The Practice of Industrial Relations Law in the Service Area

The occupational situation of works council chairmen and their
judgement on the work of works council members as well as their
opportunities to have an effect.

Topics: Relationship with superiors and colleagues; judgement on the
prospects of promotion, company social services, payment,
co-determination, job security and achievement-based pay in the
company; judgement on personal advantages from the work of the works
council; motives for works council work; function of being released
from occupational activity; composition of the works council; perceived
reasons for insufficiently taking advantage of the industrial relations
law; relationship between works council and company management; labor
court conflicts; participation of trade union representatives and
management in company meetings; attitude to trade unions and to a
complete works council; extent to which informed about the industrial
relations law; information flow in the company; number of works council
meetings; judgement on the realization of co-determination rights and
´freedom of speech´ in the company; interest of women in the works
council work and difficulties in activating women; assumed agreements
on the part of share owners; attitude to employee representation in the
supervisory board; attitude to co-determination in rationalization
measures; participation in training outside of work; length of
affiliation with company and works council; change of job; position in
the company; media usage; membership in clubs and in the trade union;
party preference; religiousness.

Scales: work satisfaction, atmosphere at work and co-determination.

Demography: sex; marital status; religious denomination; school
education; vocational training; further education; occupation;
professional position; type of company; income; social origins; city
size; state.

Interviewer rating: willingness of respondent to cooperate and number
of contact attempts; weekday of interview.

Also encoded were: company size; proportion of men and employees in
the total workforce; size and composition of the works council; sex of
the works council chairman; average age of company employees; election
participation at works council elections; legal form of the company.