Employment relations in the European Union
In a globalised world working conditions are increasingly influenced by international developments. However, while multinational companies act beyond national frontiers, a large part of labour regulation is still restricted to the national and local level: labour law, collective agreements, works councils etc. Since the Social Policy Protocol of December 1991 a large set of new institutions at European Union level has emerged: the European Social Dialogue, European framework agreements, European Works Councils etc. Yet, the impact of these developments and the interaction between European, national, local and enterprise level are highly controversial – in the scientific discourse as well as in political debates.
The course is intended to give an overview on several aspects of industrial relations in the European Union:
- the different national systems of industrial relations in EU member states,
- the institutional setting of industrial relations at EU level,
- the theoretical debate about the possibilities, impacts, and shortcomings of transnational labour regulation.
Requirements
Regular attendance, oral presentations, and essays.
Recommended reading
- Carley, Mark / McKay, Sonia / Miller, Jean-Michel / Biletta, Isabella (2010): Industrial relations developments in Europe 2009. Dublin: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living andWorking Conditions.
- Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research. Vol. 16 no. 3 (August 2010). Currently freely available at trs.sagepub.com.
