International and Comparative Labour Law

Transcription

1 International and Comparative Labour Law Current challenges Arturo Bronstein macmillan

2 Contents Foreword Table of cases xii xiv Table of legislation v. xx 1 Labour law at a crossroads 1 Labour law's origins and influences r 1 Sources of labour law "* 4 Constitutions 4 Statutory regulations 4 Collective agreements 5 International law 6 Case law 7 The labour law model from 1945 to The standard employment relationship 9 Worldwide changes and the emergence of a new work paradigm 11 The labour flexibility debate and the spread of atypical employment - 11 International competition _ 17 Technological change and the emergence of postrfordist organizational patterns 18 The end of the Cold War * 20 Current crises in labour law ' 22 Who is protected by labour law? 30 Labour law and the informal economy 30 Towards a legal definition of the 'informal economy' 31 Policy issues 34 Atypical work: from rejection to integration in labour law 38 Dependent-independent workers and the 'defocusing' of the employment relationship 44 Disguised employment relationships 57

3 vi Contents Decentralization of production and its impact on labour and employment relations: who is an employer? 60 The challenges of outsourcing for labour law 65 Security of employment 69 Unfair dismissal: a controversial issue 69 An increasing number of exceptions to unfair dismissal protection "" 75 Limitations on the abuse of fixed-term employment contracts 76 How effective are remedies for unfair dismissal? 79 Notice provision and procedural safeguards 80 Appeal and recourse 81 Global trade and labour law 86 Is substandard labour a legitimate comparative advantage? 86 Strategies to address the relationship between international trade and labour rights 91 International and supranational rules 91 -f-harmonization 93 IThe social clause: from WTO to ILO 95 "The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, 1998 ' 96 Labour-related provisions in multilateral and bilateral trade agreements 102 North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation 103 DR-CAFTA 107 Other agreements in the Americas 108 Unilateral social clauses: the Generalized System of Preferences 108 United States-Cambodia bilateral textile agreements 110 Corporate social responsibility (CSR) 111 Corporate codes of conduct 114 Framework agreements 115 NGOs' social responsibility standards 121 ISO standards 122 Pros and cons of CSR initiatives 123

4 Contents Legal subordination and the fundamental rights of the person: an uneasy cohabitation in the workplace Human rights and non-specific workers' rights Gender discrimination Equal pay Exceptions to the equal pay rule Equal treatment of men and women Access to certain jobs v. Pregnancy Night work, underground work and other jobs prohibited for women Racial discrimination =~ Religious belief ^ Other kinds of discrimination Family responsibilities Sexual harassment Sexual orientation Age Disability State of health and HIV/AIDS Affirmative (or positive) action Protection of privacy Video and telephone surveillance Freedom of thought and expression vii Regional perspectives The European Union The emergence of a supranational labour law The impact of certain recent ECJ rulings on labour relations in the European Union Labour law in former communist countries Labour law and transition Social dialogue in the post-communist states Latin America The development of labour law in Latin America Democracy, economic liberalization and labour law reforms Asia and the Pacific The Australian model of industrial relations

5 viii International and comparative labour law Major labour law reforms in New Zealand 235 Challenges to traditional labour models in Japan 237 Recent developments across Asia and the Pacific 239 South Africa 240 Labour law and industrial relations under apartheid 240 Post-apartheid reforms and the Labour Relations Act 244 Regulating working conditions 248 Discrimination and unfair dismissal 249 Redefining the employment relationship^ 251 A model for southern Africa Final remarks Bibliography 259 Index 269