The Economic and Financial Crisis and Collective Labour Law in Europe

by Niklas Bruun, Klaus Lörcher, Isabelle Schömann

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509909872
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/13/2016
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Niklas Bruun is Professor of Law at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki. He is the Director of the research programme Regulating Markets and Labour (ReMarkLab), Stockholm University.

Klaus Lörcher is former Legal Adviser to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and former Legal Secretary of the Civil Service Tribunal of the European Union.

Isabelle Schömann is Senior Researcher at the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI). They are all members of the Transnational Trade Union Rights (TTUR) Experts Network of the ETUI.

Table of Contents

PART I THE EU'S RESPONSES AND ACTIVITIES
1. Changes in the General European Legal Framework Isabelle Schömann
2. A New Economic Governance through Secondary Legislation? Analysis and Constitutional Assessment: From New Constitutionalism, via Authoritarian Constitutionalism to Progressive Constitutionalism Lukas Oberndorfer
3. Competencies of the Troika: Legal Limitations of the Institutions of the European Union Andreas Fischer-Lescano
4. Social Policy, Economic Governance and EMU: Alternatives to Austerity Simon Deakin
PART II COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND TRADE UNION RIGHTS IN DANGER
5. Austerity Measures, Democracy and Social Policy in the EU Bruno Veneziani
6. Collective Action Against Austerity Measures Filip Dorssemont
7. Decentralisation of Labour Law Standard Setting and the Financial Crisis Antoine Jacobs
PART III EVALUATION OF THE EU'S RESPONSES AND ACTIVITIES
8. Evaluation of EU Responses to the Crisis with Reference to Primary Legislation (European Union Treaties and Charter of Fundamental Rights) Mélanie Schmitt
9. Legal and Judicial International Avenues: The ILO Niklas Bruun
10. Legal and Judicial International Avenues: The (Revised) European Social Charter Klaus Lörcher
11. International Litigation Possibilities in European Collective Labour Law: ECHR Keith Ewing and John Hendy QC
PART IV CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions Niklas Bruun, Klaus Lörcher, Isabelle Schömann