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The german labour law - especially collective bargaining law - tends to work generally.

It depends on unions strong enough to threaten a strike, that much is true.

The weakening of unions tend to show the flaws not visible with stronger unions.

That is also the reason that the weaker unions first supported a state minimum wage: the stronger unions could still pretend that in their sector everything is well.

That said I think in the end all collective bargaining rests on the ability of the unions to go on strike.  

by IM on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 07:07:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
In Spain there are worker councils at firms, and periodic "union elections". A "fake union" could not win representation at a firm's workers' council if there were a "real" union, ability to strike or not. And an industry sector wouldn't be able to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with a union that isn't broadly represented in the sectoral workers' councils.

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 07:09:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You could change the labor laws and then they would have to on strike anyway. Like they just do.

And in germany the employees councils can do a lot, but very much not negotiate about wages - unions only. (And this does actually go back to beginning of the twenties, like a lot of german labour laws)

by IM on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 07:14:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The point is, how can a union that fails to win election to the workers' council (only reasonable definition of "fake" union) negotiate a binding collective bargaining agreement?

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 07:15:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Let's see:

a) There is collective bargaining agreement

b) Genuine unions are to weak to force one

c) The employer or a employers association seeks themselves a union and negotiate a agreement

d) In the individual agreements with employees a new clause incorporating the collective agreement is inserted

(It is probably a high fluctuations sector anyway or you can use move the employees to sign new treaties - no union they can complain too)

e) The individual agreement makes the collective agreement legally binding (It would be binding for union members of the contracting union anyway, but we assume few exists)

I can't use "contract"?

by IM on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 07:31:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]
In French they say convention. But I think the right English word is agreement.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 07:56:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
In Spain it's convenio (colectivo) which is probably best translated into English legalese as covenant.

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 08:31:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I think contract pertains to an individual worker. So, a worker will have an employment contract which must be drawn in accordance with any applicable collective bargaining agreement, and other statutes.

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 08:30:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]
A union can negotiate with every employer even if they have only one member working there. The union needn't be elected to do so: they just represent their members.

Fake unions play a role in temporary work: These slave traders must pay the same wage as the company where the slaves actually work IF THEY DON'T HAVE AN AGREEMENT OF THEIR OWN. So they have fake agreements with fake unions. They get away with it, because so few temp workers are organised in real unions

Worker councils are elected in the companies, but they don't do bargaining and they are banned by law from calling to strike.

by Katrin on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 07:42:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You could change the labor laws and then they would have to on strike anyway. Like they just do.

Bingo.

A strike fund and organisation percentage large enough to support participation in a one-month general strike seems like a good benchmark to aim for.

Not that you will ever actually want to do a one-month general strike. But you have to be able to, for the same reason you have to be able to impose hard currency rationing and price controls, even if you don't ever want to actually do it.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 10:01:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]
In German companies there are worker councils too, but they have nothing to do with collective bargaining and strikes. They are elected by all employees, not the union members.

German unions and labour laws worked quite well as long as unemployment was low and slave temporary work was banned. When temporary work was introduced our stupid unions disdainfully refused to have anything to do with it. So now we have "core staff", well paid and organised in unions and temporary workers who get paid much less and who are organised in Verdi (the ones who supported a minimum wage fairly early), but organising them is very difficult and there are the fake unions IM mentioned.  

by Katrin on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 07:27:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]
now we have "core staff", well paid and organised in unions and temporary workers who get paid much less

You have the same "dual labour market" that we're told is the source of all our problems in the periphery?

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 08:26:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Of course. I've been told that it is the flexibility that cures all problems, though.

There are a few specialised companies though who pay well and who have no interest at all in flexibility of their well trained employees. In all other sectors of the economy precarious employment is becoming the rule as older employees reach pension age. There won't be much of a "dual labour market" soon.

by Katrin on Thu Apr 26th, 2012 at 08:51:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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