This article discusses the potential of European transnational company agreements for developing industrial democracy at European company level. It describes the experience of the ArcelorMittal European Social Dialogue Group, established in 2009 through a European transnational company agreement as an innovative channel for trade union involvement in corporate decision-making. The conceptual framework draws on a cross-national comparison of industrial democracy discourses in two European countries, Germany and Spain. A qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with trade union representatives and management is used to identify divergent national discourses of employee voice giving rise to common misunderstandings of industrial democracy at European level. The findings illustrate the persisting communication challenges faced by trade unions when engaging in employee representation structures at transnational company level. The article also shows that trade union representatives are able to adapt their national discourses on industrial democracy under the influence of European practice.
%0 Journal Article
%1 begega2018contested
%A Begega, Sergio González
%A Köhler, Holm-Detlev
%A Aranea, Mona
%D 2018
%I SAGE Publications
%J Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research
%K European_framework_agreements company-level_social_dialogue industrial_democracy trade_unions transnational_companies
%N 4
%P 451--465
%R 10.1177/1024258918775838
%T Contested industrial democracy discourses in transnational companies. The case of the ArcelorMittal European Social Dialogue Group
%U https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1024258918775838
%V 24
%X This article discusses the potential of European transnational company agreements for developing industrial democracy at European company level. It describes the experience of the ArcelorMittal European Social Dialogue Group, established in 2009 through a European transnational company agreement as an innovative channel for trade union involvement in corporate decision-making. The conceptual framework draws on a cross-national comparison of industrial democracy discourses in two European countries, Germany and Spain. A qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with trade union representatives and management is used to identify divergent national discourses of employee voice giving rise to common misunderstandings of industrial democracy at European level. The findings illustrate the persisting communication challenges faced by trade unions when engaging in employee representation structures at transnational company level. The article also shows that trade union representatives are able to adapt their national discourses on industrial democracy under the influence of European practice.
@article{begega2018contested,
abstract = {This article discusses the potential of European transnational company agreements for developing industrial democracy at European company level. It describes the experience of the ArcelorMittal European Social Dialogue Group, established in 2009 through a European transnational company agreement as an innovative channel for trade union involvement in corporate decision-making. The conceptual framework draws on a cross-national comparison of industrial democracy discourses in two European countries, Germany and Spain. A qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with trade union representatives and management is used to identify divergent national discourses of employee voice giving rise to common misunderstandings of industrial democracy at European level. The findings illustrate the persisting communication challenges faced by trade unions when engaging in employee representation structures at transnational company level. The article also shows that trade union representatives are able to adapt their national discourses on industrial democracy under the influence of European practice.},
added-at = {2021-03-09T08:10:37.000+0100},
author = {Begega, Sergio Gonz{\'{a}}lez and Köhler, Holm-Detlev and Aranea, Mona},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2c4f9a7c442690fbba8210526420b60b4/meneteqel},
doi = {10.1177/1024258918775838},
interhash = {e226a763b8098612fed216265e9b6856},
intrahash = {c4f9a7c442690fbba8210526420b60b4},
journal = {Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research},
keywords = {European_framework_agreements company-level_social_dialogue industrial_democracy trade_unions transnational_companies},
language = {en-UK},
month = jun,
number = 4,
pages = {451--465},
publisher = {{SAGE} Publications},
timestamp = {2021-03-09T08:10:37.000+0100},
title = {Contested industrial democracy discourses in transnational companies. The case of the {ArcelorMittal} European Social Dialogue Group},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1024258918775838},
volume = 24,
year = 2018
}