Not all labour law and industrial relations scholars agree on the efficacy of the comparative approach - that the analysis of measures adopted in other countries can play a constructive role in national and local policy-making. However, the case deserves to be heard, and no better such presentation has appeared than this remarkable book, the carefully considered work of over 40 well-known authorities in the field from a wide variety of countries including Australia, France, India, Israel, Peru, Poland, and South Africa. The volume contains papers delivered at a conference sponsored by the...

Involvement of employees in the social dialogue has always been an ongoing and vigorous concern of the European Union. Over the years since the European Works Councils (EWCs) were established in 1994, expectations regarding their role have grown, particularly in anticipating and managing change as corporate activities have become increasingly internationalized. Finally, after fifteen years of ongoing debate, Directive 2009/28/EC, establishing a new legal framework for EWCs, took effect in June 2009, with Member States obligated to implement the new rules at national level by June 2011. The...

This bulletin presents a comparative analysis of the degree of worker protection available today in nine countries in the event of corporate restructuring. The countries are France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Each of the papers, presented by a noted industrial relations scholar from the country in question, proceeds from a summary of the national legal framework governing corporate restructuring, through the succession of employment contracts, to an analysis of such major components of the problem as justification of economic...

Although nominally protected by a plethora of laws, and championed in several well-intentioned declarations and charters, today's worker often feels adrift on an uncharted sea subject to unpredictable currents that have nothing to do with the quality of his or her work. Can we get at the root of this serious problem? We can at least determine if our existing legal systems, especially in the area of collective bargaining, discrimination, social security and European integration are able and ready to tackle the world-of-work challenges that confront us. And if they are not, we can begin to...

While it can be said that the use of collective labour agreements has greatly expanded during the last decade witness their growing application in the public sector, and their introduction in many post-communist countries it is hard to deny that their power to protect employees has diminished considerably and continues to weaken. An understanding of the factors that have contributed to this fundamental change in economic and social conditions is of crucial significance if we are to preserve an equitable balance in the employer-employee relationship. A growing body of research and commentary...