Low Skilled Work and Co-Determination

Tasks that can be learned quickly and do not require relevant vocational training—so-called “simple jobs”—are a cornerstone of the German economy. This makes it all the more important that even (supposedly) simple work meets society’s standards for good work. The project outlined here aims to empower works council committees whose members are predominantly unskilled workers. These workers are rooted in diverse cultural work and living environments and are often not fully familiar with local economic and co-determination practices. Together with the works council of the Service Department at Dortmund Hospital, where unskilled workers make up over 90 percent of the workforce, the project aims to develop solutions and tools to support unskilled workers in actively participating in works council activities.

In a workplace characterized by unskilled labor, the project seeks new approaches to optimize works council work and promote the integration of co-determination among the workforce. In summary, the following questions are central:

1) How (well) does co-determination function in workplaces with unskilled service work?

2) What personal prerequisites, perspectives, and (work) cultural backgrounds do works council members bring to the table?

3) How can co-determination efforts be effectively strengthened to improve working conditions and counteract high turnover?

4) What new support tools can be developed and institutionalized in collaboration with company stakeholders?

Betriebsrat der ServiceDO gGmbH, ver.di Westfalen

The goal of the project is to strengthen works council activities in “low-skilled workplaces” and to promote the principles of co-determination and democracy among the workforce. A seminar concept will be used to make the content and values tangible. 

The project addresses the research question in three steps: assessing the current situation, identifying structural challenges, problem constellations, and necessary actions, as well as designing and developing tools for target-group-oriented empowerment. The project results will be discussed in the region with ver.di and other DGB unions, as well as other interested works councils. The project aims to develop approaches that are broadly transferable and offer new strategies for co-determination bodies to strengthen the unskilled labor segment within these bodies. From a democratic theory perspective, the findings are intended to help raise awareness among unskilled workers about participation and integrate them into workplace and societal work cultures.

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