Labour law

Labour law (also called labor law or employment law) is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees.

There are two broad categories of labour law. First, collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, employer and union. Second, individual labour law concerns employees' rights at work and through the contract for work. The labour movement has been instrumental in the enacting of laws protecting labour rights in the 19th and 20th centuries. Labour rights have been integral to the social and economic development since the Industrial Revolution. Employment standards are social norms (in some cases also technical standards) for the minimum socially acceptable conditions under which employees or contractors will work. Government agencies enforce employment standards codified by labour law (legislative, regulatory, or judicial).

Labor laws are laws which are designed to protect workers. Someone who specializes in labor law is known as a labor lawyer. Many nations around the world have labor laws, which vary widely in scope and complexity, and enforcement of such laws is also quite variable. Consumers who are concerned about working conditions and worker safety may actively seek out products made in countries with more stringent labor laws.

Importance of labour law to the employee, employer, and trade/labor union

The employee,
Employees have the right to join trade and labour unions. Unions are groups of employees who watch policy implementation in the workplace. They guard against human rights violations and protect employee rights in accordance to federal labour law. Trade and labour unions must be certified by the company, as well as recognized by the government.

safeguarding of employees' rights in the event of transfers of undertakings,
• protection of employees in the event of insolvency of their employer,
• the employer's obligation to inform employees of the conditions applicable to their employment relationship,
• information and consultation of workers,
• organization of working time,
• protection of young people at work,
• parental leave


Health and safety

Health and Safety at work is also an important aspect of the social policy laid down in the EEA Agreement. Legislation in the field of health and safety at work concerns:
• Organization of the workplace
• Chemical, physical and biological agents
• Special occupational activities or groups at risk
The Framework Directive lays down the basic EEA provisions on health and safety at work. The Directive outlines the responsibilities of employers and workers in that regard. The Directive is supplemented by other directives which address specific groups of workers, workplaces or substances. The areas covered by such directives include:
• the work place environment
• protection against physical biological and chemical agents and dangerous substances
• protective and work equipment
• protection of and facilities for pregnant and breastfeeding or nursing workers
• mineral extracting industries
• temporary construction sites
• medical treatment on board ships, and
• work on board fishing vessels

Employee relations look at an individual as some one who should uphold ethics and professional conduct. This is in tandem with his social responsibility where by rules of procedure and regulations should not be taken for granted. All workers whether from top management or middle management should behave responsibly that uphold the image of the organization. There should be a high level of integrity, honesty, trust and so on. Ensuring this criterion means that public order is guaranteed and productivity is not compromised. This also means that there are less cases of conflict of interest. This principle is good for the organization because it keeps all the workers disciplined and therefore productivity is improved.


The term employee relation describes the relationship that exists between employees at the work place. It involves aspects of trade union and union practices with the aim of looking after the welfare and conditions of employees at the work place. Employee relations may be defined as those policies and practices which are concerned with the management and regulation of relationships between the organization, the individual, staff members, and groups of staff within the working environment.

a facet that puts into perspective the safe and pleasant atmosphere for workers. Each worker is supposed to have respect for other workers so as to live in peace and improve the work environment. This enables a good working environment envisaged by this organization to foster good working relations between members of staff which necessitates a better customer care that results into high quality and value for society.
Training personnel for better services and quality is also a very important factor as far as employee relations are concerned. This value should be taken very seriously and for that matter the organization deals with highly professional and competent workers.

Employee relations also put in perspective the quality of the labour force. This goes a long way in creating professional and hard working employees who do everything in their power to create a conducive atmosphere for work and improve on productivity. A systematic procedure is put in place trough which the employees are sieved. This creates a good and competent work relationship between different employees because every one understands what they are doing.


• Developing personnel procedures covering grievance handling, discipline, equal opportunities, promotion and redundancy and ensuring that they are implemented fairly and consistently.
• Developing and communicating personnel policies covering the major areas of employment, development, reward and employee relations.

In various occasions the workers are exploited by the employers in matters like wages, work time, overtime policies, and leave policies. But this practice has come to an end. As the government has taken a firm step against these employers by legal laws and the same is informed to the business houses in form of labor law poster. The labor law posters are mandatory posters for every business firm having two or more employees. The employers should display these posters in perfect view of their employees to refer, like the break room or main entrance. These posters are scripts in simple language, including information of all the fundamental rights, the rules and regulations of an employee. The rights to minimum wage, the leave policies, the overtime policy, the working hours, the insurance policy, uniformity of employment