A head with two tales: trade unions' influence on temporary agency work in Belgian and German workplaces

This paper investigates local trade union influence on temporary agency work (TAW) in four Belgian and German workplaces. It argues that the union's capacity to influence the job conditions of agency workers is heterogeneous. Societal differences between systems of workplace representation and the different structures of collective bargaining are used to explain the heterogeneity of local union practices and their effect on the working conditions of agency workers. The practices that unions adopt locally in response to human resource management and TAW strategies are also important factors that aid understanding with regard to the labour use of TAW. These societal differences intersect with the socio-economic conditions of the firm to generate local unions' responses to the management's use of agency workers. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.status: publishe