Magister Legum - LLM / In this paper I delve into the connection between trade policy and labour rights as probably one of the most controversial issues, which the international trading system is faced with today. Labour laws differ from country to country and of course it is a cause for concern where some countries have higher standards than others, it becomes problematic for these countries with high standards to compete with countries with lower standards. Even though there is a definite link between trade and labour, my argument is that incorporating labour standards into the international trading system is not the best way forward to deal with the problem of abuse of labour standards. I further investigate the two organizations at the forefront of this debate, being the WTO and the ILO. In an attempt to ascertain which of the two is the best forum to deal with the issue I further look at the relationship between these two organizations. Compliance with international labour standards is a growing concern as worldwide standards are deteriorating and nothing is being done to alleviate the problem. Accordingly, I explore the causes for the abuse of labour standards and seek to find the better alternative, by looking at the respective positions of the parties who are for and against the linkage of trade with labour standards. Here the views and concerns of the developed world are weighed up against those of the developing world and looking at possible alternatives concludes the paper. / South Africa

La négociation collective est au coeur de la production normative en droit du travail. Le droit à la négociation collective proclamé au niveau constitutionnel, européen et international appartient au salarié ; ce dernier ne l’exerce que par ses représentants. Son droit individuel à la négociation se résout donc dans un droit à être représenté qui se déduit de la lecture de l’alinéa 8 du Préambule de la Constitution et des textes internationaux et européens. Il est paré des qualités d’un droit « justiciable ». Droit subjectif, il peut être invoqué par le salarié. Droit-créance, celui-ci peut revendiquer la mise en place d’une représentation légitime. La légitimité, concept sociologique, doit trouver traduction juridique à travers le droit des représentés de choisir librement leur représentants, et le droit de ceux-ci d’être protégés dans leur mission de négociation. Le vecteur de légitimité est trouvé dans l’expression de la volonté des salariés en vue de la désignation de leurs représentants. Cette expression peut prendre la forme d’un mandat ou de l’élection. Au regard des caractéristiques de l’acte conclu à l’issue de la négociation (l’effet erga omnes des conventions et accords) et de l’intérêt défendu (l’intérêt collectif), l’élection doit être privilégiée. Le législateur s’attache à réaliser la condition de légitimité. Preuve en est la promotion de l’audience électorale par la loi du 20 août 2008. Dans le cadre international et européen, la réalisation d’un droit à la représentation n’est encore que partielle. / Collective bargaining has a key-role in employment law’s construction. French Constitution, European and International laws acknowledge a right to collective bargaining which belongs to employees : employees exercise this right through their representatives. Actually, employee’s right to collective bargaining is reduced to a right to be represented as state both, paragraph 8 of 1946 French Constitution Preamble and European and International laws. This right may find its efficiency before Courts. As a subjective right, it can be put forward by an employee. This makes the employee creditor of the right to claim for the implementation of legitimate representatives. “Legitimacy” as a sociologic notion, must be legally translated through the right of represented employees to design freely their representatives, and the right for these representatives to be protected as long as they exercise their mission of bargaining. Legitimacy is translated through the expression of employees’ will to design their representatives. This expression may be formalized through a mandate or through an election. With consideration to the significance of collective bargaining (“erga omnes” effect of collective bargaining agreements) and of the interest at stake (collective interest), election shall be favoured. Law works at providing the condition of this legitimacy. For example, August 20, 2008 law promotes election results. At a European and International level, the realization of a right to be represented remains unachieved.

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The purpose of this research is to explore the need for, and the legal implications of, harmonising labour laws in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Chapter One highlights a number of factors that call for the harmonisation of labour laws in the SADC region and discusses some of the reasons why labour laws are not well developed in the region. The influence of globalisation on labour standards in southern Africa and the influence of regionalism on the harmonisation of labour laws are discussed at length. The inference that could be drawn from this discussion is that for a regionalisation process in southern Africa to be successful, there is an urgent need to harmonise the region’s labour law system. This thesis confirms that Southern Africa has many lessons to learn from the regional harmonisation of labour law in the European Economic Community and the current European Union. The implementation of international labour standards in southern Africa is investigated. The main areas examined include (1) freedom of association, (2) collective bargaining, (3) forced labour and (4) discrimination. The findings of this investigation show that there is no uniformity in the implementation of International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards in the SADC region and, therefore, it is recommended labour law should be harmonised in terms of ILO standards. In respect of the benefits to be derived from the harmonisation process, an empirical investigation was conducted in the SADC region and the following is recommended: the harmonisation of labour law in the SADC region will help with the implementation of ILO standards, protection of workers against the economic power of employers in the workplace and maintaining similar benefits for migrants in the region. / Mercantile law / LL.D.

De l’avis de nombreux observateurs, le monde a connu en 2008 une crise économique sans précédent depuis la Grande dépression des années trente. Au premier chef des victimes de ces dérives de l’économie globale figurent les travailleurs du monde entier. Investie depuis 1919 d’un mandat de protection à l’égard de ces derniers, l’Organisation internationale du Travail (OIT) se doit d’être une force de propositions en ces périodes difficiles. La présente étude se propose d’analyser l’évolution des réponses normatives produites par l’OIT au lendemain des crises économiques et financières mondiales depuis sa création. Il s’agira également de mettre en corrélation le degré d’audace de l’Organisation et la composition de la scène internationale qui préside à chacune des époques considérées. Le premier chapitre sera pour nous l’occasion de montrer comment l’OIT, née dans un contexte de crise économique dans les années vingt puis confrontée en 1930 à une autre crise majeure, a su tirer profit de ces situations qui confirment sa raison d’être et la pousse à s’enquérir de nouvelles compétences (chapitre I). Nous ferons ensuite étape dans une époque marquée par la prolifération de nouvelles organisations internationales avec lesquelles l’OIT entre en concurrence : l’ère onusienne. Nous verrons comment la position de l’Organisation sur la scène internationale influe sur sa réactivité face aux crises économiques et politiques du moment (chapitre II). Forts de ces considérations historiques, nous serons enfin à même de comprendre la souplesse normative caractérisant la réaction de l’OIT face à la crise de 2008. Nous serons également en mesure de comprendre comment cette crise historique a modifié l’ordre mondial et influé sur la position de l’Organisation dans l’agencement international (chapitre III). / In the opinion of many observers, the world witnessed in 2008 an unprecedented economic crisis since the Great Depression of the thirties. The primary victims of these gobal economic breakdowns are the workers of the world. Invested since 1919 to a term of protection with respect to the latter, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has to be a vector for proposals in these difficult times. This study aims to analyze the evolution of the normative responses produced by the ILO in the wake of global economic and financial crises since its inception. It will also correlate the Organization's degree of boldness and the composition of the international picture in place over each period considered. The first chapter will give us the opportunity to show how the ILO, born in a context of economic crisis in the twenties and then facing another major crisis in 1930, has taken advantage of these situations to confirm its raison d'être and has been driven to inquire about new competencies (chapter I). We will then step in an era marked by the proliferation of new international organizations with which the ILO is in competition: the UN era. We will see how the Organization's position on the international scene affects its responsiveness to economic and political crises of the moment (chapter II). Instructed on these historical considerations, we will finally be able to understand the normative flexibility characterizing the ILO's response to the 2008 crisis. We will also be able to understand how this historic crisis has changed the world order and has affected the Organization's position in the international layout (chapter III).

Le travail domestique est une des formes d’emploi les plus anciennes au monde. Au Brésil, ce type de service tire son origine de l’esclavage, technique d’exploitation économique qui a marqué l’histoire du pays durant environ 400 (quatre cents) ans. Encore au XXIème siècle, le travail domestique est sous-évalué et peine à être reconnu comme un vrai travail. La législation nationale a progressé au point de reconnaitre aux employés de maison les mêmes droits dont jouissent les autres salariés (amendement constitutionnel, 2013). Le droit international du travail joue un rôle crucial dans l’encadrement de la situation des travailleuses domestiques au monde. La Convention concernant le travail décent pour les travailleurs et travailleuses domestiques (n° 189) et la Recommandation n° 201 l’accompagnant de l’Organisation internationale du travail (OIT) occupent une place importante dans la promotion du travail décent aux travailleurs domestiques. Malgré l’existence de normes – nationales et internationales – importantes, la problématique de la condition de travail et de vie des travailleuses domestiques au Brésil va au-delà de la législation, impliquant la notion culturelle de dévalorisation du travail domestique, cette même conception qui associe le travail à domicile à l’esclavage. / Domestic work is one of the oldest forms of employment in the world. In Brazil, this type of service has its roots in slavery, an economic exploitation technique that has marked the history of the country for about 400 (four hundred) years. Even in the XXI century, domestic work is undervalued and barely recognized as a real job. National legislation has progressed to the point of recognizing domestic workers the same rights enjoyed by other employees (Constitutional Amendment, 2013). The International labor law has a crucial importance in the supervision of the situation of domestic workers in the world. The Convention Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers (n° 189) and the Recommendation n° 201 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) play a key role in promoting decent work for domestic workers. Despite the existence of relevant national and international standards, the matter of working and living conditions of domestic workers in Brazil goes beyond the legislation because it involves the notion of cultural devaluation of domestic work, the same idea that associates home work to slavery.

The central focus of this Master's thesis was to provide a concise overview of the academic work of the contemporary Spanish interpreter and interpreting historian, Jesús Baigorri Jalón. We carried out an in-depth analysis of his work, accompanied by the critical reception of his two key publications. In the introductory part of our thesis, we focused on the author's methodology and placement in Spanish and Czech academic contexts. Then, we elaborated a comprehensive, chronological overview of the author's two main monographs and outlined the main topics discussed in Baigorri's studies. We also focused on the author's contribution to the translation and interpreting studies, his research methodology and its potential to serve as an inspiration to Czech researchers.

[pt] Esta dissertação trata do processo de construção social da norma internacional, na área de segurança química. Partiu- se de uma realidade local --- a ocorrência de um acidente industrial ampliado --- e de seus impactos sobre o ambiente internacional. Nesse sentido, foi fundamental perceber aquela realidade local como um fato social, construído por meio de uma conscientização ambiental ou anuência coletiva mais ampla. Daquele processo de construção social, aliás, faz parte a constituição dessa consciência coletiva quanto às ameaças ambientais, fortalecida politicamente pelo aval da comunidade de Nações, quando das Conferências de Estocolmo (1972) e do Rio de Janeiro (1992). Por isso, seguindo parâmetros teóricos construtivistas, optou-se pela análise da forma como se deu o processo de construção ideacional e normativa mais abrangente, em matéria ambiental, nas relações internacionais contemporâneas; para, posteriormente, abordar a construção social do acidente e da norma gerada, parte daquele processo. Quanto à organização e à mobilização da sociedade civil, bem como quanto à influência dessa mobilização sobre os Estados, atribuiu-se destaque especial aos agentes de propagação de idéias, referidas à proteção ambiental e à segurança química, bem como a suas plataformas organizacionais. Para tanto, dada sua relevância social e empírica, escolheu- se, como objeto de estudo, o acidente industrial ampliado, ocorrido em 1984, na cidade de Bhopal, Índia; e a Convenção 174 da Organização Internacional do Trabalho para a prevenção de acidentes industriais ampliados. / [en] This paperwork deals with the social construction process of the international norm in the chemical safety realm. The point of departure was a local reality -- the occurrence of a major industrial accident --- and its impacts on the international environment. The perception of that reality as a social fact, constructed from a wider environmental awareness or collective acquiescence, was essential. The constitution of that collective awareness is part of the referred social construction process and was politically strengthened by the international community when it assembled in the Stockholm Convention (1972) and the Rio Convention (1992). Following certain constructivist theoretical parameters, the wider ideational and normative scenario, related to environmental questions in the contemporary international relations, was first analysed. Afterwards, the focus was directed towards the social construction of the accident and the norm negotiated. In relation to the civil society organisation and mobilisation, as well as to its influence on state behaviour, it was given emphasis on the role of agents of environmental protection and chemical safety ideas and its organisational platforms. As per its social and empirical importance, it was chosen as object of analysis the major industrial accident, occurred in 1984, in Bhopal, India, and the Convention 174 of the International Labour Organization concerning the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents.

La Déclaration relative aux principes et droits fondamentaux au travail, adoptée par l’Organisation Internationaledu Travail (OIT) en 1998, a érigé, en « seuil social minimal », huit Conventions internationales du travail dites« fondamentales » concernant quatre thématiques : la liberté d'association et la reconnaissance effective du droitde négociation collective, l'élimination de toute forme de travail forcé ou obligatoire, l'abolition effective dutravail des enfants et l'élimination de la discrimination en matière d'emploi et de profession. Depuis 2001, laRépublique Démocratique du Congo, membre de l’OIT, s’est évertuée à ratifier l’ensemble des « conventionsfondamentales » de l’OIT et à rendre conforme sa législation nationale. Cependant, l’intégration de ces normesfondamentales s’avère relative. Le constat peut être fait d’imperfections et d’incohérences techniques des texteslégaux et réglementaires et, surtout, de problèmes très importants d’effectivité. Certains préalables socioéconomiquescomme politico-institutionnels ne semblent pas encore réunis pour donner une véritable assise auxprincipes et droits fondamentaux de la personne au travail tels qu’envisagés par la Déclaration de 1998. De plus,le contenu même de cette dernière apparaît trop limité par rapport aux préoccupations des travailleurs congolaiset aux droits fondamentaux qui, de fait, ne leur sont pas reconnus. Paradoxalement, si l’on se situe en RD Congoparfois en deçà des attentes de la Déclaration de l’OIT de 1998, la réalité des conditions d’emploi et de travaildes travailleurs appelle à réfléchir à l’au-delà des seuls principes affirmés par la Déclaration de l’OIT de 1998. / The Declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work adopted by the International Labour Organisation(ILO) in 1998, erected by « minimum social floor », eight international labour Conventions say « fundamental»on four themes: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining,elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor, the effective abolition of child labor and the eliminationof discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Since 2001, the Democratic Republic of Congo, amember of ILO, has striven to ratify the set of « core conventions» of the ILO and to conform its nationallegislation. However, integration of these core standards turns on. The finding can be due to technicalimperfections and inconsistencies in laws and regulations, and especially of very important problems ofeffectiveness. Some socio-economic as political-institutional prerequisites do not yet seem together to give a realfoundation for fundamental principles and rights at work as envisaged by the 1998 Declaration. In addition, thecontent of the latter appears too limited compared to the concerns of Congolese workers and human rightswhich, in fact, they are not recognized. Paradoxically, if one is in DR Congo sometimes below expectations ofthe ILO Declaration of 1998, the reality of conditions of work and worker called to think about beyond theprinciples alone affirmed by the ILO Declaration of 1998.

The aim of this doctoral thesis is to consolidate the preventive perspective as one of priority action, both by public authorities and private companies, in order to protect the health and safety of employees. To this end, the obligations incumbent on employers to provide a safe job for employees were studied. These obligations appear in Act 31/95 (November 8th) on Prevention of Risks at Work. A further aim is to assist legal agents in handling the labour regulations on health and safety at work, by the study of the safety regulations that have amplified the Act. Since these regulations originate in the legislation emanating from the International Labour Organization and the European Union, a detailed study was also made of the agreements taken at the ILO to protect the health and safety of employees, and of the directives issued within the European Community to promote improvements in work conditions / La finalidad de la tesis doctoral es consolidar la perspectiva preventiva como la de actuación prioritaria, tanto por los poderes públicos como por la parte empresarial, para la protección de la seguridad y salud de los trabajadores. Con este objeto, se realiza un estudio de las obligaciones que conciernen al empresario para proveer un puesto de trabajo seguro al trabajador, y que vienen reguladas en la Ley 31/1995, de 8 de noviembre, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales. También se pretende facilitar al agente jurídico el manejo de la normativa laboral de seguridad y salud en el trabajo mediante el estudio de los reglamentos de seguridad que han desarrollado la Ley. Ya que el conjunto de esta normativa tiene su origen en la legislación emanada de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo y la Unión Europea, también se realiza un estudio pormenorizado tanto de los convenios adoptados en la OIT para proteger la seguridad y salud de los trabajadores como de las Directivas surgidas en el ámbito de la Comunidad Europea para promover la mejora de las condiciones de trabajo / La finalitat de la tesi doctoral és consolidar la perspectiva preventiva com la d’actuació prioritària, tant pels poders públics com per la part empresarial, per a la protecció de la seguretat i la salut dels treballadors. Amb aquest objecte, es realitza un estudi de les obligacions que concerneixen l’empresari per proveir un lloc de treball segur al treballador, i que són regulades a la Llei 31/1995, de 8 de novembre, de Prevenció de Riscos Laborals. També es pretén facilitat a l’agent jurídic el maneig de la normativa laboral de seguretat i salut en el treball mitjançant l’estudi dels reglaments de seguretat que han desenvolupat la Llei. Com que el conjunt d’aquesta normativa té el seu origen en la legislació emanada de l’Organització Internacional del Treball i de la Unió Europea, també es realitza un estudi detallat tant dels convenis adoptats a l’OIT per protegir la seguretat i la salut dels treballadors com les directives sorgides en l’àmbit de la Comunitat Europea per promoure la millora de les condicions de treball