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The Impact of Works Councils on Wages

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Author Info
John T. Addison (University of South Carolina (U.S.A.), GEMF/Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal))
Paulino Teixeira () (GEMF and Faculdade de Economia, Universidade de Coimbra)
Thomas Zwick (CEER/Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung, Mannheim (Germany))

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Abstract

This paper investigates for the first time the effect of works councils on the anatomy of wages, using matched employer-employee data from the German LIAB for 2001. We find that works councils are associated with higher earnings. The wage premium is roughly comparable with the combined effect of sectoral and plant collective bargaining proper. This result persists after taking account of worker and establishment heterogeneity and the endogeneity of works council presence. Next, using quantile regressions, we find that the works council premium is decreasing with the position of the worker in the wage distribution. And it is also higher for women than for men. Finally, in addition to attenuating the gender wage gap and reducing wage dispersion, works councils have a small but significantly positive impact on tenure after controlling for wages. This suggests that there is some rent sharing; even if, overall, the entity’s voice effects appear to dominate its monopoly effects.

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Paper provided by GEMF - Faculdade de Economia, Universidade de Coimbra in its series GEMF Working Papers with number 2006-08.

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Length: 51 pages
Date of creation: 2006
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Handle: RePEc:gmf:wpaper:2006-08

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  1. Joan Muysken & Thomas Zwick, 2006. "Wage Divergence and Unemployment: The Impact of Wage Setting Power and Training Costs," Schmollers Jahrbuch : Journal of Applied Social Science Studies / Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 126(1), pages 1-19.
  2. John T. Addison & Claus Schnabel & Joachim Wagner, 2004. "The Course of Research into the Economic Consequences of German Works Councils," British Journal of Industrial Relations, Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 255-281, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Horn, Henrik & Svensson, Lars E O, 1986. "Trade Unions and Optimal Labour Contracts," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 96(382), pages 323-41, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Siebert, Horst, 1997. "Labor Market Rigidities: At the Root of Unemployment in Europe," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 37-54, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Olaf H¸bler & Uwe Jirjahn, 2003. "Works Councils and Collective Bargaining in Germany: The Impact on Productivity and Wages," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 50(4), pages 471-491, 09. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Juhn, Chinhui & Murphy, Kevin M & Pierce, Brooks, 1993. "Wage Inequality and the Rise in Returns to Skill," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(3), pages 410-42, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Farber, Henry S, 1994. "The Analysis of Interfirm Worker Mobility," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(4), pages 554-93, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Addison, John T. & Schnabel, Claus & Wagner, Joachim, 2003. "The Course of Research into the Economic Consequences of German Works Councils," IZA Discussion Papers 878, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Addison, John T. & Bellmann, Lutz & Kölling, Arnd, 2002. "Unions, Works Councils and Plant Closings in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 474, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  3. Addison, John T. & Bellmann, Lutz & Schnabel, Claus & Wagner, Joachim, 2002. "The Long Awaited Reform of the German Works Constitution Act," IZA Discussion Papers 422, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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