SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP INSTITUTIONS IN GERMANY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

The article considers the legal aspects of digitalization of labour, which should be taken into account by main institutions of social partnership in Germany – trade unions and works councils. On the one hand, social partnership institutions should themselves introduce digital technologies into their workflows, reducing the risks of such an introduction. On the other hand, trade unions and works councils have a direct responsibility to prevent violations of workers’ rights due to the increasing number and complexity of information and communication technologies used by employees. The article describes the measures taken in Germany to improve the legal framework for digitalization of work processes. In particular, the Works Constitution Act had been supplemented with a new paragraph «Special Rules for the Case of the Covid-19 Pandemic» legitimizing a number of digital decisions in the works councils’ activities.