Varieties of workplace dualisation: a study of agency work in the German automotive industry

This article investigates the variation in workplace arrangements on agency work across four German automotive plants. The plants differ in terms of the proportion of agency workers, the length of their assignment, their function and their wage level compared with the permanent workforce. The article explores how the interaction between national-level deregulation, workplace power resources and the local political and economic context affects the bargaining outcomes achieved by works councils. Findings rely on interviews with human resource managers and labour representatives at workplace and sectoral level.