Tonia Novitz - Böcker

This edited collection examines the multi-faceted ways in which labour standards can play a role in the achievement of development. A variety of critical perspectives are presented here, with contributions from a number of different disciplines, including law, politics, and economics. The book begins by considering potential theoretical connections between work and development, acknowledging controversy over how the latter should be approached, interpreted and rendered 'sustainable'. The remainder of the collection is devoted to an analysis of the part that protection of labour standards can play in developmental terms, with reference to concrete issues: anti-discrimination, child labour, trade relations, and social dialogue. The book concludes with a final chapter, reflecting on how theory has been and could be put into practice. The theme that transcends all the contributions to this collection is that of human agency. The authors are not merely interested in the realisation of an individual person's 'functioning' in society (which development will assist), but also with the ways that people can be engaged in the very process of defining what development aims should and can be. They do not wish to see economic, social and environmental development objectives as being determined by technical experts and implemented according to their prescriptions. Rather, they consider development in procedural as well as substantive terms, and in participatory as well as material terms.

In a time of controversy over the relevance and utility of industrial action, this book outlines the case for protection of a right to strike. It argues that such a right can be viewed as civil, political and socio-economic in nature, depending upon one's conception of 'good governance' and 'democratic participation' at the national level. This has consequences for what is perceived to be the appropriate scope of the right and the extent of any legitimate exceptions. Critics of domestic labour legislation tend to appeal to international and European standards, chiefly those promulgated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Council of Europe and the European Union (EU). All these organisations acknowledge the importance of a right to strike, but they differ in the manner in which the right is defined and protected. This book suggests that this is because each organisation adopts a distinctive view of the appropriate justificatory basis of this entitlement. This work also addresses current enthusiasm for reforming the governance of international and European organisations which would bolster their legitimacy. It is suggested that, despite the entrenched structures and cultural norms of each institution, such a process of reform could lead to greater consistency of standards relating to the right to strike. A crucial question for workers, in the light of these developments, is whether there will be a 'levelling up' of rights or diminishing protection for those who organise or participate in industrial action. This book ends by considering the current responses of the ILO, the Council of Europe and the EU to these forces for change.

This edited collection is the culmination of a comparative project on 'Voices at Work' funded by the Leverhulme Trust 2010 - 2013. The book aims to shed light on the problematic concept of worker 'voice' by tracking its evolution and its complex interactions with various forms of law. Contributors to the volume identify the scope for continuity of legal approaches to voice and the potential for change in a sample of industrialised English speaking common law countries, namely Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and USA. These countries, facing broadly similar regulatory dilemmas, have often sought to borrow and adapt certain legal mechanisms from one another. The variance in the outcomes of any attempts at 'borrowing' seems to demonstrate that, despite apparent membership of a 'common law' family, there are significant differences between industrial systems and constitutional traditions, thereby casting doubt on the notion that there are definitive legal solutions which can be applied through transplantation. Instead, it seems worth studying the diverse possibilities for worker voice offered in divergent contexts, not only through traditional forms of labour law, but also such disciplines as competition law, human rights law, international law and public law. In this way, the comparative study highlights a rich multiplicity of institutions and locations of worker voice, configured in a variety of ways across the English-speaking common law world.This book comprises contributions from many leading scholars of labour law, politics and industrial relations drawn from across the jurisdictions, and is therefore an exceedingly comprehensive comparative study. It is addressed to academics, policymakers, legal practitioners, legislative drafters, trade unions and interest groups alike. Additionally, while offering a critique of existing laws, this book proposes alternative legal tools to promote engagement with a multitude of 'voices' at work and therefore foster the effective deployment of law in industrial relations.

This monograph was originally developed as a direct response to the claim made by members of the ‘Employers Group’ at the 2012 International Labour Conference, namely that the right to strike is not protected in international law, and in particular by ILO Convention 87 on the right to freedom of association.The group’s apparent aim was to sow sufficient doubt as to the existence of an internationally protected right so that governments might seek to limit or prohibit the right to strike at the national level while still claiming compliance with their international obligations. In consequence, some governments have seized on the employers’ arguments to justify new limitations on that right.The Right to Strike in International Law not merely refutes this claim but is the only complete and exhaustive analysis on this subject. Based on deep legal research, it finds that there is simply no credible basis for the claim that the right to strike does not enjoy the protection of international law; indeed, the authors demonstrate that it has attained the status of customary international law.

This monograph was originally developed as a direct response to the claim made by members of the ‘Employers Group’ at the 2012 International Labour Conference, namely that the right to strike is not protected in international law, and in particular by ILO Convention 87 on the right to freedom of association.The group’s apparent aim was to sow sufficient doubt as to the existence of an internationally protected right so that governments might seek to limit or prohibit the right to strike at the national level while still claiming compliance with their international obligations. In consequence, some governments have seized on the employers’ arguments to justify new limitations on that right.The Right to Strike in International Law not merely refutes this claim but is the only complete and exhaustive analysis on this subject. Based on deep legal research, it finds that there is simply no credible basis for the claim that the right to strike does not enjoy the protection of international law; indeed, the authors demonstrate that it has attained the status of customary international law.

This open access book speaks to the potential of a reimagined and revitalised right to strike.This right, as it has been conceptualised and regulated in the 20th century, remains insufficient to guarantee the strike’s collective potential in the 21st, in the face of serious and growing threats in the workplace, in society, and for life on this planet. The contributing authors, who are experts in labour law across the globe, identify specific legal and practical obstacles that undermine the exercise of the right to strike. They argue for conceptual and/or regulatory reforms to restore the ability of workers and communities to employ the right to strike according to its original aims – democratisation (in the workplace and society), redistribution (of resources and power), and collective liberation.The book explores how broadening the understanding of the term ‘worker’ can challenge assumptions about who has the right to strike. The chapters also offer a vision of how sectoral and secondary action could address injustices in global supply chains. The legitimate aims of collective action are further explored in the context of the climate crisis.The book will be a vital reference to labour law scholars and practitioners, industrial relations specialists, and policy makers. At a time when increasing restrictions are being placed on civil liberties and industrial action in many countries, this book offers an important corrective.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.

This important volume steps beyond conventional legal approaches to sustainability to provide fresh insights into perhaps one of the most critical global challenges of our time.Offering analysis of sustainability at land and sea alongside trade, labour and corporate governance perspectives, this book articulates important debates about the role of law. From impacts on local societies to domestic sustainable development policies and major international goals, it considers multiple jurisdictional levels.With original, interdisciplinary research from experts in their legal fields, this is a rounded assessment of the complex interplay of law and sustainability—both as it is now and as it should be in the future.

Examining the relationship between trade and labour regulation in light of the pressing need to promote sustainable development, Tonia Novitz interrogates how international legal architecture could be reformed so that no one in the world of work gets left behind. She highlights the dangers of pursuing labour and environmental issues on parallel tracks without recognising how they interact, ultimately arguing for the crafting of the content and application of trade rules through participatory processes, which involve the inclusive representation of all sectors of the labour market and all parts of the world.This timely book explores the potential promise of economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability, alongside the concrete limitations evident at the International Labour Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization. The author interrogates the capacity for regional trade arrangements to operate in innovative ways, considering the European Union (EU) as a case study. Novitz further considers how corporate governance could be regulated to promote sustainable development in trade supply chains.Expansive in scope, this book will be a vital read for scholars and students in the fields of labour, trade, company and EU law, as well as politics and international relations. It will also assist policy makers and officials connected to international organisations and regional trade institutions.

Sustainable development remains a high priority in international politics and commerce. This timely book explores how the contours and facets of economic, environmental and social sustainability are reflected in the legal norms that govern trade, investment and finance. Examining a range of issues arising from private initiatives, national conduct and international organisations, the chapters interrogate the role of powerful global actors in the pursuit of sustainable development: China, the United States and the EU are all recognised as significant actors in a wider context of global partnership. The authors identify and investigate challenges to the realisation of a coherent sustainable development policy, engaging with the complex interactions of international, regional and national mechanisms that pose significant problems for the future of the planet, its people and their prosperity.Offering interdisciplinary insights on legal frameworks through the lens of sustainability, this discerning book will appeal to a range of academics interested in sustainability, trade, investment and finance, while also offering crucial insights for policy-makers into specific areas of regulation.

Remedies lie at the heart of European legal systems. They both reflect and shape the balance of power between states and individuals and between state and supranational institutions. These profound political implications can be better understood by thinking about the functional roles and institutional histories of remedies. These implications,roles and histories are considered in this volume of challenging and original essays on remedial systems in Europe. This book explores the lively and often controversial dialogues between courts, national and supranational, on remedies. In so doing, it addresses the adequacy of these dialogues in the light of perceived systemic goals, both in an overall institutional sense and as regards specific sectoral objectives or institutional actors' aspirations. In particular, the book looks at the way in which remedies in the EC legal order interact with those in other legal orders such as the Council of Europe and private international law. It also identifies problems of interaction between different Council of Europe mechanisms under the Convention on Human Rights and the Social Charter.The book also examines the contribution of courts to remedial systems by considering other methods of formulating and redressing claims. Contributors: Claire Kilpatrick, Takis Tridimas, Leo Flynn, Antonio Lo Faro, Carol Harlow, Steve Weatherill, Bernard Ryan, Miguel Poiares Maduro, Henry G.Schermers, Angela Ward, Paul Beaumont, Robin White, Phil Syrpis, Tonia Novitz, Richard Rawlings.

Concerns associated with globalisation of markets, exacerbated by the 'credit crunch', have placed pressure on many nation states to make their labour markets more 'flexible'. In so doing, many states have sought to reduce labour standards and to diminish the influence of trade unions as the advocates of such standards. One response to this development, both nationally and internationally, has been to emphasise that workers' rights are fundamental human rights. This collection of essays examines whether this is an appropriate or effective strategy. The book begins by considering the translation of human rights discourse into labour standards, namely how theory might be put into practice. The remainder of the book tests hypotheses posited in the first chapter and is divided into three parts. The first part investigates, through a number of national case studies, how, in practice, workers' rights are treated as human rights in the domestic legal context. These ten chapters cover African, American, Asian, European, and Pacific countries.The second part consists of essays which analyse the operation of regional or international systems for human rights promotion, and their particular relevance to the treatment of workers' rights as human rights. The final part consists of chapters which explore regulatory alternatives to the traditional use of human rights law. The book concludes by considering the merits of various regulatory approaches.

Concerns associated with globalisation of markets, exacerbated by the 'credit crunch', have placed pressure on many nation states to make their labour markets more 'flexible'. In so doing, many states have sought to reduce labour standards and to diminish the influence of trade unions as the advocates of such standards. One response to this development, both nationally and internationally, has been to emphasise that workers' rights are fundamental human rights. This collection of essays examines whether this is an appropriate or effective strategy. The book begins by considering the translation of human rights discourse into labour standards, namely how theory might be put into practice. The remainder of the book tests hypotheses posited in the first chapter and is divided into three parts. The first part investigates, through a number of national case studies, how, in practice, workers' rights are treated as human rights in the domestic legal context. These ten chapters cover African, American, Asian, European, and Pacific countries.The second part consists of essays which analyse the operation of regional or international systems for human rights promotion, and their particular relevance to the treatment of workers' rights as human rights. The final part consists of chapters which explore regulatory alternatives to the traditional use of human rights law. The book concludes by considering the merits of various regulatory approaches.