9. Collective labour law

Author(s):  
Ian Smith ◽  
Aaron Baker ◽  
Owen Warnock

This chapter considers the laws that affect trade unions and employment relations at a collective level, with the exception of strikes and other industrial action which are examined in Chapter 10. The chapter begins by considering the legal status of a trade union and the statutory concept of trade union independence. The applicability of trade union law to workers in the gig economy is also considered. The focus then shifts to the ways in which the law seeks to secure freedom of association, by provisions which protect and support union membership and activities including giving protection against discrimination and providing rights to time off for union duties and activities. The chapter then turns to the concept of recognition of unions for collective bargaining, and the legal rights that come with recognition. It also examines the statutory system for securing recognition. The relevance of the European Convention on Human Rights is considered throughout as are the changes made by the Trade Union Act 2016. The law relating to domestic and European works councils is also considered.

2019 ◽  
pp. 649-719
Author(s):  
Ian Smith ◽  
Aaron Baker ◽  
Owen Warnock

This chapter considers the laws that affect trade unions and employment relations at a collective level, with the exception of strikes and other industrial action, which are examined in Chapter 10. The chapter begins by considering the legal status of a trade union and the statutory concept of trade union independence. The applicability of trade union law to workers in the gig economy is also considered. The focus then shifts to the ways in which the law seeks to secure freedom of association, by provisions which protect and support union membership and activities including giving protection against discrimination and providing rights to time off for union duties and activities. The chapter then turns to the concept of recognition of unions for collective bargaining, and the legal rights that come with recognition. It also examines the statutory system for securing recognition. The relevance of the European Convention on Human Rights is considered throughout, as are the changes made by the Trade Union Act 2016. The law relating to domestic and European works councils is also considered.


Author(s):  
Ian Smith ◽  
Aaron Baker ◽  
Owen Warnock

This chapter considers the laws that affect trade unions and employment relations at a collective level, with the exception of strikes and other industrial action which are examined in Chapter 10. The chapter begins by considering the legal status of a trade union and the statutory concept of trade union independence. The focus then shifts to the ways in which the law seeks to secure freedom of association, by provisions which protect and support union membership and activities including giving protection against discrimination and providing rights to time off for union duties and activities. The chapter then turns to the concept of recognition of unions for collective bargaining, and the legal rights that come with recognition. It also examines the statutory system for securing recognition. The law relating to domestic and European works councils is also considered.


Author(s):  
Vita Upeniece

Darba tiesības regulējošie normatīvie akti parasti satur noteikumu kopumu, kas regulē attiecības starp darbinieku apvienību vai darbinieku grupu un darba devēju. Biedrošanās brīvība ir nostiprināta arī vairākos starptautiskajos dokumentos, it īpaši ANO Cilvēktiesību deklarācijā, ANO Starptautiskajā paktā par pilsoniskajām un politiskajām tiesībām, ANO Starptautiskajā paktā par ekonomiskajām, sociālajām un kultūras tiesībām, Starptautiskās darba organizācijas 1948. gada Konvencijā par asociāciju brīvību un tiesību aizsardzību, apvienojoties organizācijās (C87) un 1949. gada Konvencijā par tiesībām uz apvienošanos organizācijās un kolektīvo līgumu slēgšanu (C98), kā arī Eiropas Cilvēktiesību konvencijā un Eiropas Sociālajā hartā. Vienlaikus starptautiskie dokumenti pieļauj ierobežojumu noteikšanu nacionālajā regulējumā attiecībā uz karavīru arodbiedrību brīvību. 2018. gadā Latvijas Brīvo arodbiedrību savienība savā grāmatā aktualizēja jautājumu par atsevišķos dienestos, tostarp militārajā dienestā, esošo personu tiesību ierobežojuma apvienoties arodbiedrībās atcelšanu [1, 75]. Raksta mērķis: analizējot starptautisko un nacionālo regulējumu attiecībā uz arodbiedrību dibināšanu militārajā dienestā, kā arī Latvijā pašreiz pastāvošo karavīru tiesību aizsardzības sistēmu, izdarīt secinājumus par karavīru arodbiedrības izveidošanas lietderību. Raksta sagatavošanā ir izmantota vēsturiskā, analītiskā, sistēmiskā un teleoloģiskā metode. The right to freedom of association is embodied in a number of international treaties, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention (1948) No. 87, the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (1949) No. 98, the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter. Simultaneously, the international treaties allow for a restriction on the freedom of military trade unions in the national regulation. In 2018, the issue of restriction of the right of soldiers to unite in trade unions was raised in Latvia in the book published by the Latvian Free Trade Union [1, 75]. The article examines the international and national regulation applicable to this issue, the current national system and procedures which are established for the protection of the rights of soldiers and concludes by expressing opinion about the need to establish a military trade union in Latvia. In the Author’s opinion, existing restriction on the establishment of a military trade union in the national regulation is compensated by the following rights: 1) the right to nominate a representative from among themselves to defend the interests of soldiers for the defense of their interests and settlement of household issues; 2) the right to be a member of associations and foundations of a non-political nature, as well as to establish military associations and foundations and to participate in other non-political activities, if such activity does not interfere with the performance of the duties of the service; 3) the right to lodge a service complaint within the framework of the National Armed Forces and to apply a complaint, as well as to receive a consultation from a structural unit which is independent of the National Armed Forces – the General Inspection of the Ministry of Defense; 4) the right to submit a complaint to a court, including a constitutional complaint to the Constitutional Court; 5) there is an effective mechanism for evaluating and controlling observance of law of disciplinary measures provided by both the General Inspection of the Ministry of Defense and the Appeal Commission of the Ministry of Defense; 6) the National Armed Forces are actively involved in the development of external and internal regulation. In addition, soldiers may make proposals to improve the content of the projects of external regulations within the framework of the public participation process, as well as by submitting proposals or suggestions to deputies. Although the application of strikes is considered to be an effective mean of leveling out the inequality of power between the employee and the employer, the prohibition of strikes among the military personnel is justified because the armed forces have the task of providing permanent and uninterrupted national defense. The existing restriction on military representatives to intervene in the performance of military service duties, as well as the lack of authorisation for military representatives to intervene in matters of military discipline, are reasonable restrictions, as such actions would reduce the effectiveness of the tasks of the armed forces. The Constitutional Court of Latvia also recognised that procedural manifestations of the exercise of freedom, such as the right to organise and participate in strikes and the possible influence of trade unions on the conduct of the service or participation in disciplinary liability issues, may have an impact on the State or public safety interests. Thus, the Author concludes that effective mechanisms have been established for the protection and representation of the interests of the soldiers. If the creation of a military trade union was allowed, it would duplicate the existing procedures on many issues. The imposition of restrictions on activities that could hinder or interfere in the issues of the discipline liability and in the performance of tasks of the armed forces will exclude effective means of influencing the employer. Therefore, the effectiveness of such unions would be debatable.


1996 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 313-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller

This article uses a critical theoryllegal mobilization perspective to study the 1987–92 trade union boycott of the British Columbia labour law. The problems encountered establishing a total boycott–one that would eschew all contact with the state–and the subsequent modification of the parameters of the boycott through a selective reliance on the law offer an important case from which to learn more about the role of law and legal rights in highly regulated organizations and how collectives mobilize the law. The author argues that legal rights are important to unions because of their ability to mediate the complexity of labour relations through a decentralization of authority. At the same time, mobilization of the law for this purpose accentuates localized identities and unequal resources that operate in tension with a boycott ethos, necessitating a deliberative politics to legitimize the law. By exploring the tension between these two forms of mobilization around law–one to reduce complexity, another to legitimize broad collective norms–the author analyzes and draws some conclusions about the reproduction of social unionism in British Columbia.


2019 ◽  
pp. 481-496
Author(s):  
Stephen Taylor ◽  
Astra Emir

This chapter provides an introduction to collective employment law. Collective employment law concerns the regulation of the relationship between trade unions and employees in their capacity as trade union members. In order to be able to enforce these rights it is often necessary for a union to be listed by the Certification Officer, recognised by an employer or for its members to be acting ‘officially’ in the name of the union. Freedom of association is protected by laws which deter employers from dismissing employees or taking action short of dismissal against them for a trade union reason. The law gives equal protection to people who suffer the same detriments because they are not union members or because they have left a union.


Author(s):  
Cécile Guillaume

Abstract Based on in-depth qualitative research conducted in one of the major French trade unions (the CFDT), this article explores to what extent and under what conditions trade unions adopt different legal practices to further their members’ interests. In particular, it investigates how ‘legal framing’ has taken an increasingly pervasive place in trade union work, in increasingly decentralised industrial relations contexts, such as France. This article therefore argues that the use of the law has become a multifaceted and embedded repertoire of action for the CFDT in its attempt to consolidate its institutional power through various strategies, including collective redress and the use of legal expertise in collective bargaining and representation work.


2020 ◽  
pp. 846-846
Author(s):  
David Cabrelli

This chapter examines the law of trade disputes and industrial action in the UK, i.e. the law which regulates action taken by members of a trade union which imposes restrictions upon employers when collective relations between the employer and the workforce have broken down. The position is analysed in the context of the legality of industrial action in European law and under the European Convention on Human Rights....


2020 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 487-507
Author(s):  
Tijana Surlan

This article offers a short study of the conjugation of freedom of religion, freedom of association and the legal status of religions and churches. Human rights are elaborated as defined in international human rights law, accentuated by the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. A compliance case that came before the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia provides a national jurisprudential example useful for the analysis of relations between human rights and the legal status of a church. Analysis of the law is both horizontal and vertical: a description of norms is intertwined with a discussion of principles of identity and equality. The article explores whether the principles of human rights and freedoms and the norms regulating the legal status of a church are consistent with each other; whether these principles are independent and how their mutual relationship influences the application and interpretation of the law; and whether the norms prescribed by international law or in national jurisprudence can be applied independently of canon law, or whether application of the law has to take into account specific religious jurisdictions and relations between churches which are rooted in their autonomous canon law.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (XIX) ◽  
pp. 371-382
Author(s):  
Łukasz Łaguna

On 1 January 2019, the amendment to the Trade Unions Act enters into force. It introduces a kind of revolution in the current system of employment law. The law extends the law of the trade union coalition, creating and joining union organizations for non-employees.Article 1 establishes a normative category of persons who perform paid work, including employees and persons providing work for remuneration on a basis other than the employment relationship. Thus, the legislator extends the statutory right of the trade union to persons who are not considered employees. In relation to the above, in the context of analyzing this legal act, it is not justified to use the traditional “labor law” as a too narrow term for the needs of new regulations. The term “employment law” appears in the latest publications of the doctrine as a broader term than the above. Finally, it should be noted that the effect of changes may be that people who work on a different basis than an employment contract and who have a number of the same rights as those working on a contract of employment may stop trying to conclude such a contract. And this will have a negative effect on the whole society, for example due to the lack of the possibility to enforce labor law functions.


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