Author: Roger Blanpain
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9041162704
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 318
Book Description
Guaranteeing third country national workers robust equal treatment with regard to working conditions and pay is a crucial condition for avoiding social dumping, exploitation, and other reasons for regime shopping within the EU. However, Member States are still reluctant to compromise control of their borders and their labour markets. The EU legislation adopted is, as a result, fragmented and full of solutions that give Member States an extensive margin of room for manoeuvre. In this book six distinguished European labour law academics discuss how three EU directives on labour migration – the Single Permit Directive, the Blue Card Directive, and the Directive on Seasonal Employment – interact with the labour migration systems of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Sweden – five countries with very different characteristics and approaches to implementation. Concrete issues dealt with in each country include the following: – conditions for granting work permits; - reasons for withdrawing a work permit; - how long a migrant worker can stay; - whether a migrant worker can bring his or her family; - employment and labour rights of migrant workers; - migrant workers' access to social rights; - how a migrant worker may enforce rights; - sanctions for violations of applicable provisions; and - potential for permanent status for a migrant worker. For each of these issues the authors analyse to what extent national legislators have been ready to adapt their national systems in order to fulfill the aims of the EU directives. They also identify unintended, or at least not explicit, effects of the implementation process. The authors clearly reveal whether the ambitions of the EU when initiating this process can be detected in the implementation process, and how implementation of the three directives have changed and could change national law on these issues. As the first in-depth analysis of how the intersection of migration and labour law and their impact on labour and employment relations play out in the EU context this book brings important insights to the growing literature in this field. The analysis will be of particular interest to national legislators, but is also sure to be warmly welcomed by academics and practitioners in fields related to labour and employment and migration.
National Effects of the Implementation of EU Directives on Labour Migration from Third Countries
Author: Roger Blanpain
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9041162704
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 318
Book Description
Guaranteeing third country national workers robust equal treatment with regard to working conditions and pay is a crucial condition for avoiding social dumping, exploitation, and other reasons for regime shopping within the EU. However, Member States are still reluctant to compromise control of their borders and their labour markets. The EU legislation adopted is, as a result, fragmented and full of solutions that give Member States an extensive margin of room for manoeuvre. In this book six distinguished European labour law academics discuss how three EU directives on labour migration – the Single Permit Directive, the Blue Card Directive, and the Directive on Seasonal Employment – interact with the labour migration systems of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Sweden – five countries with very different characteristics and approaches to implementation. Concrete issues dealt with in each country include the following: – conditions for granting work permits; - reasons for withdrawing a work permit; - how long a migrant worker can stay; - whether a migrant worker can bring his or her family; - employment and labour rights of migrant workers; - migrant workers' access to social rights; - how a migrant worker may enforce rights; - sanctions for violations of applicable provisions; and - potential for permanent status for a migrant worker. For each of these issues the authors analyse to what extent national legislators have been ready to adapt their national systems in order to fulfill the aims of the EU directives. They also identify unintended, or at least not explicit, effects of the implementation process. The authors clearly reveal whether the ambitions of the EU when initiating this process can be detected in the implementation process, and how implementation of the three directives have changed and could change national law on these issues. As the first in-depth analysis of how the intersection of migration and labour law and their impact on labour and employment relations play out in the EU context this book brings important insights to the growing literature in this field. The analysis will be of particular interest to national legislators, but is also sure to be warmly welcomed by academics and practitioners in fields related to labour and employment and migration.
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9041162704
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 318
Book Description
Guaranteeing third country national workers robust equal treatment with regard to working conditions and pay is a crucial condition for avoiding social dumping, exploitation, and other reasons for regime shopping within the EU. However, Member States are still reluctant to compromise control of their borders and their labour markets. The EU legislation adopted is, as a result, fragmented and full of solutions that give Member States an extensive margin of room for manoeuvre. In this book six distinguished European labour law academics discuss how three EU directives on labour migration – the Single Permit Directive, the Blue Card Directive, and the Directive on Seasonal Employment – interact with the labour migration systems of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Sweden – five countries with very different characteristics and approaches to implementation. Concrete issues dealt with in each country include the following: – conditions for granting work permits; - reasons for withdrawing a work permit; - how long a migrant worker can stay; - whether a migrant worker can bring his or her family; - employment and labour rights of migrant workers; - migrant workers' access to social rights; - how a migrant worker may enforce rights; - sanctions for violations of applicable provisions; and - potential for permanent status for a migrant worker. For each of these issues the authors analyse to what extent national legislators have been ready to adapt their national systems in order to fulfill the aims of the EU directives. They also identify unintended, or at least not explicit, effects of the implementation process. The authors clearly reveal whether the ambitions of the EU when initiating this process can be detected in the implementation process, and how implementation of the three directives have changed and could change national law on these issues. As the first in-depth analysis of how the intersection of migration and labour law and their impact on labour and employment relations play out in the EU context this book brings important insights to the growing literature in this field. The analysis will be of particular interest to national legislators, but is also sure to be warmly welcomed by academics and practitioners in fields related to labour and employment and migration.
What Happened to Equality?
Author: Bjarney Friðriksdóttir
Publisher: Immigration and Asylum Law and
ISBN: 9789004345232
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 446
Book Description
In What Happened to Equality? The Construction of the Right to Equal Treatment of Third-Country Nationals in European Union Law on Labour Migration, Frioriksdottir examines five European Union Directives on labour migration that were adopted based on a sectoral approach to labour migration management. An account of the negotiations between the Commission, the Council and the Parliament on the five Directives reveals how access to territory and the labour market, the right to equal treatment and the right to family reunification were constructed for the different groups of labour migrants and how differentiation between groups of migrants, and discrimination against migrants compared with nationals which contravenes international and European human rights frameworks and international labour law, is institutionalized.
Publisher: Immigration and Asylum Law and
ISBN: 9789004345232
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 446
Book Description
In What Happened to Equality? The Construction of the Right to Equal Treatment of Third-Country Nationals in European Union Law on Labour Migration, Frioriksdottir examines five European Union Directives on labour migration that were adopted based on a sectoral approach to labour migration management. An account of the negotiations between the Commission, the Council and the Parliament on the five Directives reveals how access to territory and the labour market, the right to equal treatment and the right to family reunification were constructed for the different groups of labour migrants and how differentiation between groups of migrants, and discrimination against migrants compared with nationals which contravenes international and European human rights frameworks and international labour law, is institutionalized.
Handbook on Establishing Effective Labour Migration Policies in Countries of Origin and Destination
Author: Nilim Baruah
Publisher: International Org. for Migration
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Aims to assist states in their efforts to develop new policy approaches, solutions and practical measures for better management of labour migration in countries of origin and of destination. Analyses effective policies and practices and draws on examples from OSCE participating States as well as other countries that have experience in this field.
Publisher: International Org. for Migration
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Aims to assist states in their efforts to develop new policy approaches, solutions and practical measures for better management of labour migration in countries of origin and of destination. Analyses effective policies and practices and draws on examples from OSCE participating States as well as other countries that have experience in this field.
Transformations of Work: Challenges for the Institutions and Social Actors
Author: Giuseppe Casale
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9403508949
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 424
Book Description
Market volatility and uncertainty have put welfare and social security policies back centre stage and point up the need for closer links with employment policy. The inability of existing income support systems to respond to the increasing fragmentation of people's working careers, the needs of people in difficulty, and the spread of various forms of poverty calls for well-coordinated and efficient responses. This volume highlights the best practices in the various regions of the world in the contexts of international and EU labour law, industrial relations, and social security. Authoritative reports by leading scholars of labour law and social security – originally presented at the twenty-second World Congress of the International Society for Labour and Social Security Law (ISLSSL) held in Turin in September 2018 – cover the following research themes in depth: – informal workers; – migrant workers; – global trade and labour; – organization, productivity, and well-being at work; – transnational collective agreements; – new forms of social security; and – the role of the State and industrial relations. In its insistence that, despite the radical changes in the world of work and business brought about by globalization and digital technologies, the decisions of institutions and public and private actors can lead to a more coherent system of international economic and social governance, this timely volume shows the way forward. Practitioners, policymakers, and scholars in the relevant fields will bene_ t immeasurably from its expert analyses and recommendations.
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9403508949
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 424
Book Description
Market volatility and uncertainty have put welfare and social security policies back centre stage and point up the need for closer links with employment policy. The inability of existing income support systems to respond to the increasing fragmentation of people's working careers, the needs of people in difficulty, and the spread of various forms of poverty calls for well-coordinated and efficient responses. This volume highlights the best practices in the various regions of the world in the contexts of international and EU labour law, industrial relations, and social security. Authoritative reports by leading scholars of labour law and social security – originally presented at the twenty-second World Congress of the International Society for Labour and Social Security Law (ISLSSL) held in Turin in September 2018 – cover the following research themes in depth: – informal workers; – migrant workers; – global trade and labour; – organization, productivity, and well-being at work; – transnational collective agreements; – new forms of social security; and – the role of the State and industrial relations. In its insistence that, despite the radical changes in the world of work and business brought about by globalization and digital technologies, the decisions of institutions and public and private actors can lead to a more coherent system of international economic and social governance, this timely volume shows the way forward. Practitioners, policymakers, and scholars in the relevant fields will bene_ t immeasurably from its expert analyses and recommendations.
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the Employment Relation
Author: Filip Dorssemont
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1509922660
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 707
Book Description
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is the most developed and comprehensive legally binding human rights instrument in the social field of the European Union. It is becoming increasingly important and is the first instrument that includes both civil and political rights on one hand and social rights on the other. Despite this, the Court of Justice of the European Union has only rarely dealt with fundamental social rights. In this context, employment rights need to be examined in this new rights framework. Following on from previous volumes setting out links between European labour law and fundamental social rights (as enshrined in relevant UN, ILO and Council of Europe instruments), in this book the ETUI Transnational Trade Union Rights (TTUR) Expert Network examines the justiciability of social rights and critically analyses the effectiveness of those rights embodied in the EU Charter. Thus, this book completes the trilogy of ETUI TTUR books on fundamental social rights at European level following the publication, also by Hart Publishing, of The European Convention of Human Rights and the Employment Relation (2013) and The European Social Charter and the Employment Relation (2017).
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1509922660
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 707
Book Description
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is the most developed and comprehensive legally binding human rights instrument in the social field of the European Union. It is becoming increasingly important and is the first instrument that includes both civil and political rights on one hand and social rights on the other. Despite this, the Court of Justice of the European Union has only rarely dealt with fundamental social rights. In this context, employment rights need to be examined in this new rights framework. Following on from previous volumes setting out links between European labour law and fundamental social rights (as enshrined in relevant UN, ILO and Council of Europe instruments), in this book the ETUI Transnational Trade Union Rights (TTUR) Expert Network examines the justiciability of social rights and critically analyses the effectiveness of those rights embodied in the EU Charter. Thus, this book completes the trilogy of ETUI TTUR books on fundamental social rights at European level following the publication, also by Hart Publishing, of The European Convention of Human Rights and the Employment Relation (2013) and The European Social Charter and the Employment Relation (2017).
Taking Vulnerabilities to Labour Exploitation Seriously
Author: Letizia Palumbo
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031554248
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031554248
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
Transnational Law of Human Mobility
Author: Emília Lana de Freitas Castro
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030466086
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 248
Book Description
This book employs methods from comparative law to analyze voluntary migration, exploring the free movement of immigrants and their freedom of settlement under Brazilian and Mercosul law, as well as under German law and the European Union’s legal framework on migration. It discusses the level of protection granted to immigrants in terms of their right to enter and stay in Brazil and Mercosul, using German legislation and the EU’s legal framework on migration for comparison. Accordingly, the book will help migration researchers to understand not only the structure and rationale of migration law in Brazil, especially after the entry into force of its recent Migration Law in 2017, but also its relation to EU and German provisions on voluntary migration. It demonstrates how the differing natures of the migration law adopted by Brazil and Germany have led to different approaches and, consequently, different levels of protection for immigrants.
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030466086
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 248
Book Description
This book employs methods from comparative law to analyze voluntary migration, exploring the free movement of immigrants and their freedom of settlement under Brazilian and Mercosul law, as well as under German law and the European Union’s legal framework on migration. It discusses the level of protection granted to immigrants in terms of their right to enter and stay in Brazil and Mercosul, using German legislation and the EU’s legal framework on migration for comparison. Accordingly, the book will help migration researchers to understand not only the structure and rationale of migration law in Brazil, especially after the entry into force of its recent Migration Law in 2017, but also its relation to EU and German provisions on voluntary migration. It demonstrates how the differing natures of the migration law adopted by Brazil and Germany have led to different approaches and, consequently, different levels of protection for immigrants.
EU Law on Maternity and Other Child-Related Leaves
Author: Miguel De la Corte-Rodríguez
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 940351454X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 359
Book Description
Although proven effective in protecting pregnancy, giving birth and breastfeeding – that is, the biological differences of women related to maternity – the current European Union (EU) legislative framework on maternity leave tends to overlook the roles of both parents, especially during the post-delivery period of ‘bonding’ with the child. This framework, along with EU law on parental leave, which does not encourage an equal take-up of the leave, gives rise to serious issues of gender equality affecting both men and women. This deeply researched and urgent book proposes alternative options for future EU law on child-related leave which can be applied to both employees and self-employed workers to mitigate these limitations and side effects. Analysing the various EU Directives which, directly or indirectly, relate to maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave and parental leave, as well as the corresponding case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, the author uses a social risk approach and tackles the following issues: narrow focus of the legislation on the delivering mother’s incapacity to work; in practice, excessive emphasis on the protection of the delivering mother; silent assent to the unequal distribution of caring responsibilities within the family; lack of attention to women’s labour market outcomes; and the new direction followed by the recently adopted Directive on work-life balance. The research focuses on working parents (including non-delivering parents in same-sex couples or adoption) and includes a comparative analysis of the law of six countries – Belgium, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Portugal – chosen to illustrate the variety of national schemes available and how their desirable features can be introduced into EU law. A more balanced design of child-related leave is a must in today’s society for reasons of fairness and also for economic considerations. This complete analysis of EU legislation and case law about child-related leave – including the first-ever systematic and in-depth analysis on whether maternity leave can be considered discriminatory against fathers and a review of economic literature on how child-related leave affects the situation of women in the labour market – offers forward-looking solutions for child-related leave to enhance gender equality. Practitioners and nongovernmental organisations dealing with EU and national matters related to labour and employment law, social security law and gender equality law will welcome this important book, as will academics and policymakers interested in maternity and other child-related leaves.
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 940351454X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 359
Book Description
Although proven effective in protecting pregnancy, giving birth and breastfeeding – that is, the biological differences of women related to maternity – the current European Union (EU) legislative framework on maternity leave tends to overlook the roles of both parents, especially during the post-delivery period of ‘bonding’ with the child. This framework, along with EU law on parental leave, which does not encourage an equal take-up of the leave, gives rise to serious issues of gender equality affecting both men and women. This deeply researched and urgent book proposes alternative options for future EU law on child-related leave which can be applied to both employees and self-employed workers to mitigate these limitations and side effects. Analysing the various EU Directives which, directly or indirectly, relate to maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave and parental leave, as well as the corresponding case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, the author uses a social risk approach and tackles the following issues: narrow focus of the legislation on the delivering mother’s incapacity to work; in practice, excessive emphasis on the protection of the delivering mother; silent assent to the unequal distribution of caring responsibilities within the family; lack of attention to women’s labour market outcomes; and the new direction followed by the recently adopted Directive on work-life balance. The research focuses on working parents (including non-delivering parents in same-sex couples or adoption) and includes a comparative analysis of the law of six countries – Belgium, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Portugal – chosen to illustrate the variety of national schemes available and how their desirable features can be introduced into EU law. A more balanced design of child-related leave is a must in today’s society for reasons of fairness and also for economic considerations. This complete analysis of EU legislation and case law about child-related leave – including the first-ever systematic and in-depth analysis on whether maternity leave can be considered discriminatory against fathers and a review of economic literature on how child-related leave affects the situation of women in the labour market – offers forward-looking solutions for child-related leave to enhance gender equality. Practitioners and nongovernmental organisations dealing with EU and national matters related to labour and employment law, social security law and gender equality law will welcome this important book, as will academics and policymakers interested in maternity and other child-related leaves.
The Role of the Court of Justice in EU Labour Law
Author: Silvia Rainone
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9403530065
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
In an unresolved ongoing debate, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is often included among the institutional actors responsible for the declining condition of labour law in Europe. Has its case law been more protective of employers’ interests than of workers’ rights? This innovative book greatly enhances the discussion by bringing to light the judicial lawmaking logic, other than those pertaining to the balancing of social and business values, that drive the CJEU’s reasoning in its interpretation of the labour law provisions enshrined in the European Union (EU) law, with particular attention to the directive on transfer of undertakings. Addressing fundamental issues – such as uneven bargaining power, labour as a commodity, coexistence of workers’ rights and the market economy – in the context of judicial lawmaking, the author clearly defines the tensions at work: What normative models underlie the approaches of EU institutional policymakers with respect to labour law? Does the CJEU have its own vision of the socioeconomic model to which the Union should adhere? How does the CJEU’s interpretative approach stand in relation to the transformation processes that regulators impose on labour law? Is the CJEU particularly attentive to the preferences expressed by national governments, especially those from the most politically influential states, or rather reflect the political pressure of the European Commission? What is the role of trans-judicial dynamics in shaping the CJEU’s reasoning in labour law cases? The study is extraordinarily thorough, drawing on a wide range of policy documents, scholarly and doctrinal research, and the entire body of the CJEU’s case law on transfer of undertakings. The legal arguments that the CJEU has developed over the years are mapped and classified according to their affinity with the labour law functions that underlie them. With its comprehensive assessment of the normative implications of EU policymaking in the labour and social domains, its thorough exploration of the CJEU’s judicial lawmaking dynamics, and its extensive empirical legal analysis of the CJEU’s case law on transfer of undertakings, the book has no peers in revealing the forces that guide the CJEU’s decisions in the realm of labour law. Of particular value to scholars and researchers interested in EU social policies and constitutional law, the book will also prove of immeasurable value to labour law practitioners aiming to use the case law of the CJEU, as well as to in-house counsel, industrial relation specialists, and trade unionists.
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9403530065
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
In an unresolved ongoing debate, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is often included among the institutional actors responsible for the declining condition of labour law in Europe. Has its case law been more protective of employers’ interests than of workers’ rights? This innovative book greatly enhances the discussion by bringing to light the judicial lawmaking logic, other than those pertaining to the balancing of social and business values, that drive the CJEU’s reasoning in its interpretation of the labour law provisions enshrined in the European Union (EU) law, with particular attention to the directive on transfer of undertakings. Addressing fundamental issues – such as uneven bargaining power, labour as a commodity, coexistence of workers’ rights and the market economy – in the context of judicial lawmaking, the author clearly defines the tensions at work: What normative models underlie the approaches of EU institutional policymakers with respect to labour law? Does the CJEU have its own vision of the socioeconomic model to which the Union should adhere? How does the CJEU’s interpretative approach stand in relation to the transformation processes that regulators impose on labour law? Is the CJEU particularly attentive to the preferences expressed by national governments, especially those from the most politically influential states, or rather reflect the political pressure of the European Commission? What is the role of trans-judicial dynamics in shaping the CJEU’s reasoning in labour law cases? The study is extraordinarily thorough, drawing on a wide range of policy documents, scholarly and doctrinal research, and the entire body of the CJEU’s case law on transfer of undertakings. The legal arguments that the CJEU has developed over the years are mapped and classified according to their affinity with the labour law functions that underlie them. With its comprehensive assessment of the normative implications of EU policymaking in the labour and social domains, its thorough exploration of the CJEU’s judicial lawmaking dynamics, and its extensive empirical legal analysis of the CJEU’s case law on transfer of undertakings, the book has no peers in revealing the forces that guide the CJEU’s decisions in the realm of labour law. Of particular value to scholars and researchers interested in EU social policies and constitutional law, the book will also prove of immeasurable value to labour law practitioners aiming to use the case law of the CJEU, as well as to in-house counsel, industrial relation specialists, and trade unionists.
The Legal and Institutional Framing of Collective Bargaining in CEE Countries
Author: Ivana Palinkaš
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 904119200X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
The formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have witnessed a profound transformation of their labour laws since the 1990s and, especially, after their accession to the European Union. Today, in comparison to the other Member States, they continue to have weak trade unions and employers’ associations and an underdeveloped system of collective bargaining. Moreover, the recent economic and financial crisis highlighted the need to invest further efforts in bringing the CEE industrial relations closer to the ‘old’ Member States, in order to facilitate a more meaningful enforcement of the EU-wide economic and social policies. This is the first book to scrutinise this important matter in depth. Focusing on four current CEE labour law regimes – in Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland – that also have different collective bargaining trends and can be said to exemplify some of the main legal and institutional frameworks for collective bargaining that the CEE countries have developed, the author addresses the following major issues: – the transition from a centralised to an open market economy and the degree of continuing residual characteristics; – the extent to which labour laws since the 1990s have enabled an adequate institutionalisation of industrial relations to allow free and voluntary collective bargaining at the national, sectoral, and company levels; and – the effectiveness of the standard-setting role of trade unions and employers’ associations insofar as they have persisted or come into play. The analysis always keeps in focus the development of labour laws in relation to a number of such interlinked elements as market transformation, type of privatisation of state ownership, and attitudes towards welfare. It draws on both the relevant literature and on twenty-five interviews with legal and policy experts from social partners’ organisations and staff within the ministries for social affairs in the selected countries. In support of the study’s general finding that the laws in CEE countries could provide more stimulus for sectoral and cross-sectoral collective bargaining, the author offers deeply informed recommendations and insights into legal shortcomings and pinpoints how the existing legal frameworks can be enhanced. Any professional or academic in the field of industrial relations, and particularly those concerned with complex transitions such as those occurring in the CEE countries and elsewhere in the world, will find this book of great value.
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 904119200X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
The formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have witnessed a profound transformation of their labour laws since the 1990s and, especially, after their accession to the European Union. Today, in comparison to the other Member States, they continue to have weak trade unions and employers’ associations and an underdeveloped system of collective bargaining. Moreover, the recent economic and financial crisis highlighted the need to invest further efforts in bringing the CEE industrial relations closer to the ‘old’ Member States, in order to facilitate a more meaningful enforcement of the EU-wide economic and social policies. This is the first book to scrutinise this important matter in depth. Focusing on four current CEE labour law regimes – in Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland – that also have different collective bargaining trends and can be said to exemplify some of the main legal and institutional frameworks for collective bargaining that the CEE countries have developed, the author addresses the following major issues: – the transition from a centralised to an open market economy and the degree of continuing residual characteristics; – the extent to which labour laws since the 1990s have enabled an adequate institutionalisation of industrial relations to allow free and voluntary collective bargaining at the national, sectoral, and company levels; and – the effectiveness of the standard-setting role of trade unions and employers’ associations insofar as they have persisted or come into play. The analysis always keeps in focus the development of labour laws in relation to a number of such interlinked elements as market transformation, type of privatisation of state ownership, and attitudes towards welfare. It draws on both the relevant literature and on twenty-five interviews with legal and policy experts from social partners’ organisations and staff within the ministries for social affairs in the selected countries. In support of the study’s general finding that the laws in CEE countries could provide more stimulus for sectoral and cross-sectoral collective bargaining, the author offers deeply informed recommendations and insights into legal shortcomings and pinpoints how the existing legal frameworks can be enhanced. Any professional or academic in the field of industrial relations, and particularly those concerned with complex transitions such as those occurring in the CEE countries and elsewhere in the world, will find this book of great value.