What people in the civilized world have achieved was only possible because experience has taught them that respect and tolerance are the basis of all interaction. Whether across borders in high-level politics or on a small scale in companies. The latter's success is ultimately only possible because participation and co-determination make trusting work for the benefit of all possible. The founding of a works council is therefore not an affront to company management, but a social positioning of a workforce. Unfortunately, some management teams still see it differently and make the path toward the co-determination of an elected representation of employees a 'rocky road'.
Good things come to those who wait
There are many ways for employers to put their workforce in a tight corset. These include questionable employment contracts, a lucrative quota of temporary workers for them, and, not least, the hidden intervention and harassment of employees who advocate for the installation of a works council. Two employees of a materials management center based in Northern Germany proved in a magnificent way that constant dripping wears away the stone. The two men went one better than the lack of co-determination opportunities, which had often been criticized by Verdi and IG Metall, by demanding better pay and more respectful treatment of people. Because they always had to expect reprisals from management, they planned the convening of an election committee to elect a works council – initially in secret. The leaking of their plan caused the management to resort to unimaginable, inhumane means. These ranged from flimsy reasons for dismissing some employees who had joined their project to being embarrassingly escorted off the company premises by the police because they wanted to continue working. Ultimately, their persistence persuaded the parent company to give in and accept the election of a works council. At the beginning of September this year, the time had come. In a personality election, nine works council members were elected from over forty candidates. The fact that, according to IG Metall, the representation of interests only reflects the employee structure in an unbalanced way may seem subjective. However, it illustrates the initial suspicion of a lack of knowledge among the entire workforce regarding how to handle a works council election.
Rethinking is the first step
What comes next requires good training for all involved. Especially since the next works council elections will take place in the spring of 2014. Because the sources of error in the actual work of the works council are treacherous and often lie in the details. The decision to treat each other with dignity will not only give the North German company wings. It generally stands for a positive development and is of immense importance for all employees. If rethinking is the first step, then the following steps can only be called trust-building, sound knowledge, and humanity.
