ABSTRACT
Workers have close interest in EPV as a prime means of securing information or consultation or of defending collective interests. Unions provide the main instrument for representing collective interests but in most countries face representational problems due to globalisation and free-market policies. Union density is in decline in most developed countries, though studies demonstrate that employees are still sympathetic to collective means to close ‘representation gaps’. Of course, there are national differences in union presence and activity and the chapter explores these differences, focusing on Europe, where union densities vary considerably. Government support helps sustain union influence at national or sectoral levels, even when union membership is low, as in France and Germany.
Increasing numbers of workers are in precarious situations, enjoying neither employment status nor representation. As precarious work increases, efforts are being made representative bodies to provide workers with a voice. Silence can also be deployed by workers and managers as a form of work control.
