Worker Voice: Employee Representation in the Workplace in Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US 1914-1939

An Open Access edition of this book is available on the Liverpool University Press website and the OAPEN library. This book informs debates about worker participation in the workplace or worker voice by analysing comparative historical data relating to these ideas during the inter-war period in Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US. The issue is topical because of the contemporary shift to a workplace focus in many countries without a corresponding development of infrastructure at the workplace level, and because of the growing ‘representation gap’ as union membership declines. Some commentators have called for the introduction of works councils to address these issues. Other scholars have gone back and examined the experiences with the non-union Employee Representation Plans (ERPs) in Canada and the US. This book will test these claims through examining and comparing the historical record of previous efforts of five countries during a rich period of experimentation between the Wars. In addition to ERPs, the book expands the debate will by examining union-management co-operation, Whitley works committees and German works councils.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. The Context  Explanations of Historical Patterns of Employee Representation  The Economy  Industry Scale and Structure  The Division of Labour and Technology  Trade Unionism and Politics  Employers and Managing Labour  The Role of the State  Conclusion 3. The Concepts  Employee Representation Plans  Whitley Works Committees  The German Works Councils  Union-Management Cooperation  Conclusion 4. The US  ERP – The Extent  ERP – The Impact  Cooperative Management – The Extent  Cooperative Management – The Impact  The Demise of ERPs and Union-Management Cooperation during the 1930s  Conclusion 5. The UK  The Extent of Whitley Works Committees  The Impact of Whitley Works Committees  Looking beyond the UK  Conclusion 6. Germany  The Extent of German Works Councils  The Impact of German Works Councils  The Impact on Unions, Women and Employers  The Demise of German Works Councils  Conclusion 7. Canada  ERPs – The Extent and Impact  An ERP – The Experience at the Sydney Steelworks, Nova Scotia  Union-Management Cooperation  Conclusion 8. Australia  Influences  The Impact  Electrolytic Zinc  Conclusion 9. Conclusion Bibliography Index