ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the emergence of European Works Councils (EWC) is approached from a historical perspective of institutionalising a European body of interest mediation and regulation on the basis of highly differing local and national traditions and conditions of labour and its regulation. For many years, especially after the EWC Directive had been adopted in 1994, political debates and scientific research were concentrated in crosscut analysis of the number of EWCs established, their working conditions, and outcome. Interest in researching EWCs as the first cross-border institution for company-level employee representation pre-dates the 1994 adoption of the EWC Directive, but was given a substantial boost from then and following its transposition into national law until 1996. The European automobile end-manufacturers were pioneers in establishing EWCs. A closer look to how the total number of EWCs is composed and developed by important characteristics reveals some interesting results.
