COMPARATIVE AND EUROPEAN LABOUR LAW

Optional Module (5 ECTS)

Description

This module introduces students to the major issues of Comparative and European Labour Law. Special emphasis will be placed on both the primary, as well as the secondary sources of European Labour Law, as well as on recent case-law by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and its interaction with national courts. For the analysis of the later parameter, the comparative approach between different Member States will be used.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

• understand and use the principles of European Labour Law;
• discuss the major issues and the latest developments in European Labour Law;
• interpret legal sources and literature in the field of European and Comparative Labour Law;
• assess the impact of labour law to major issues, such as the movement of employees, equal pay, protection of employees’ rights, as well as the exercise of collective interests;
• apply such knowledge in complex labour law cases and offer creative solutions.

Contents

Issues to be discussed include indicatively the following: free movement of employees, posting of employees, working-time and annual leave, discrimination, exercise of employees’ rights within the enterprise, protection of employees’ data, transfer of undertakings and collective dismissals. Particular emphasis will be placed on the balancing of labour rights against fundamental economic freedoms in the EU. In this regard, the comparative approach between different Member States will be utilized.

Academic Requirements

Participants are required to have at least some basic previous knowledge of Labour Law, both Individual and Collective.

Teaching method

The course will run under both seminar and workshop format, which requires a high degree of student activity. Students are expected to write a paper and make a presentation based on the paper (formative assessment). Participants to the  classes  will  be  supported  through  the  discussion  of jurisprudence  and  cases,  as  well  as by  other  practical examples  and  related legal materials.

Lecturers

The course is taught by Professor Costas Papadimitriou, Assistant Professor Dimitrios Ladas and Assistant Professor Ioannis Skandalis.

Assessment and testing

• Written exam, closed book, short essay questions - 2 hours (70%)
• One short paper assignment (30%)