Increase in proportion of women elected to works councils
Published: 26 November 2006
On 5 October 2006, the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, IW Köln [1]) released its preliminary results [2] of the 2006 works council elections. The elections were held between March and May 2006; this was only the second time such elections had been held (*DE0212204F* [3]) since the 2001 reform of the Works Constitution Act (/Betriebsverfassungsgesetz/) (*DE0107234F* [4]).[1] http://www.iwkoeln.de/[2] http://www.iwkoeln.de/default.aspx?p=pub&i=1934&pn=2&n=n1934&m=pub&f=4&ber=Informationen&a=19671[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/provisional-results-of-2002-works-council-elections[4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-working-conditions/works-constitution-act-reform-adopted
Between March and May 2006, works council elections took place in companies with at least five employees. Results from the Cologne Institute for Economic Research show that voter participation rates remained high. Although the majority of the elected works councillors are trade union members, their proportion declined slightly compared to the results of the 2002 elections. Overall, the share of female works councillors increased.
On 5 October 2006, the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, IW Köln) released its preliminary results of the 2006 works council elections. The elections were held between March and May 2006; this was only the second time such elections had been held (DE0212204F) since the 2001 reform of the Works Constitution Act (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz) (DE0107234F).
The election results from IW Köln are based on a sample of companies representing more than 33,000 works councillors and more than 2.4 million voters. Overall, the voter participation rate remained high and levelled off at almost 75%. However, this rate is slightly lower than the initially reported rate of 81% according to a report (in German) from the Confederation of German Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB). The variation can be attributed to the different samples used.
Unionisation rate of works councils
More than half of works councillors (52.5%) are trade union members (see table below) and almost half of union members belong to one of the various unions that are affiliated to DGB (48.7%). In this respect, the figure under-represents the actual membership rate of works councillors in relation to the DGB-affiliated unions as, according to expert commentary, a large number of union members were candidates on voting lists that could not be formally assigned to a specific union. Therefore, 10% of the elected independent nominees are estimated to be members of a union that is affiliated to DGB.
Nevertheless, the IW Köln figures fall considerably below those of DGB. The latter reports that the proportion of union members among works councillors has levelled off at 72.3% in companies where a works council already existed in 2002. In newly-founded works councils, unionisation is significantly lower, at around 60%. Despite their different rates, both IW Köln and DGB found, in general, a decline in the unionisation rate of works councils.
| 1981 | 1990 | 1998 | 2002 | 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unions | 76.7 | 74.9 | 67.7 | 59.3 | 52.5 |
| of which: | |||||
| DGB | 63.2 | 69.3 | 61.9 | 57.8 | 48.7 |
| DAG1 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 3.2 | -1 | -1 |
| CGB2 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Others | 1.3 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Independent | 23.3 | 25.1 | 33.3 | 40.7 | 47.5 |
| of which: | |||||
| AUB3 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 8.8 | 19.8 |
Notes: 1German White-Collar Workers Union (Deutsche Angestellten-Gewerkschaft, DAG), merged into the United Services Union (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, ver.di) in 2001; 2Christian Trade Union Federation (Christlicher Gewerkschaftsbund, CGB); 3Committee of Independent Employees (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Unabhängiger Betriebsangehöriger, AUB)
Source: IW Köln
The union membership among works councils is particularly high in the following sectors: mining, chemical production, metalworking, electrical as well as in the manufacture of wood, pulp and paper.
Experienced works councillors preferred
The 2006 election results confirm the trend of continuity in works council membership. This trend could already be observed in previous elections. Employees preferred experienced candidates, who had previously been works councillors, to be elected for the new term. This was the case for almost two thirds of works councillors and for 70.5% of works council chairpersons.
Growing proportion of female worker representatives
The proportion of female works councillors has risen steadily since 1975. Nearly one third of works councillors (31.4%) who will represent employees during the next term are women. This amounts to a small increase of 1.4 percentage points in comparison to 2002. In this respect, the objective of the former federal Social Democrat/Green Party coalition government to raise the proportion of female employee representatives by means of a minority clause (DE0107234F) has been achieved.
In 1998, women stood for only 24% of works council positions. According to the DGB figures, almost three quarters of the companies that have a works council now comply with the minority clause. Women hold works council positions most often in the retail sector, the textile and clothing industry, in financial services as well as in real estate, renting and business activities. Nevertheless, presiding over a works council is still more common among men: only one fifth (19.7%) of works council chairpersons are women.
Oliver Stettes, Cologne Institute for Economic Research, (IW Köln)
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2006), Increase in proportion of women elected to works councils, article.
