The present volume includes a number of papers written in English and published in the last fifteen years in which the Italian labour market faced many changes. The intent here is not only to provide the international readership with a frame of reference - in both conceptual and legal terms - that helps to appreciate the Italian Labour Law currently in force. The real goal of this volume is to contribute to move beyond the self-referential nature of the Italian debate on the reform of labour laws. This would supply the reform process of the Italian labour market with an international and comparative dimension which - in accordance with the programmatic approach of Marco Biagi - should also feed the debate at a national level.

This volume includes a number of papers written in English and published in the last fifteen years in which the Italian labour market faced many changes. The book not only provides the international readership with a frame of reference – in both conceptual and legal terms – that helps to appreciate the Italian Labour Law currently in force, but also represents a contribution to moving beyond the self-referential nature of the Italian debate on the reform of labour laws. As such, the book supplies the reform process of the Italian labour market with an international and comparative dimension which – in accordance with the programmatic approach of Marco Biagi – will also feed the debate at the national level.

This book reflects the enormous interest in work-life balance and current pressing concerns about the impacts of austerity more broadly. It draws on contemporary research and practitioner experiences to explore how work-life balance and related workplace and social policy fare in turbulent economic times and the implications for employees, employers and wider societies. Authors consider workplace trends, practices and employment relations and the impacts on work, care and well-being of diverse workers. A guiding theme throughout the book is a triple agenda of supporting employee work-life balance, workplace effectiveness and social justice. The final chapters present case studies of innovative processes and organizational practices for addressing the triple agenda, note the important role of social policy context and discuss the challenge of extending debates on work-life balance to include a social justice dimension. This book will be of interest to academics and postgraduate students of organisational psychology, sociology, human resource management, management and business studies, law and social policy, as well as employers, managers, HR managers, trade unions, and policy makers.

How have employment relations evolved over the last decade? And how did workplaces and employees fare in the face of the longest recession in living memory? Employment Relations in the Shadow of Recession examines the state of British employment relations in 2011, how this has changed since 2004, and the role the recession played in shaping employees' experiences of work. It draws on findings from the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study, comparing these with the results of the previous study conducted in 2004. These surveys – each collecting responses from around 2,500 workplace managers, 1,000 employee representatives and over 20,000 employees – provide the most comprehensive portrait available of workplace employment relations in Britain. The book provides an in-depth analysis of the changes made to employment practices through the recession and of the impact that the economic downturn had on the shape and character of the employment relationship.

This monograph investigates current issues in labour law enforcement from a socio-legal perspective. It analyses how local Italian enforcement actors promote the protection of workers in Prato – a city that in recent decades has seen a significant influx of Chinese migrants who run small workshops as part of the local clothing industry. Many of the Chinese firms in Prato fail to live up to core labour standards, such as maximum working hours, health and safety at work and payment of social security contributions. The book analyses the strategies and practices employed by three local enforcement actors (labour inspectors, labour unionists and a new type of labour law consultant) in their efforts to assist Chinese firms in improving their level of labour law compliance. Combining documentary, interview and observational data, the book applies theories of legal culture and legal development to address the interaction between law and society. It focuses on the operational aspects of law by asking three interrelated research questions: How do local enforcement actors promote the protection of workers in Chinese firms in Prato? Which tools are employed, and which rationalities drive the initiatives? The book thereby sheds light upon processes of legal cultural adaptation, informing ongoing international and national debates about what can actually be done to combat contemporary gaps in the protection of workers.

This book charts the path to revitalisation for trade unions in Australia, the USA, the UK, and Italy. It examines the examples of innovation and digital campaigning that are enabling unions to build new forms of worker power – and overcome decades of declining membership wrought by neoliberalism, globalisation, and hostility from employers and the state. The study evaluates the responses of unions in each country to falling membership levels since the 1980s. It considers the US 'organising model' and its adoption in Australia and the UK, comparing this with the strategies of Italian unions which have been more deliberately focused on precarious and migrant workers. The increasing reliance of US unions on community alliances, as seen in the 'Fight for $15' and similar campaigns, is scrutinised along with new union prototypes like Hospo Voice in Australia, the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain and SI Cobas in Italy. The book includes an in-depth analysis of union responses to the gig economy in the four countries, and the emergence of self-organised worker collectives to combat this exploitative business model. The vital role played by unions in defending the interests of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic is also examined. As well as highlighting the most successful union initiatives to meet the challenges of the past 30 years, the book assesses the strengths and deficiencies of the legal framework for union representation in the four nations. It identifies the labour law reforms needed to rebuild collectivism, but argues that more is needed than favourable laws. This cross-national study provides a rich basis for identifying the combination of reforms, strategies and linkages required to ensure that unions can remain relevant for a new generation of digitally-active workers.

Business organisations depend on having one or more persons who can legitimately make strategic business decisions. But what are the legal entitlements of such key professionals? This is the first book – with contributions from experts across Europe – to take a broad comparative look at how the delimitation of rights and duties of executive and non-executive managers is done under different areas of EU law and across different jurisdictions (namely, EU and national law). Aspects of the executive role covered include the following: extensive treatment of definitions and methodologies to ascertain the status of managers as ‘workers’ in Europe; comprehensive interdisciplinary and comparative analysis of cross-cutting issues affecting managers in Europe, including complexities arising from national variations in governance structures and roles and functions of managers; comprehensive analysis of cases before the European courts with full awareness of applicable rules; distinction between registered front directors and those who act as de facto managers; how employees (and to some degree other stakeholders) may be involved in management; trends in current EU law that increase the need to protect managers; trends that increase the need to hold managers liable; right to inter alia information and consultation, occupational health and safety, non-discrimination and free movement; and recognition that managers may not necessarily be powerful professionals with strength vis-à-vis the company as employer. According to EU statistics, in 2019, nearly 9.4 million persons held a managerial position across the EU’s Member States, meaning that many managers currently can no longer inherently be considered unworthy of employment protection. The legal status of these individuals thus cannot be sidestepped. This very important volume accordingly will be of value to practitioners, policymakers, and academics in employment and labour law.