German Unions Press for Employee Ownership

Until recently, continental European governments, business, and labor unions have had only minimal interest in employee ownership, but that appears to be changing. Germany recently passed legislation to allow employees to buy stock in companies on more favorable terms, and Austria has made similar changes. The Sarkozy government in France had proposed significant new incentives for broad-based employee ownership, but they have been on hold.

Meanwhile, German unions are starting to press for an equity stake in companies where they are taking concessions. The German Labor party has supported the idea. For details, see this Financial Times article on the subject.