Globalisation and Labour Rights

In a world of work that has changed dramatically over the last few years, states see themselves confronted with new actors and conflicting international legal obligations. This book examines the tensions between core labour rights as defined by the International Labour Organisation, and the interests of international economic institutions (e.g. WTO, IMF, World Bank, OECD). It provides an analysis of the legal interactions between international regulations and state policy with regard to potential regulatory conflicts, at both the horizontal and vertical level. The study suggests a model of multilevel consistency as a way of reconciling the highly specialised and fragmented legal systems of core labour rights on the one hand, and trade liberalisation on the other, to form the coherent framework of a consistent legal order. Its detailed analysis and recommendations are designed for both academic readers and practitioners in international organisations and governments.

Introduction: Setting Out the Problems1. The Legal Framework for Core Labour Rights2. International Economic Organisations and Core Labour Rights: Conflicting Interests3. Cross-border Economic Activities: Multinational Enterprises and the Linkage Debate4. Reconciling Conflicting Interests: The Roles of Nation States and the International Community5. Conclusions