International Employment Law (LAWS70218)

This subject will be delivered online in 2020 over the scheduled dates.

As labour and capital markets transcend domestic borders, the objectives of labour law can no longer be confined solely to actions within the nation state. The purpose of this subject is two-fold. First, to identify the diverse components of international employment and labour law, the institutions, the claims and the methods for advancing social protection to workers worldwide. This enquiry spans beyond traditional instruments that are associated with labour law, and includes trade law, corporate social responsibility and cross-border litigation. The second goal is to assess how international developments affect domestic labour law with a particular focus on the European Union, the United States, China and India.

Principal topics include:

• International trends challenging national systems of labour regulation (such as global supply chains, the gig economy and increasing use of information technology);
• The composition, powers and functioning of international organisations that regulate labour internationally, including the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU);
• The key features of national systems that have a major impact on the world economy, especially the Asia-Pacific; 
• The role of intergovernmental agreements and private corporate codes in securing international labour standards
• The success of adopting a human rights approach to labour regulation in the face of changes to domestic and international labour law frameworks.