Trust in cross-national labour relations: A case study of an anglo-dutch european works council

Using in-depth case study research conducted at a UK-based European Works Council, this article explores the dynamics of cross-national trust relations between workers representatives. The results of the study point to a deficiency of trust between the two largest national delegations of workers on the forum. I integrate the sociological theory of dramaturgy and the varieties of capitalism framework in order to explain this deficiency. It is argued that the weak relations of trust among the delegates stem from the competitive pressures of employment in a multinational firm, the corresponding parochial interest representation and the unequal power relations within the forum that derive from the contextual features of each delegations national system of corporate governance. The prospects for building trust via reflexivity and learning are also considered.