"Judicial decisions concerning industrial action have strengthened the right to strike and made lockouts virtually impossible. Employers respond to such a shift in the power on the labour market with relocations and power on the goods market. In addition the trade unions are threatened by...

"In Germany, trade unions and employers' associations play a role not only in wage determination but also in issues of social policy and labour law. While the majority of firms are organized in employers' associations, less than one quarter of employees are members of a trade union. Both social...