On 22 June 2020, the European Social Partners released their Autonomous Framework Agreement on Digitalisation.The Social Partners signing this agreement were: BusinessEurope, SMEunited, CEEP, ETUC and the liaison committee EUROCADRES/CEC, The Agreement is welcome (particularly in the midst of a pandemic) as an acknowledgement of the continuing movement towards a predominantly digital means of working…
Introduction In two blog posts (here, here) I have commented on the recognition of professional qualifications between the EU and UK post-Brexit. Yet to be described and reflected upon, however, is the more general scheme of legal regulation of the recognition of professional qualifications which applies to third-country nationals coming to the EU, be they…
Are exploitative contracts part of innovation? 2020 has not only been a year of pandemic. The year has also provided additions to the growing tome of ‘gig economy’ litigation; case law that has largely (though not exclusively) centred around Uber. Employment status has been the focal point of this discussion. Attention should be drawn to…
On 17 November 2017 the ‘European Pillar of Social Rights’ (“EPSR”) was officially proclaimed by the EU leaders at the occasion of the Social Summit held in Gothenburg, Sweden. Three years later, the European Union is set to deliver an action plan. In a Communication of 14 January 2020, the European Commission launched a communication[1] to…
This file includes the chapter F come Fabbrica. Cipputi, lo Statuto, i diritti dalla catena di montaggio alle app (F for Factory. Blue-collar work, the Workers Statute, 1970, labour rights from the assembly line to the apps), published in the book Lavorare, è una parola. Un alfabeto corale a cinquant’anni dallo Statuto dei lavoratori, edited by…
On 30 June 2020, the Mexican ministry of labor Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social (STPS – Secretary of Labor and Social Protection) issued its report on Public Communication No. MEX 2016-1 under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). Better known as the NAFTA labor side agreement, the NAALC was in effect in…
Covid-19: Long-term vs short-term Assessing the effect of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 on work and employment will be a long-term endeavour. While much of the emphasis has been on when and how economies may safely re-open, we draw attention to the undervalued workplace considerations therein. We have produced an early assessment of measures taken…
Introduction The field of digitalisation and privacy at work has received two major European Union initiatives over the last few days. First, on 24 June 2020, the European Commission issued its first report on the evaluation and review of the General Data Protection Regulation (the ‘GDPR’). It officially takes the form of a Communication from…
From an EU social and labour policy perspective, 2020 started off on the right foot. In mid-January, the Commission presented its Communication on “A Strong Social Europe for A Just Transition”. In the Communication, the Commission’s priorities (the European Green Deal and the digitalization agenda) appeared to be intertwined with the commitment to promote fairness…
Positioning for a new economic start A popular cultural reference point for the Latin phrase carpe diem has been the film Dead Poets Society, starring the late Robin Williams. In this movie, the English teacher, portrayed by Williams, uses this Latin phrase at the opening of his first class with his students. The scene from…
