The conciliation committee comprises a neutral chair person, usually a labour judge and an equal number of assessors chosen by each the employer and the works council, usually two or three people.
[1]: 59–64 In cases of failed negotiations between the works council and the employer, the conciliation committees can make binding decisions.
For enforceable co-determination topics, this can be an award as a works agreement or a social compensation plan during mass-layoffs negotiations.
The conciliation committee can also resolve individual matters including employee complaints over the handling of workplace harassment claims and scheduling of vacation.
[citation needed] 2,000 works councils were interviewed in a 2017 survey by Economic and Social Research Institute [de] (WSI) of the Hans Boeckler Foundation.