International labour law and globalisation
Lecture 5 – Fundamental Labour Standards II
Scope of labour law
Q: Who is covered by LL and to what extent?
- Worker or employee? labour law covers more than the ‘traditional employee’
- The ILO says workers, not employees (everyone who contributes to the economy)
- Formal employees; people who have a relationship with their employer, working on the basis
of a specific contract
Current challenges?
- A-typical work / Precarious work / Non-standard work
Part-time, external
0-hour contract
Platform working
On call
Internships
Seasonal workers
Precarious work = lack of good standards of working conditions, lack of security.
Protection that a normal contract would give is missing
Some types are pretty well protected, some types are not protected at all
These jobs are less secure than contracted work
ILO says: Diverse forms of employment relationship (kind of hides away that these forms
of work are less protected than ‘normal’ it’s more in the interest of employers to phrase it like
this)
- Informal sector
- Disguised employment relationship
Distinction isn’t very tight
Personal scope?
Employee
- Employment contract
- Labour law applicable
- Subordination
Self-employed
- Civil or commercial contract
- Not within scope labour law
- Independent work
Employee vs Self-Employed R198
• How to distinguish between employee and self-employed?
• ILO Guidance: R198 (2006) independent recommendation, this is one of those few
Offer indicators on how to establish whether there’s an employment relationship
Core:
Principle of reality of work relationship
, Paragraph 9:
For the purposes of the national policy of protection for workers in an employment relationship, the
determination of the existence of such a relationship [employment relationship] should be guided
primarily by the facts relating to the performance of work and the remuneration of the worker,
notwithstanding how the relationship is characterized in any contrary arrangement, contractual or
otherwise, that may have been agreed between the parties.
What does this say?
Determination of employment relation shouldn’t be determined if you have a piece of paper
that says what kind of relationship you have, but it should be about the facts of the
relationship
o Important to determine this so people can’t pretend something isn’t a working
relationship so they can’t be held accountable to the labour law rights
o Making sure you don’t have 2 people doing the exact same work, but that one
person has an official employment relationship and the other person seems to be
someone that is working self-employed.
o Distinguish between full self-employed and legal self-employed
If you’re self employed you are basically a mini corporation
Indicators for employment relationship R198 Par. 13(a)
The fact that the work: is carried out according to the instructions and under the control of another
party; involves the integration of the worker in the organization of the enterprise; is performed solely
or mainly for the benefit of another person; must be carried out personally by the worker; is carried
out within specific working hours or at a workplace specified or agreed by the party requesting the
work; is of a particular duration and has a certain continuity; requires the worker's availability; or
involves the provision of tools, materials and machinery by the party requesting the work
Indicators for employment relationship R198 Par. 13(b)
periodic payment of remuneration to the worker; the fact that such remuneration constitutes the
worker's sole or principal source of income; provision of payment in kind, such as food, lodging or
transport; recognition of entitlements such as weekly rest and annual holidays; payment by the party
requesting the work for travel undertaken by the worker in order to carry out the work; or absence
of financial risk for the worker.
Not always, but most of the time
General guideline
In most cases
Not an exhaustive list of standards
Temporary Agency Work
Lecture 5 – Fundamental Labour Standards II
Scope of labour law
Q: Who is covered by LL and to what extent?
- Worker or employee? labour law covers more than the ‘traditional employee’
- The ILO says workers, not employees (everyone who contributes to the economy)
- Formal employees; people who have a relationship with their employer, working on the basis
of a specific contract
Current challenges?
- A-typical work / Precarious work / Non-standard work
Part-time, external
0-hour contract
Platform working
On call
Internships
Seasonal workers
Precarious work = lack of good standards of working conditions, lack of security.
Protection that a normal contract would give is missing
Some types are pretty well protected, some types are not protected at all
These jobs are less secure than contracted work
ILO says: Diverse forms of employment relationship (kind of hides away that these forms
of work are less protected than ‘normal’ it’s more in the interest of employers to phrase it like
this)
- Informal sector
- Disguised employment relationship
Distinction isn’t very tight
Personal scope?
Employee
- Employment contract
- Labour law applicable
- Subordination
Self-employed
- Civil or commercial contract
- Not within scope labour law
- Independent work
Employee vs Self-Employed R198
• How to distinguish between employee and self-employed?
• ILO Guidance: R198 (2006) independent recommendation, this is one of those few
Offer indicators on how to establish whether there’s an employment relationship
Core:
Principle of reality of work relationship
, Paragraph 9:
For the purposes of the national policy of protection for workers in an employment relationship, the
determination of the existence of such a relationship [employment relationship] should be guided
primarily by the facts relating to the performance of work and the remuneration of the worker,
notwithstanding how the relationship is characterized in any contrary arrangement, contractual or
otherwise, that may have been agreed between the parties.
What does this say?
Determination of employment relation shouldn’t be determined if you have a piece of paper
that says what kind of relationship you have, but it should be about the facts of the
relationship
o Important to determine this so people can’t pretend something isn’t a working
relationship so they can’t be held accountable to the labour law rights
o Making sure you don’t have 2 people doing the exact same work, but that one
person has an official employment relationship and the other person seems to be
someone that is working self-employed.
o Distinguish between full self-employed and legal self-employed
If you’re self employed you are basically a mini corporation
Indicators for employment relationship R198 Par. 13(a)
The fact that the work: is carried out according to the instructions and under the control of another
party; involves the integration of the worker in the organization of the enterprise; is performed solely
or mainly for the benefit of another person; must be carried out personally by the worker; is carried
out within specific working hours or at a workplace specified or agreed by the party requesting the
work; is of a particular duration and has a certain continuity; requires the worker's availability; or
involves the provision of tools, materials and machinery by the party requesting the work
Indicators for employment relationship R198 Par. 13(b)
periodic payment of remuneration to the worker; the fact that such remuneration constitutes the
worker's sole or principal source of income; provision of payment in kind, such as food, lodging or
transport; recognition of entitlements such as weekly rest and annual holidays; payment by the party
requesting the work for travel undertaken by the worker in order to carry out the work; or absence
of financial risk for the worker.
Not always, but most of the time
General guideline
In most cases
Not an exhaustive list of standards
Temporary Agency Work
