ABSTRACT
Workers’ participation and codetermination within industrial organizations takes numerous forms. Large differences exist both among and within countries. The historical growth of these different forms has been culturally determined, within the wider context of general industrial relations. In the course of time, and under the influence of all kinds of circumstances, agreements and laws have emerged that regulate these industrial relations. In one country these may lead to a fairly uncomplicated structure: In the UK, industry is largely accustomed to the concept of union representation within the firm, the “shop steward”. In other countries, such as the Netherlands, industrial democracy has adopted a wider variety of forms.
