Aims

This course aims to introduce students to a legal approach to labour issues, and enable
them to understand the mechanisms of labour law and offer a basic knowledge to people hoping to find jobs that will require an understanding of labour law.

Main themes

Introduction to the notions and sources of labour law: the employment contract (formation,
obligations on the parties, and suspending and breaking the contract). Employment
regulation (e.g. hours, annual holidays and protected pay). A brief overview of social security.
The course will quickly sketch the elements of the legal status of organisations
(companies, professional associations and not for profit organisations), and will outline the law on bankruptcy with a view to situating the actors in employment relations.
It will also identify the broad principles of law and the hierarchy of law, and will
provide indications as to legal sources.

Content and teaching methods

After a brief introduction devoted to an exposition of the formal sources of labour law
(e.g. laws and collective agreements), the course will focus solely on individual employment law, and will chronologically analyse the various phases of the contract of employment:
formation of the contract (e.g. factors relating to duration, part time working and
trial periods); execution of the contract (the worker's responsibility and consequences of the
transfer of undertakings);
suspension of the contract (analysis of the main causes of suspension, and their
consequences); termination of the contract (analysis of ways of terminating the contract, protection against dismissal, company closures and collective dismissals); and the restraint of trade clause.
Depending on how much time is available, there will also be some discussion on certain
employment legislation relating to working hours and pay.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Oral examination. Students may acquire law books if they wish.
This course will consist of classes held in the evenings and/or on Saturdays.

Other credits in programs