work in multiperson households. The effects are particularly large for recipients with children, and this applies equally to men and women. There are hardly any effects on the amount of time the partners spend on unpaid work, although increases in partners’ employment participation can be observed in some groups. The findings point to the importance of accompanying measures, such as part-time employment options, childcare and coaching, which support the rearrangements in the everyday lives of the participants. This is also a gender equality issue, as women, particularly the large group of single mothers among the programme participants, are especially affected by high overall time burdens. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 485–489
Fessum Ghirmazion, Sükran Budak
IG Metall as an immigration union
Abstract
IG Metall is an immigration union. This is underlined by three studies that have been carried out in recent years. Over 500 000 members have a migrant background. Many of them are involved in the works councils, as union workplace representatives and in working groups. Homeland, education, solidarity: These were and are the union’s recipes for success. The strength of IG Metall lies in the people who are committed to the organisation and to good work and fair cooperation within companies – regardless of what passport they have and where they come from. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 490–494
Christine Behle, Thomas Krüger, Alexandra Wagner
High Workloads and Unfilled Positions. Results of the ver.di Working Time Survey in the Public Sector
Abstract
From February to April 2024, ver.di conducted a survey on working hours in the public sector with roughly 258 000 participants. The main interest was the employees’ view of their working time situation and their wishes in this regard. Topics included contractually agreed, actual, and desired working hours, as well as burdens from shift work and staff shortages. For many employees, working hours and workload are an increasingly pressing problem. Qualitative interviews complemented the survey, providing deeper insights. The results serve as a basis for the 2025 negotiations and long-term improvement in working conditions. more … (in German)
WSI-MITTEILUNGEN 6/2024, pp. 495–497
Béla Galgóczi
For Climate Protection and Good Work – The EU Needs Strong Trade Unions
Abstract
A top priority for the EU, the climate emergency requires a fundamental transformation of our economic regime. Trade unions play a major role both in the transition process and in shaping a climate-neutral society. They promote the reduction of social inequality and support fair employment policy measures. Social dialogue and collective bargaining play a crucial role in this context, but they continue to be underestimated. For example, green clauses should be included in collective bargaining agreements to ensure a successful transition. In the next legislative term, the European institutions must therefore take action to strengthen the role of trade unions in shaping the just transition. more … (in German)
Full text search, key word search, annual tables of content are available in German language
Abstracts
| Issue 01/2024 | Issue 02/2024 |
| Issue 03/2024 | Issue 04/2024 |
| Issue 05/2024 | Issue 06/2024 |
| Issue 01/2023 | Issue 02/2023 |
| Issue 03/2023 | Issue 04/2023 |
| Issue 05/2023 | Issue 06/2023 |
| Issue 01/2022 | Issue 02/2022 |
| Issue 03/2022 | Issue 04/2022 |
| Issue 05/2022 | Issue 06/2022 |
| Issue 01/2021 | Issue 01/2020 |
| Issue 02/2021 | Issue 02/2020 |
| Issue 03/2021 | Issue 03/2020 |
| Issue 04/2021 | Issue 04/2020 |
| Issue 05/2021 | Issue 05/2020 |
| Issue 06/2021 | Issue 06/2020 |
| Issue 01/2019 | Issue 01/2018 |
| Issue 02/2019 | Issue 02/2018 |
| Issue 03/2019 | Issue 03/2018 |
| Issue 04/2019 | Issue 04/2018 |
| Issue 05/2019 | Issue 05/2018 |
| Issue 06/2019 | Issue 06/2018 |