The modern working environment has been characterized by numerous changes including demographic changes and increased diversity of the workforce. These changes are attributable to various factors including rapid technological advancements and globalization. In light of these changes, different countries have adopted different labor relations processes depending on the characteristics of the workforce. This paper examines labor relations processes in several European Union (EU) countries and the United States. The similarities and differences in labor relations processes between these countries are discussed as well as outcomes from different approaches in labor relations. Additionally, a good model and bad model of labor relations are also discussed in this paper. The United States and German labor relations processes utilizes elements of codetermination, which refers to an institutionalized employee voice with which employees engage in workplace decision-making (Budd, 2017). However, in the U.S., employees can determine whether to be represented by a trade union while employers can undertake various ways to avoid unionization. On the contrary, in Germany, all companies in an industry are subjected to regionally or nationally negotiated labor agreements. Collective bargaining in Germany occurs through work councils, which address some issues that are similar to those handled by unions in the...

(Coe, 2014). Similar to the U.S., labor relations processes in the United Kingdom involve single employer collective bargaining or individualized relations between the workforce and management since UK practice voluntarism. Unlike the U.S., labor relations processes in Sweden are based on a Nordic model of industrial relations in which strong trade union exist and are legally and culturally protected. In France labor relations processes, workers have various forms of workplace-level representation such as work committees and employee delegates though industry level agreements play a major role in collective bargaining. Labor relations processes in Ireland incorporate social partnership and voluntarism, which implies that collective bargaining usually occur if parties willingly agree.
The common elements within the EU countries include codetermination and issues handled by trade unions with respect to compensation and other benefits. However, EU countries differ on how collective bargaining processes are carried out between the management and workers’ representatives. The difference in the collective bargaining processes are influenced by kind of model adopted by the country for labor relations processes. One of the outcomes likely to emerge from these different approaches in the labor relations process is strong employee voice. In this case, the labor unions offer voice to…