The Impact of Globalization on the Changes in Industrial Relations and Development of Employee Participation – Evidence from Poland

The process of globalization influences not only economic relations but also causes significant changes in the area of industrial relations and employee participation. The answer to the challenges of globalization has been the emergence of new transnational institutions of participation in the form of European Works Councils (EWCs) and European Companies (SEs) and the concluding of transnational company agreements. The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of globalization on the development of employee participation in Polish industrial relations. The paper argues that globalization leads to dissemination of forms of employee participation in Polish companies but the scope of the forms of participation is still lower than in companies in the old EU countries. The slow growth of participation in Poland has primarily resulted from an indifferent or even hostile attitude to participation on the part of the state and social partners.