A critical assessment of European social policy that suggests ways to improve coverage of fundamental labour standards in Europe.

A critical assessment of European social policy that suggests ways to improve coverage of fundamental labour standards in Europe.

A critical assessment of European social policy that suggests ways to improve coverage of fundamental labour standards in Europe.

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.

This book provides an all-encompassing and timely analysis of the EU regulatory framework deriving from the enactment of Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages. In the first part, the book discusses the function of minimum wage policies in contemporary labour markets and the role of social partners and collective bargaining in governing minimum wage determinants and trends. The second part provides an article-by-article commentary of the Directive, including insights on crucial aspects such as the EU competence to intervene on wages, the concept of minimum wage adequacy, and the measurement and promotion of collective bargaining coverage. The third part assesses the impact of the Directive across the EU, focusing on the main systemic implications of the Directive as well as on the structural changes that Member States will need to implement. With contributions written by scholars and stakeholders from across Europe, the book sheds light on one of labour law's most fundamental objectives – to provide for adequate minimum wages. It is an invaluable resource for researchers, policy makers, trade unionists and employers' representatives.

Protecting the Future of Work analyses the changes that worker protection institutions have undergone with the decline of traditional measures such as trade unions, mapping out the new systems and approaches to protect wages, conditions and job security.

This collection examines the human rights to social security and social protection from a women's rights perspective. The contributors stress the need to address women's poverty and exclusion within a human rights framework that takes account of gender. The chapters unpack the rights to social security and protection and their relationship to human rights principles such as gender equality, participation and dignity. Alongside conceptual insights across the field of women's social security rights, the collection analyses recent developments in international law and in a range of national settings. It considers the ILO's Social Protection Floors Recommendation and the work of UN treaty bodies. It explores the different approaches to expansion of social protection in developing countries (China, Chile and Bolivia). It also discusses conditionality in cash transfer programmes, a central debate in social policy and development, through a gender lens. Contributors consider the position of poor women, particularly single mothers, in developed countries (Australia, Canada, the United States, Ireland and Spain) facing the damaging consequences of welfare cuts. The collection engages with shifts in global discourse on the role of social policy and the way in which ideas of crisis and austerity have been used to undermine rights with harsh impacts on women.