The politics of language and European Works Councils: towards a research agenda

This article considers key questions of control relating to language support for European Works Councils (EWCs). The degree of support for interpreting and translation, flexibility in the working language(s) and training provision can all have a considerable impact on the ability of transnational worker representatives to develop a workable communications framework. An analysis of the pattern of language provision confirms English as the lingua franca in EWCs. Preliminary findings on the ways EWC delegates handle communication across language barriers suggest some pointers for future research into what may be a crucial variable in the development of transnational industrial relations.