simply questuons, due 8 hours, easy I supply other student answers, NO WORD COUNT REQUIRED

Student answer

 The French and the German were a bit different when it came down to decentralized and centralized characteristics. The French on one hand had very high forms of decentralization. One said by Alexis de Tocqueville "Decentralization has, not only an administrative value, but also a civic dimension, since it increases the opportunities for citizens to take interest in public affairs; it makes them get accustomed to using freedom. And from the accumulation of these local, active, persnickety freedoms, is born the most efficient counterweight against the claims of the central government, even if it were supported by an impersonal, collective will.”  This shows us how decentralization occurred in France. On the other hand Germany focused more on centralization their value of though was a bit different. About 439 districts have adapted to the centralization characteristics while there were other districts in Germany that still opposed this ideology.  There is still a debate whether to adapt to centralization or decentralization even till the year 2005, so I would say that try both characterizes and see what is best for ones country. There is never a exclusively correct answer to any power or characteristics however, one must find where they fit best.

b.)  Minimum wage law in Germany, France, Britain and the US were quite different. According to research I have found that in Germany construction workers, electrical workers, janitors, roofers, painters, and letter carriers were set off for minimum wage by the method of collective bargaining agreement. So basically in Germany you choose at what wage you want to work and its wage is decided for you, there is no set rule marked for what you will receive in the minimum wage criteria. On the other hand Britain, U.S. and France have a set minimum wage policy and this provides the nation with order and the workers with security, in case of economic fluctuation their pay will not be affected.

c.)   Germany’s rules about co-determination are for the benefit of the working class. Unions were formed and they gave the workers a voice and the power to decide what is beneficial for the company, and thus they can cause the profit margin to either go up or down. I am quite fascinated with this policy, for one if I knew that I will have a say as well as power in a matter of escalating at my work place I would work extremely hard and make my workers and company better. This will not only make the economy stronger but also the society worth of value. The board and the work place level gave the people of Germany a podium to stand on and shine. So if one had any concerns with any matter in relations to the company they can step up and voice their opinion. All employees in a private sector firm are not covered by work counsel even though the law required it because of employee relations is standing on collective bargaining issues so there is no cue in where there should be a clause of protection. Its one standing up for their own cause and they must stand strong for it. All the employers do not recognize industry-wide collective bargaining because it effects differently in every country, what might be beneficial for Germany can destroy other states infrastructure.

d.)  Rates of coverage work council and union density has been declining in Germany because of differentiation between the work counsels ideology and the employees. Its almost as if there is a power struggle between both. In other countries union density is decreasing because of increase in smaller businesses and other economic conditions that factor in.

Student answer

a. For the French, there has been a high level of decentralization of employment relations, but collective bargaining continues to occur at industry and national level. In Germany, the number of industrial disputes are low due to centralization of the system because of alternative dispute settlement structures as well as trust and cooperation. 

b. There is no statutory minimum wage in Germany so extensive collective bargaining is put in place. As a result, there has been a struggle to secure adequate wages, which lead to the emergence of the "working poor". The government has amended legislation to make it easier to declare wage agreements as binding for all employers. France, Britain, and the US, all have national minimum wages to promote a positive contribution to fairness in the workplace. Germany has the most freest marker with respect to minimum wage, and it is a cause for problems regarding employment relations.

c. Co-determination in Germany is based on the idea of industrial democracy and cooperation. On the workplace level, works councils have a set of rights on three sets of issues. They are economic and financial affairs, staff matters, and social matters. On the company level, there is a two-tier board structure: supervisory and management boards. Members on the supervisory board are composed partially of employee representatives (often works councils or union officials), and the employee representatives are usually involved in the appointment of the labor director to the management board. The Works Constitution Act is one of three acts on co-determination at the company level. Germany has moved towards decentralized collective bargaining. Because of opening clauses, companies are allowed to deviate from provisions in the industry-wide collective agreement. There variations must be negotiated between employers and works councils at the company level. Because final decisions have been made by managers and works councils, there has been a decline in the power of the unions and employer associations. So employees aren't covered by the works council, and employers in employers' associations don't recognize industry-wide collective bargaining agreements because the formal structure of collective bargaining has remained the same but its outcomes and functions have changed.  

d. The rates of coverage for works councils has declined in Germany because of the growing representation gap between employees and works councils. In many enterprises, there are no works councils because elections must be initiated by employees, and there is an overlap between the activites and memberships of unions and works councils. Similarly to Germany, France has had a decline in union density. Formal representation institutions are declining in all four countries because of fragmentation, scarcity of resourses, and the concentration of union memberships.