Transformation Of Labour And Future Of Labour Law In Europe

Recoge: 1. Work and private power - 2. Work and Employment Status - 3. Work and time - 4. Labour and collective organisation - 5. Labour and public authorities: The State's role - 6. Transformation of work, women's work and the future of Labour Law. The gender dimension - 7. Labour and lau and economic performance.

This book is the English edition of what has become widely known as 'The Supiot Report' - a bold and far-reaching look at the changing nature of work initiated by the EC. It takes as its starting point the profound changes that have taken place in the underlying employment relationship and associated human resource practices over the past twenty years. These developments are placed in their economic, social, institutional, and legal contexts. Competitive pressures on firms, the search for greater efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of public services, the changing role of women in society, and the desire for greater choice on the part of individuals are all important motives for change. The legal framework and the structures and organizations which represent the interests of workers and employers must respond to these changes. Drawing on illustrations from a number of European countries, the book suggests that the legal framework should encourage greater collaboration in the workplace, particularly over issues such as training. But it should also place work within its social context and facilitate genuine choices by individuals.

Studies in Employment and Social Policy Volume 56 Digitalization, far from being solely a technological issue, has broad implications in the social, labour, and economic spheres. It leads to dangers as well as to new chances for the workforce, and thus labour law must develop effective ways to both protect workers and allow them to profit from new technological developments. The most thorough book of its kind, this collection of expert essays provides an abundance of well-thought-out material for understanding the consequences of digitalization for the labour market and industrial relations. Recognizing that only an international perspective can make it possible to face the challenges of the present (and the future), renowned authorities from the International Labour Organization and the International Society for Labour and Social Security Law, as well as outstanding labour law professors, examine in depth such salient issues as the following: transformation of production systems; the spread of artificial intelligence; precariousness and exploitation in the gig economy; lessons learned from COVID-19; employment status of platform workers; new cross-border issues; rights to trade union association and collective bargaining; role of the State in the new digital labour market; and blurred lines between work and private life. Thanks to the international team of contributors, the issues are dealt with from a variety of overlapping perspectives and points of view, combining aspects of labour law, commercial law, corporate governance, and international law. Highlighting the need to adapt, especially through the right to training, work, and professionalism with respect to the new technological landscape, the book draws on legislative, judicial, and theoretical initiatives suggesting ways of responding positively to the requests for protection that arise in the new forms of production. A uniquely valuable tool for study and reflection for policymakers and academics, the book is also sure to be valued by entrepreneurs, managers, consultants, corporate lawyers, judges, human rights experts, and trade unionists who are interested in the issues of labour, industrial relations, and social rights in European and international contexts.

The labour laws of European democracies all underwent major transformations in the seven decades after the Second World War. Following reconstruction, these laws became an essential element in the building of welfare states; in the 1980s and 1990s they were the target of neo-liberal deregulation; and at the beginning of the 21st century new 'flexible' labour laws have attempted to integrate economic and social policy. This book, a sequel to 'The Making of Labour Law in Europe- A Comparative Study of Nine Countries up to 1945' (ed. B Hepple), compares the similarities and differences in the ways in which EU Member States reflected and shaped these general developments, in the context of economic, social and political changes over the period 1945-2004. Note: the Publishers are issuing a reprint of the first volume, 'The Making of Labour Law in Europe - A Comparative Study of Nine Countries up to 1945' to coincide with publication of the sequel. The great strength of the collection is on the focus on context, with chapters looking at developments in labour market trends and structures of worker represntation.

This book employs an innovative approach to explore the topic of flexicurity and related changes in the working world, the importance of which for the overall economic and social development is gradually being recognised. It focuses on the changing nature of work and its impact on EU law and national labour and social security laws. Though the transformation of regulatory and institutional frameworks of labour relations follows different patterns in different EU Member States, it is nevertheless a common phenomenon that offers an excellent opportunity for mutual learning experiences and comparing notes on best practices. Taking these ideas as a starting point, the book presents a collection of research on various aspects and implications of changing labour relations in the EU Member States. The opening chapters address the internal market dimension of the transformation of employment relations by investigating how social dumping, integration of migrant workers, and cross-border mergers influence national labour policies and laws. The book further analyses linguistic and terminological challenges in the field of labour law in the EU’s multi-lingual legal environment. Subsequent chapters cover various theoretical and practical issues, such as the impact of chain-liability regulatory models on the legal situation of workers in subcontracting networks, and modern work arrangements in the collaborative or ‘gig’ economy. Other chapters are dedicated to issues of jurisdiction and law applicable to individual employment contracts, as well as alternative resolution mechanisms in labour disputes. The next section offers fresh insights on and a critical overview of the well-known Danish and Dutch models of flexicurity, often cited as role models for reforms of labour markets in other EU Member States. Three individual chapters investigate specific aspects of flexicurity in Croatia, in terms of individual dismissals, life-long learning and the impact of non-standard employment on future pension entitlements. One paper explores temporary agency work in Germany as an important instrument of flexicurity, while another discusses various forms of work used in Slovenia in the context of flexibilization of work relations. Many challenges still lie ahead, and the primary aim of this book is to provide a solid basis for informed future discussions.

How are national and international labour laws responding to the challenge of globalization as it re-shapes the workplaces of the world? This collection of essays by leading legal scholars and lawyers from Europe and the Americas was first published in 2006. It addresses the implications of globalization for the legal regulation of the workplace. It examines the role of international labour standards and the contribution of the International Labour Organization, and assesses the success of the European experiment with continental employment standards. It explores the prospects for hemispheric co-operation on labour standards in the Americas, and deals with the impact of international labour standards on the rights of women and migrant workers. As the nature and organization of work around the world is being decisively transformed, new regional and international institutions are emerging that may provide the platform for new labour standards, and for protecting existing ones.

Although the existential threat of climate change has at last been generally acknowledged, its influence on the labour market and the regulation of labour relations remains ambivalent at best. This supremely important volume, with contributions by thirteen prominent labour law practitioners and academics, shows how labour law not only can but absolutely must assume a greater role in the debate on the climate crisis and move towards a new eco-friendly labour paradigm. Committed to the proposition that employment must come to terms with the natural environment and open a new chapter in the relationship between human work and the Earth, the authors examine critical issues and perspectives on the role of labour law in a just ecological transition, focusing on such aspects as the following: negative externalities associated with the value chains production model; (in)effectiveness of corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives; protection of human rights from violations attributable to private sector activities; protection of whistleblowers; need for professional training in new occupations; environmental migrants; reskilling and active inclusion of workers and jobseekers; role of remote work and flexible working time; and evaluation and reward of employees. The impact of the green transition on industrial activities is already creating strong tensions among the social parties, leading inevitably to massive restructuring of enterprises and relocation of thousands of workers. This detailed analysis of the implications of climate change for the labour contract and the industrial relations system provides appropriate tools to understand trends and possible solutions for the future. It will be welcomed by managers, consultants, corporate lawyers, judges, human rights experts, trade unionists, researchers, and professors placed at the nexus of labour, industrial relations, and social rights in Europe and worldwide.

The renowned international labour law scholars contributing to this incomparable volume use the term ‘game changers’ to refer to evolutions, concepts, ideas and challenges that are having, or have had, major impacts on how we must understand and approach labour law in today’s global economy. The volume derives from an international conference organized by the Institute for Labour Law at the University of Leuven, Belgium in November 2017. This initiative is pursued in the spirit and with the methods of the late Emeritus Professor Roger Blanpain (1932–2016), a great reformer who continuously searched for key challenges in the world of work and looked as far as possible into the future, engaging in critical reflection and rethinking the design of labour law. While seeking to identify the main game changers, the authors explore new pathways and answers which may help to understand and shape the future of work. This is the 100th of Kluwer’s Bulletin of Comparative Labour Relations, a series Professor Blanpain launched nearly fifty years ago. The contributors address, and reflect on, such vital issues and topics as the following: – the ‘gig’ economy; – core labour law values; – freedom of association; – non-standard employment; – the rise of the service sector; – employment and self-employment; – the European Pillar of Social Rights; – app-based work; – algorithms as controls in the workplace; – collective bargaining rights and the right to strike; – the role of temporary employment agencies; and – termination of the employment relationship. There are also chapters devoted to specific issues in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Estonia, China and the United States. Roger Blanpain consistently reminded us that labour relations are power relations. Although this book shows that the power balance is tipped towards employers in today’s world, what is nevertheless very clear is that labour law can play a crucial role in re-enlivening equitable outcomes, fairness, decent work and social justice in our contemporary and future societies, and that academia can help to understand, guide and shape that future. For this reason, this book will be invaluable to professionals in labour relations, whether in the academic, policy or legal communities.