The course is organised in three major parts:
The first part will give an introduction to international labour law with focus on both basic concepts and an overview of the global conventions (United Nations, International Labour Organisation) as well as the regional conventions (especially the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter). This part will also give an overview of the law making procedures and control mechanisms of the different international organisations and conventions.
The second part will examine the contents of the fundamental principles of international labour law. Focus is on the core labour rights as established in the ILO-declaration of June 1998 on fundamental principles and rights at work: Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, the effective abolition of child labour and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. These core labour standards are examined on the basis of the relevant ILO conventions as well as some other conventions.
The third part will focus on the emerging regulation of labour rights as part of Corporate Social Responsibility. Increasingly, (multinational) companies refer to international labour standards or conventions in Codes of Conduct for internal guidance or to be incorporated as part of contracts with business partners acting as suppliers (e.g. in the textile and apparel industries). Public-private and private initiatives have established sectoral codes (e.g. for the extractives industries or diamonds trade). Within OECD countries, National Contact Points provide a new form of complaints modality for organisations or others concerned about possible violations of labour rights even in companies acting outside the OECD. Companies subscribing to the United Nations Global Compact commit, i.a., to observing the international core labour standards. This part of the course will examine the role of international labour law in these contexts and provide a forum for discussion of emerging new forms of regulation under the umbrella of CSR.