Betriebsrat: The Bridge between Management and Workers
Industries work in various parts of the globe with millions of workers. These workers in their day to day life can face innumerable situations where they need the help of the management at office. Also for their rights and reservation, their problems and solution and nearly for many things, they need co operation and patient hearing from the management. But in many times it has been evident that in any communication initiative between management and workers, results into both parties trying to save their own interest without presenting any neutral and correct decision. Sometimes the management from their level feels incompetent also to understand the worries and requirements of the workers. To initiate a healthy working enviourment and restore the interests of the workers, often a betriebsrat is established who work as a communication bridge between management and worker and protects their interest against all odds.
The practice of forming a betriebsrat is not limited to few countries as Austria, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium and many other countries have acknowledged the necessity and advantage of these betriebsrat. The election of the betriebsrat remains quite unique where the employees are given the right to vote. With these voting rights they elect at least four to five employees which are usually not part of the management team. These employees are then given the responsibility of the betriebsrat office for the benefit of the employees in co ordination with the management team. This is also a process of having co determination as well as joint decision rights, though the extents of rights are different in different countries. In countries like United States, the workers have minimal involvement in decisions whereas in Germany, it has the ultimate powers which make them almost a part of the management team in taking any decision for the company.
However betriebsrat are not mandatory part of organizations and the employers are not bounded to make one. But if the company size exceeds a certain limit and the work force or the trade union demands a representative body, then the company is bound to organize for the same. Usually the rights of a betriebsrat is stronger in case of matters like workers, employee welfare, whereas much weaker in business policies and technical or financial matters. It is a conscious effort to lessen the gap between management and worker and produce a better working enviourment.
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