Labour law (also known as employment or labor law) is the body of laws, administrative
rulings, and precedents which address the legal rights of, and restrictions
on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects
of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees. In Canada,
employment laws related to unionised workplaces are differentiated from those
relating to particular individuals. In most countries however, no such distinction
is made. However, there are two broad categories of labour law. First, collective
labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, employer
and union. Second, individual labour law concerns employees' rights at work
and through the contract for work. The labour movement has been instrumental
in the enacting of laws protecting labour rights in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Labour rights have been integral to the social and economic development since
the industrial revolution.
Labour law arose due to the demands of workers
for better conditions, the right to organise, and the simultaneous demands
of employers to restrict the powers of workers' many organizations and to keep
labour costs low. Employers' costs can increase due to workers organizing to
win higher wages, or by laws imposing costly requirements, such as health and
safety or equal opportunities conditions. Workers' organizations, such as trade
unions, can also transcend purely industrial disputes, and gain political power
- which some employers may oppose. The state of labour law at any one time is
therefore both the product of, and a component of, struggles between different
interests in society. |
