Fun facts about Works Council elections in Germany.
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Fun facts about Works Council elections in Germany. Elections happen every 4 years. So 2026 means elections in a lot of companies. The dates are coordinated. Every German company with a Works Council will have an election this year between March and May. 1/8
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Fun facts about Works Council elections in Germany. Elections happen every 4 years. So 2026 means elections in a lot of companies. The dates are coordinated. Every German company with a Works Council will have an election this year between March and May. 1/8
This means to compile lists of candidates and organising support signatures. Depending on how many employees a company has, there are laws telling you how many members the Works Council has. In our case at Red Hat this means 11 members. 2/8
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This means to compile lists of candidates and organising support signatures. Depending on how many employees a company has, there are laws telling you how many members the Works Council has. In our case at Red Hat this means 11 members. 2/8
Voting can happen in two modes. Person or list. If there is only one list with a sufficient number of candidates (at least 11, better at east 22 to have substitutes and at least 31 supporter signatures), we have a personal vote. In our case that means every employee gets 11 votes to distribute among the candidates. 3/8
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Voting can happen in two modes. Person or list. If there is only one list with a sufficient number of candidates (at least 11, better at east 22 to have substitutes and at least 31 supporter signatures), we have a personal vote. In our case that means every employee gets 11 votes to distribute among the candidates. 3/8
Should a second list be filed with sufficient supporter signatures, we are forced by law to switch to list voting mode. Meaning that employees have just one vote for a list. The final result will then depend on your position on the list and the number of votes the list has received. 4/8
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Should a second list be filed with sufficient supporter signatures, we are forced by law to switch to list voting mode. Meaning that employees have just one vote for a list. The final result will then depend on your position on the list and the number of votes the list has received. 4/8
I personally prefer the one list approach. It's the most democratic option. You get elected based on the votes you can get. But what power does a Works Council have in Germany? Is it just a way to keep people busy or do we have real influence? 5/8
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I personally prefer the one list approach. It's the most democratic option. You get elected based on the votes you can get. But what power does a Works Council have in Germany? Is it just a way to keep people busy or do we have real influence? 5/8
In fact we have A LOT of power. We decide on new hires. On rules. On new tools. Codetermination is the technical term. In Germany, Works Councils wield a lot of power. Using that power in the best possible way for the best of employees and teh company — that is our task. 6/8
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In fact we have A LOT of power. We decide on new hires. On rules. On new tools. Codetermination is the technical term. In Germany, Works Councils wield a lot of power. Using that power in the best possible way for the best of employees and teh company — that is our task. 6/8
I take these responsibilities very serious. As elected member of the Works Council, I am here to defend the rights of employees but in a cooperative way. I am not AGAINST everything, I have to weigh what is best for the company and the employees. but with a clear bias towards workers rights, A responsibility I take very serious. 7/8
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I take these responsibilities very serious. As elected member of the Works Council, I am here to defend the rights of employees but in a cooperative way. I am not AGAINST everything, I have to weigh what is best for the company and the employees. but with a clear bias towards workers rights, A responsibility I take very serious. 7/8
So yes. I am a candidate again and I want to continue the things we have started. Because Red Hat is worth it. Red Hat is still a company that can pay 20000+ people every month to bring more Open Source and Free Software to the world. I am proud of what we achieved in the 20+ years I worked here. Let's continue making the world better. 8/8
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Fun facts about Works Council elections in Germany. Elections happen every 4 years. So 2026 means elections in a lot of companies. The dates are coordinated. Every German company with a Works Council will have an election this year between March and May. 1/8
@jwildeboer I was today years old when I learnt about works councils and co-determination. Danke schön. The Wikipedia list of OECD countries that have some form of co-determination highlights the difference between anglophone countries and others (although the UK has a few examples in education and health).
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