| Unit name | Workers, Unions and Collective Labour Rights |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0149 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Bogg |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
Not applicable |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
In the unit on ‘Workers, Unions and Collective Labour Rights’, we will examine various aspects of collective labour law, its justificatory underpinnings in political theory, its regulatory design and its shortcomings in contemporary labour markets. The focus will be on UK law, with additional reference to international and European labour standards. Where appropriate comparative studies from other common law countries, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, will be discussed, as will recent developments in continental Europe and wider global supply chains. You will study freedom of association, collective bargaining and the right to strike, considering their relevance as recognised human rights and their implications for democracy and equality both domestically and transnationally. This unit is important because it provides a vital introduction to the dynamics of collective labour law and its contemporary relevance. The unit is valuable both in theoretical terms (exploring justificatory underpinnings of collective labour rights in political theory) and providing practical understanding of regulatory design in contemporary labour markets and global supply chains. In these ways, the unit will enable students to assess UK legislation relating to trade unions, collective bargaining and industrial action, while deploying comparative methods to engage with experiences in other countries and applying international legal norms.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
If you are taking this unit in conjunction with Individual Employment Rights as a mandatory unit for the LLM in Employment, Work and Equality, then you will find that this unit introduces a collective labour law dimension to your understanding of rapidly changing employment practices and their regulatory challenges. As a unit studied in other LLM pathways, this unit will introduce legal frameworks that shape collective labour law relations, including human rights and international labour standards, which will be analysed in their broader social, economic and political context.
Your learning on this unit
This unit examines various key aspects of the legal regulation of collective worker activities and trade unions. Firstly, we reflect on the status of freedom of association as a constitutional and human right. Secondly, we discuss different forms of collective organisation and their legal recognition, considering the kinds of trade unions privileged by current laws. We go on to investigate controversies regarding the status of the right to strike under international, European and domestic law. We conclude by examining the scope for transnational organisation and trade union activity.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will develop a firm grasp of UK law, especially the interaction between private and public law in this context, but also the relevance of international and European instruments. You will develop the skills to identify a variety of pertinent legal and policy-related issues and to provide your own evaluation of the ways in which they should be addressed.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
Teaching will include learning activities including lectures, small group work, discussions, individual tasks, and in-seminar presentations. These learning sessions can be on campus or online, and both synchronous or asynchronous.
The unit will also require directed and self-directed learning, which will include activities such as reading materials included in the unit’s reading list, accessing web-based supplementary materials, critical analysis, completion of tasks for in-seminar presentation, and completion of assessments.
You will be given a unit guide at the beginning of the unit, which will set out the particular topics and reading expected for the teaching block. This will explain the content of each lecture and seminar, the topic on which we will be focussing and the types of issues and questions which will be discussed.
You will be expected to have completed the required reading set for each seminar, which will involve interactive learning. In doing so, you should give thought to how you might use the reading material to answer any questions set in advance. Seminars will give you the opportunity to discuss the issues and questions set for each topic in small and large groups. Exercises will be set either prior to or in the seminar, which may involve ‘problem question’ scenarios or other group work designed to generate class debate. The aim of the tutor will be to provide structure for discussion and to highlight the various concerns and difficulties arising in relation to various aspects of law and policy. Further reading will be provided which is designed to enable you to build upon the reading given in seminars.
In this way, you will learn more about the kinds of issues that you might discuss in response to the topics set for formative assessment and the related essay questions you will answer in your summative assessment. You will gain confidence addressing and assessing differences of opinion between various policy actors, practitioners and scholars, as reflected in legislation, international instruments, cases, policy documents and academic comment.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative assessments will come in many forms such as informal questioning, group exercises and asynchronous activities on Blackboard (our virtual learning platform). These will contribute to your learning and will not count towards your final mark.
Additionally, four topics (which will be relevant for the summative assessment coursework) will be released early in the teaching block. You will then be required to submit in the middle of the teaching block an essay plan and 500 words of the introduction relating to one of four topics set. Feedback will be returned to you later in term to assist you with the completion of the summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your assessment (summative):
You will be required to submit a 4,000 word essay in response to one of four essay-style questions relating to four topics set (all seminars being of relevance to these topics). In preparation for your coursework, you will be expected to carry out research beyond the unit reading list and to build on the formative assessment rather than repeat its content. This assessment will cover all Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit.
When assessment does not go to plan:
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, the unit will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis with new assessment questions.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWDM0149).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
