Integrating Eastern Europe: Experience from the Multi-Level System of Worker Participation in Europe

This contribution reflects on the experience of conducting and communicating research on industrial relations and labour issues in post-socialist Eastern Europe conducted within the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI). The institute runs a research programme on the multi-level system of worker representation in Europe. In this context, the integration of East-European worker representatives into this multi-level system, particularly through European Works Councils, is an important concern. In this context, the links between researchers and labour activists are important on two levels. First, ETUI researchers use the experience of local worker representatives and trade unionists to collect data about the functioning of the European system of worker representation and its significance and impact on outcomes on the company level in Eastern Europe. Second, research produced by ETUI and in its networks is used in training activities for worker representatives organized by the ETUI in the region to enhance capabilities of local actors through using the opportunities provided by the European structures. The research on labour issues in Eastern Europe also informs activities of industry union federations on the European level.