Codetermination : Germany

Works constitution. The Works Constitution Act of 1972 structures industrial relations at the workplace. It lays down in particular the right of participation and codetermination of the employees’ representative bodies, the right of the individual employee to be informed and be heard, as well as the rights of the unions within the framework of the works constitution. These rights of participation apply to every aspect of business operations - social, personnel and economic matters.

The Works Constitution Act thus enables employees to have a say in company decision-making. Employees have a substantial number of specifically defined rights. These include the right to be informed and to express opinions on matters relating directly to their job. They can ask to be informed about the effects of new technologies on their work, for instance, inspect their personal file and ask for explanations of their payslip or assessments of their performance.