Project Information
Interest Representation in National and Transnational Action Fields: Company Restructuring and the Problem of Interest Articulation
Background and Objectives
Numerous studies on the representation of employees' interests in international groups have focused on the analysis of European Works Councils (EWCs) as key players in cross-border employee representation. Other interest representation bodies such as trade unions, local bodies, group or world works councils and their interaction have not been systematically designed and analysed. The bias in favour of EWCs has resulted in two research desiderata. On the one hand, it has been possible to adequately capture the complex interplay of interest representation within international groups: because there, different actors interact at different levels and on the basis of overlapping (local, national and EU-wide) institutional arrangements. On the other hand, the problems of legitimacy that cross-border interest representation can have vis-à-vis employees from different countries and locations were neglected, precisely because of their institutional distance from local actors.
The project therefore broadens the analytical perspective by investigating how the interaction and coordination processes between different institutions and actors of interest representation function at the different levels of an international corporation. It does not focus on a single institution (or the EWC actor), but rather on the entire system of group-based interest regulation at local, national and supranational levels and addresses the problems of legitimacy of cross-border interest representation. The aim is to analyse the coordination processes between the levels of interest representation on the basis of a structural-theoretical concept and empirical case studies. In this way, the scientific knowledge of interest regulation practice in international corporations is to be expanded and a contribution is to be made to theory development within the sociology of work, industry and organization. The coordination between the levels is central to the understanding of cross-border interest representation, as it addresses questions of perception, legitimacy and power resources of employee representation distributed over different levels and local locations.
Procedure
The empirical survey focused on case studies in eight companies. Coordination processes were examined using the example of restructuring cases, because local employee interests are particularly affected here and the need for coordination of interests at international level is particularly high. The survey took place in at least three countries where the companies were active. Expert interviews were conducted with employee representatives at different levels (e.g. local works councils, national works councils, EWCs and WCs), trade union and management representatives. The aim is to identify empirical patterns of interaction between the levels, analyse them against the background of an ideal type of “transnational representation of interests” and explain them by drawing on various dimensions of influence.
Lectures
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Horizontale Europäisierung: Koordination und Integration von Arbeitnehmer:inneninteressen in multinationalen Unternehmen. 41. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie "Polarisierte Welten", 26.–30.09.2022, Universität Bielefeld, 29.09.2022 Weitere Informationen
Christine Üyük: Transnationale Solidarität in multinationalen Unternehmen? Quo Vadis Partizipation und Solidarität? Forba, 7.10.2019, Technisch-Gewerbliche Abendschule (TGA). Wien, 07.10.2019 Weitere Informationen
Christine Üyük: Digital mobilization to transnational protest actions. The search for security under disruptive technologies and deconstructed labour markets. 40th International Working Party on Labour Market Segmentation (IWPLMS). In Kooperation mit: Forschungsinstitut für gesellschaftliche Weiterbildung (FGW) und Netzwerk Arbeitsforschung NRW, Düsseldorf, 10.09.2019
Christine Üyük, Prof. Dr. Thomas Haipeter: Transnational Protest Actions and the interplay of the different levels of employee representation in multinational companies. ILERA European Congress 2019: Perspectives of Employment Relations in Europe. In Kooperation mit: International Industrial Relations Association – Sektion der Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V., Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 07.09.2019 Weitere Informationen
Christine Üyük: Wie entstehen transnationale Protestaktionen in multinationalen Unternehmen? Eine Untersuchung. Betriebsrätetagung CCEP, Karlsruhe, 24.05.2019
Christine Üyük, Prof. Dr. Thomas Haipeter: Interplay and Interest Articulation in the Multilevel Employee Representation System. Fragmentations and Solidarities. International Labour Process Conference 2019, Wien, 25.04.2019 Weitere Informationen
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm, Prof. Dr. Thomas Haipeter: Employee representation in multinational companies: New pathways for transnational cooperation. 1st Annual Conference "Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Cooperation Research", Duisburg, Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research, 09.04.2019 Weitere Informationen
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Transnationale Erwerbsregulierung in Zeiten der Digitalisierung. ILO-Kernarbeitsnomen & Co. Schöne neue Arbeitswelt – Digitaler Wandel jenseits der Kernarbeitsnormen? Gute Arbeit weltweit. 100 Jahre ILO. Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB), Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Hessen, Frankfurt am Main, 02.04.2019 Weitere Informationen
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Transnational representation of workers' interests in MNCs and the problem of articulation. Industrial Relations in Europe Conference "Employment relations in the 21st century: Challenges for theory and research in a changing world of work". Centre for Sociological Research (CeSO) and Institute for Labour Law, KU Leuven, Leuven, Netherlands, 11.09.2018 Weitere Informationen
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm, Prof. Dr. Thomas Haipeter: Employee representation within multinational corporations: the problem of articulation. ILERA World Congress, Seoul, Südkorea, 26.07.2018 Weitere Informationen
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Interessenartikulation in multinationalen Unternehmen: Koordination und Integration von Beschäftigteninteressen. Transnationalisierung der Arbeit und der Arbeitsbeziehungen. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven. Hochschule Fulda, 23.06.2018 Weitere Informationen
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Discussion panel: How might cross-border representation work in multinational companies? European Dialogue 2018: Social Europe. Strengthening Workers' Voice. Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Brüssel, 26.04.2018 Weitere Informationen
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Mitbestimmung in multinationalen Unternehmen: Das Problem der Interessenartikulation. WSI-Herbstforum 2017: Soziale Rechte in Europa - Ausbauen, stärken und durchsetzen. Berlin, WSI, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, 30.11.2017
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm, Markus Hertwig: Employee interests in multinational companies: European Works Councils and the problem of interest articulation. 33rd EGOS Colloquium. Kopenhagen, European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS), 07.07.2017
Prof. Dr. Thomas Haipeter, Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Articulation between actors and levels: An enlarged perspective on cross-border employee representation in multinational companies. 29th SASE Annual Meeting. Lyon, Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE), 30.06.2017
Prof. Dr. Thomas Haipeter, Dr. Markus Hertwig, Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Interessenartikulation in multinationalen Unternehmen: konzeptionelle Überlegungen und Analyserahmen. Workshop „Handlungsräume und Koordinationsprobleme von Interessenvertretung“ im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes „Interessenvertretung in nationalen und transnationalen Handlungsräumen: Unternehmensrestrukturierung und das Problem der Interessenarti, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Campus Duisburg, 18.05.2017
Prof. Dr. Thomas Haipeter, Dr. Markus Hertwig, Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Muster der Interessenartikulation in multinationalen Unternehmen: empirische Ergebnisse. Workshop „Handlungsräume und Koordinationsprobleme von Interessenvertretung“ im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes „Interessenvertretung in nationalen und transnationalen Handlungsräumen: Unternehmensrestrukturierung und das Problem der Interessenarti, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Campus Duisburg, 18.05.2017
Dr. Sophie Rosenbohm: Articulation between actors and levels: an enlarged perspective on cross-border employee representation in multinational companies. 11th ILERA European Regional Congress. Mailand, International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA), 08.09.2016