During the last decades, German industrial relations have undergone significant changes leading to a partial erosion and fragmentation of collective bargaining as well - and more fundamentally - to a significant change in power relations and the weakening of trade unions. As a result, wage...

In Germany the 2000s proved to be a decade of moderate increases in collectively-agreed minimum pay. Agreed pay in real terms rose by 6.7% over the whole period. However, by 2010 real actual earnings had fallen by 4% over the decade and were down to 96% of their 2000 level. As a consequence, the...

The legal basis of collective bargaining in Austria is laid down by the Labour Constitution Act (ArbVG). According to the ArbVG, collective agreements can be concluded only between collective organisations of employers and employees. Therefore, the Austrian labour law systematically benefits...

The legal basis of collective bargaining in Germany is laid down by the Collective Agreements Act, 1949. Collective agreements can be concluded between employer associations (or individual employers) and trade unions. In contrast, works councils – statutory employee representation bodies...