From March to May 2026, works council elections —our elections at the workplace—will take place again. You, too, can run for office and help ensure good, secure jobs at your workplace. In works council elections, all employees at the workplace are eligible to vote and—if they have been with the company for at least six months—to run for office, regardless of their nationality.
Works councils are more important now than ever: Many companies are in crisis, cutting jobs, relocating, or closing down. With a works council, jobs are significantly more secure, there are fewer layoffs, fairer rules for leaving the company, and higher severance packages—and often, employees working with a works council and a union are even able to prevent closures.
More Job Security with a Works Council
Under the Works Constitution Act, the employer must fully inform the works council about so-called “operational changes.” The works council can make counterproposals, consult experts—such as those from the union—and negotiate agreements with the employer to secure jobs, for example, based on IG Metall’s collective bargaining agreements on job security. And the works council can compel the employer to conclude a reconciliation of interests or social plan that addresses continuing education, transfer companies, and severance payments. Together with a union—which can also call for strikes, for example, to secure a social collective bargaining agreement—employees can make a closure very costly for the employer.
Without a works council, however, everyone has to fight on their own. Private lawyers can’t even come close to matching those figures. Overall, studies show that companies with works councils invest more for the long term and are more resilient to crises. They cut fewer jobs and are better able to retain skilled workers. They are often more productive and economically successful, in part because motivated employees contribute their ideas. According to a study by the Hans Böckler Foundation, even the profit margins of companies with works councils are 11 percentage points higher.
Better Jobs and Higher Wages
Employees at companies with works councils earn more— around 10 percent more, depending on the study. This is particularly true for companies with acollective bargaining agreement with a union, where the works council ensures that the terms of the agreement—such as those regarding pay grades—are actually followed. In such cases, pay is 14.2 percent higher, according to the German Economic Institute (iw). With a collective bargaining agreement and a works council, pay is also more equitable—with fewer disparities, for example, between men and women: equal pay for equal work. In times of crisis, works councils negotiate intelligent, fair arrangements, often based on collective bargaining agreements. Without a works council, however, wages are often cut indiscriminately.
In addition to higher pay , employees at companies with works councils get 1.3 more days of vacation. Companies with works councils also more frequently offer flexible and family-friendly work schedules. There are more opportunities for working from home—and more continuing education.
Healthier Work Environments with a Works Council
Works councils are legally mandated to protect employees’ health. They monitor workplace safety and implement health and safety measures. With a works council, risk assessments—which are actually required by law—are also conducted more frequently.
Without a works council, however, there is no one to monitor health and safety, despite a minimum inspection quota that has been in effect since 2021. The employers’ associations, funded by employers, have “contact” with 17 percent of companies each year. State regulatory agencies, such as the labor inspectorate, inspect only 1.8 percent of companies per year. This means:
The Labor Inspectorate, on average, visits once every 55 years.
Democracy in the Workplace
Through their works councils, employees can have a say in the operations of their workplace and their company. The works council has co-determination rights regarding issues such as health, continuing education, and transfers; it must be consulted in the event of layoffs and can make proposals to secure employment.
In an increasing number of workplaces, works councils—with the support of IG Metall—are ensuring that employees, as experts in their work, help shape processes and contribute ideas—and in this way can secure the future of their workplace themselves.
