Why has no candidate ever spoken out in favour of Codetermination?

It means having a worker representative on the board of directors.  It has helped but I for one believe the strength of the union movement is what propels Germany's economy not codetermination.  Corporate honchos will ignore worker representatives unless those representatives are from a strong union. The proof is in the German companies actions when they get into non unionized environments like the USA.

Quote:

“Respecting workers’ rights and needs benefits employees, their families, and a company’s bottom line. T-Mobile’s parent company became a leader in the telecom industry in Europe by working with their employees and proving that there is a better way to do business,” says Kimberly Freeman Brown, Executive Director of American Rights at Work Education Fund. “It is inexcusable that our dysfunctional labor law system allowed T-Mobile USA to disregard its employees’ rights here in the United States.”

The failure of U.S. labor law to protect America’s workers from pervasive unionbusting is well-documented. Yet little attention has been paid to the practice of foreign companies operating in cooperation with their employees in their home countries, where labor laws are stronger, while failing to respect the rights of their workers in the United States. The same company, under two different systems of law, results in two very different situations for workers.

Based on Deutsche Telekom’s strong record of supporting workers’ rights in Europe, the American labor movement helped open the door for the company to enter the U.S. wireless market in 2001. Larry Cohen, President of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), says, “Since then, we have seen no respect for workers’ rights, just eight years of intolerance and hostility toward workers and complete disregard of their rights to organize and bargain collectively. It’s now time to hold DT and T-Mobile USA accountable.”

The disparities between employees of Deutsche Telekom on opposite sides of the Atlantic have led to an unprecedented partnership between U.S. and German workers. CWA and ver.di, which is Germany’s largest union, have joined forces to create a new union known as TU to collectively advance fair treatment and collective bargaining for all DT workers.

“We believe that through this new union, we will contribute to better working conditions for workers in both countries,” says Lothar Schröder, member of the Federal Executive of ver.di. “Management must get used to the idea that we are representing the interests not only of German workers but of American workers as well. This is the right response to globalization.”

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/press-center/2009-press-releases/new...

The Venezuelan model of co-management is far superior.

I don't believe for a minute that having one or two workers on the Board of that company in the US would have changed a thing.  Capitalists only give up what they are forced to give up they don't play nice just because someone with voice but no power asks them too.  I find your arguments very naive because they presume that the company boards will listen when they are not being pressured.  That has not been my real life experience with employers.  There are few benevolent dictators in the corporate world.