Relations between employers, trade unions, and employees in Europe are rapidly changing.  New competitive demands for organizations, the globalization process and economic turbulence,  new technologies and growing diversity in work forces are leading to new organizational  conflicts in which Employee Representatives (ERs) play a central role. ERs are confronted  with new challenges. The European Commission and the Spanish Government value innovative  social dialogue and the role of the ERs, therefore stimulated this project to empower ERs in  Europe.  How should the ERs be empowered to negotiate flexible, fair and innovative labour relations?  This was the central question addressed in the study carried out by the &#x02018;New European Industrial  Relations&#x02019; (NEIRE) network, in which researchers from eight European countries  conducted three different field studies (questionnaires, interviews and panels) with ERs and  other field expert. The participant countries represent different industrial relations traditions in  Europe. These countries are: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal,  Spain and the United Kingdom.  Based on these studies, a Best Practices Program (BPP) for empowering ERs is presented in this  book. The BPP involves ten steps:    Flexibility: a Dragon with Multiple Heads  Employability: the Art of Being Capable  Corporate Social Responsibility: Not Only a Fashion Trend  Participation and Dialogue: Engagement in a Context of Change  Trust: As Essential as Breathing  Managing Conflicts: Blending Competition and Cooperation  Critical Competencies for an Innovative Union  Attraction and Commitment: Understanding ERs Individual Perceptions and Differences  Role Conflict and Stress: Juggling Hats  Empowering Employee Representatives: &#x0201C;We can Make the Difference Here!&#x0201D;.

Pod new european industrial relations (neire) (2012)