The Economic And Financial Crisis And Collective Labour Law In Europe

Description

The current economic and financial crisis erupted several years ago. Its effects impacted deeply upon society, in which legal rules and social patterns have developed to enable the establishment of civilisation, justice and peace. Over time it has become more and more obvious that policy, financial and economic actors have adopted austerity measures as a main tool to solve the ensuing problems, and that these measures have hit social policy standards sometimes dramatically.
Recent analyses have dealt with several aspects of this issue. This book focuses on one important element: the impact on collective labour law. It seeks to add to the debate by presenting mainly legal arguments derived from different sources and backgrounds, examining the EU and ‘Troika’ measures, the economic and political background and the sometimes dramatic consequences of austerity measures on democracy, collective bargaining and the right to strike. Against the framework of EU law, the relevant ILO Conventions, (Revised) European Social Charter and European Convention on Human Rights provisions, the non-compliance of these measures is analysed and demonstrated. The book is also dedicated to procedural questions, and in particular, how legal approaches may be used to challenge austerity measures.

Editors Biography

Niklas Bruun is Emeritus Professor in Private Law at the University of Helsinki, former Professor in Commercial Law at Hanken School of Economics, and President of the Board of the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Klaus Lörcher is the former Legal and Human Rights Advisor of the European Trade Union Confederation and former Legal Secretary of the Civil Service Tribunal of the European Union, Germany.

Isabelle Schömann is Senior Researcher at the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI).