No, the workers have to have actual ownership (ie stocks) in the company. Work councils are no different from unions in that the members of the council are not

No, the workers have to have actual ownership (ie stocks) in the company. Work councils are no different from unions in that the members of the council are not working to maximize the success of the company but to maximize employment and wages (and these two things are not always aligned). Until incentives are aligned, there will always be an antagonistic relationship between workers and companies. Putting workers on the BoD just makes the conflict internal rather than external. Of course this is easier said than done since most workers just want to get paid and would sell their equity stakes as soon as they vest. Designing good incentives is very hard.