Globalisation, international crisis and employment relations in Europe

Aim
The course aims to provide each student with knowledge of: scientific debates on globalization and international crisis and on their impact on employment relations in Europe; theories and research related with convergence and divergence of labour markets and employment relations systems; theories and research on trade unionism and social movements’ agendas and strategies. 
The course aims at provide each student with research skills in relation to the above mentioned topics and to enhance analytical competences.

Course Description:

• The course focuses on globalisation and challenges in relation to labour markets and employment relations. The changes introduced by information technology, multinational companies, and world trade rules and new migrations are examined as crucial factors of globalisation, which might impact in labour relations and labour rights and challenge the traditional national- centred practices and strategies of social actors (namely employers organisations and trade unions), The course examines the impact of financial and economic crisis and austerity policies in European countries from a comparative perspective with focus on: labour law reforms and labour market flexibility; wage and working time flexibility arrangements, collective bargaining decentralization and employees participation; employment protection and ‘flexicurity’; and active labour market policies.
• The  course will examine supra national European policies and trends in relation to austerity and labour market reforms and their impact in member states labour market regulations.
• The course focus on how those trends are challenging previous patterns of employment relations in European countries taking into consideration the different varieties of capitalism and of employment regimes as well as the variety of industrial relations systems and welfare models.
• The course focus also on the strategies and responses of labour market actors, and bargaining processes, in European countries, at the local, sector national and supranational level, and to the role played by European supranational institutions in relation to those processes. In addition, the course addresses the emergence of social movements in Europe and their connection with trade unionism and their role in relation to labour and social rights.
  
  

When: Spring 2015
Why: 10 ECTS 
Teaching Language: English
How: See how to sign up at https://kurser.ku.dk/course/asok05325u/2014-2015
Lecturer: Maria da Paz Campos Lima, part-time lecturer, Department of Sociology
Questions: Send email to pazmlima@gmail.com