Gefährdung der Solidarität oder Aufbruch in die Moderne? Die Auswirkungen der Tarifpluralität auf den deutschen Arbeitsmarkt

As a consequence of a ruling of the Federal Labour Court in 2010, the German labour market entered a new regime, allowing multiple unions to operate in the same firm. This alteration has instigated an intense debate about its possible consequences for labour relations. We examine the conceptual and empirical basis for this concern. Our analysis does not lead us to expect an important increase neither in the foundation of occupational unions nor in strike activities. We therefore argue that multi-unionism should be viewed as a natural feature of German industrial relations.