This Dissertation evaluates the potential opportunities, challenges and outcomes attendant on Vietnam’s modernisation effort through the incorporation of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Core International Labour Standards (CILS) on freedom of association and collective bargaining into Vietnam law. The Dissertation shows that although Vietnam is likely to benefit from incorporating the CILS on freedom of association and collective bargaining into its legal system, its constitutional value system is not currently consistent with those of particular ILO CILS. It offers recommendations on pre- substantive and procedural measures necessary to ensure the successful reception of ILO CILS on freedom of association and collective bargaining into Vietnam legal practice.

Until recently, the legal position of domestic workers in South Africa could be described as a relic of the nineteenth century, when the contract of employment and the common law defined the employer-employee relationship. The legal rules which regulate the relationship between the domestic worker and her employer are examined. International labour standards and the legal position of domestic workers in other countries are considered. Cognisance is taken of the social phenomenon which finds domestic workers at the convergence of three lines along which inequality is generated, namely gender, race and class. Furthermore, the unique economic forces at play in this sector are examined. The law will be stretched to its limits when attempting to resolve what is, essentially, a socio-economic problem. However, the working lives of a million people are at stake. The legislature has a constitutional, political and moral responsibility to attend to reform in this sector as a matter of urgency. / Private Law / LL.M.

Until recently, the legal position of domestic workers in South Africa could be described as a relic of the nineteenth century, when the contract of employment and the common law defined the employer-employee relationship. The legal rules which regulate the relationship between the domestic worker and her employer are examined. International labour standards and the legal position of domestic workers in other countries are considered. Cognisance is taken of the social phenomenon which finds domestic workers at the convergence of three lines along which inequality is generated, namely gender, race and class. Furthermore, the unique economic forces at play in this sector are examined. The law will be stretched to its limits when attempting to resolve what is, essentially, a socio-economic problem. However, the working lives of a million people are at stake. The legislature has a constitutional, political and moral responsibility to attend to reform in this sector as a matter of urgency. / Private Law / LL.M.

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 concept de travail décent a été présenté par le Directeur général du Bureau international du travail, en 1999, comme l’objectif prioritaire de l’Organisation internationale du travail permettant à chaque femme et chaque homme d’exercer une activité dans des conditions de liberté, d’équité, de sécurité et de dignité. Il regroupe quatre piliers interdépendants que sont l’emploi, la protection sociale, le dialogue social et la promotion des droits au travail. De manière inédite, l’OIT impose un cadre d’action pour tous les États membres. Evoluant en fonction des conditions socio-économiques de chaque État membre, le concept de travail décent est susceptible d’être défini localement tout en ayant un contour universel. La traduction du concept est facilitée par le biais des programmes par pays de travail décent (PPTD), relevant de la coopération technique du BIT, et des indicateurs mesurant le travail décent. Le concept apparaît alors comme un objectif de portée universelle et non comme une norme juridique. Si la coopération technique de l’OIT facilite la réalisation du travail décent, son action normative est également essentielle. L’action normative doit aussi s’orienter vers le concept de travail décent, comme le montrent la Convention du travail maritime adoptée par la Conférence internationale du travail en 2006 et la Convention n°189 concernant le travail décent des travailleurs domestiques adoptée en 2011. Toutefois, perçu comme un slogan politique pour redonner une visibilité à l’OIT, fragilisée par le contexte de la mondialisation, le concept de travail décent a été critiqué pour son caractère minimaliste et ignoré au sein de l’UE. La confrontation entre le concept de travail décent et le droit de l’Union révèle alors un paradoxe entre l’accroissement des conditions de vie et de travail indécentes au profit d’un renforcement du droit du marché du travail ainsi que du droit du marché intérieur et l’engagement de tous les États membres de l’UE d’être liés à la Déclaration de l’OIT de 1998. Pourtant, la situation économique et sociale actuelle au sein de l’Union européenne interroge sur la nécessité et la possibilité d’intégrer le concept de travail décent, qui révèle une approche particulière du travail, en droit de l’Union européenne. En effet, la réflexion sur un régime de travail réellement humain centrée sur les valeurs de justice sociale et de dignité humaine trouve tout son sens dans le contexte actuel de la gouvernance économique au sein de l’Union européenne et des mesures d’austérité envisageant le travail sous l’angle du marché et des échanges. La justice sociale dans le sens que lui a donné la Déclaration de Philadelphie de 1944 puis le concept de travail décent, c’est-à-dire celui de l’action, est aujourd’hui indispensable pour la protection des personnes et de l’environnement. La situation actuelle au sein de l’UE constitue donc un enjeu pour l’OIT dans sa capacité à imposer la traduction du concept de travail décent en droit social européen et pour l’UE elle-même. Le concept de travail décent propose des solutions pour l’action normative, il implique des exigences pour le législateur et le juge de l’UE. A l’instar de l’OIT, l’UE doit orienter son action normative vers le concept de travail décent pour renforcer la place des droits sociaux fondamentaux face aux libertés économiques. Cette nouvelle orientation nécessite alors pour l’UE de prendre appui sur les instruments de l’OIT, en particulier sur ses conventions et déclarations ainsi que sur la coopération technique prenant en compte ses spécificités. / The concept of decent work has been presented by the Director-General of the International Labour Office, in 1999, as an International Labour Organisation’s priority objective enabling every woman and man to exercise an activity in conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity. This concept brings together four independent pillars that are employment, social protection, social dialogue, respecting, promoting and realizing the fundamental principles and rights at work. In a new way, the ILO imposes a framework of action for all Member States. Depending on the socio-economic conditions in each Member State, the concept of decent work is likely to be defined locally while having a universal outline. The translation of the concept is facilitated through Decent Work Country Programs (DWCPs) under ILO technical cooperation, and indicators measuring decent work. The concept of decent work therefore appears as an objectif of universal scope and not as a legal norm. If ILO’s technical cooperation facilitates the achievement of decent work, its normative action is also essential. Normative action must also be directed towards the concept of decent work, as reflected in the Maritime Labour Convention adopted, in 2006, by the International Labour Conference and in the Convention n° 189 concerning decent work for domestic workers adopted in 2011. The concept of decent work, seen as a political slogan to give visibility to the ILO, weakened by the contexte of globalization, was criticized for its minimalist nature and ignored within the European Union. The confrontation between the concept of decent work and the law of the European Union reveals a paradox between the increase in indecent living and working conditions in favor of a strengthening of labor market law and market law and the commitment of all EU member states to be linked to the ILO Declaration of 1998. Yet, the current economic and social situation in the European Union raises the question of the need and possibility of integrating the concept of decent work, which reveals a particular approach to work, in European Union law. Reflection on humane conditions of labour centered on the values of social justice and human dignity makes sense in the current context of economic governance in the European Union and the austerity measures considering the work from the perspective of the market and trade. Social justice in the sense given to it by the Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 and then the concept of decent work, that is to say the principle of action, is today indispensable for the protection of people and the environment. The current situation in the EU is therefore an issue for the ILO in its own ability to impose the translation of the concept of decent work into European social law and for the EU itself. The concept of decent work proposes solutions for normative action and thus it implies requirements for the legislator and the judge of the EU. Like the ILO, the EU must direct its normative action towards the concept of decent work to strengthen the place of fundamental social rights in the face of economic freedoms. This new approach requires the EU to build on ILO’ instruments, in particular on its conventions and declarations and on technical cooperation taking into account its specificities.

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).

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.

Lo studio si inserisce nel dibattito sul potere delle multinazionali e il rispetto dei diritti umani fondamentali e approfondisce i concetti di responsabilità sociale delle imprese (CSR) e della loro "accountability", inquadrando l'analisi nel contesto più ampio degli investimenti esteri diretti (FDI), con i relativi aspetti economici, tecnologici e sociali, nonché ambientali e politici. Si analizzano le norme internazionali in tema di rispetto dei diritti umani da parte delle aziende, ed i meccanismi legali per rendere le società "accountable", soprattutto in caso di complicità aziendali negli abusi perpetrati dagli Stati, anche attraverso la giurisprudenza dei tribunali penali internazionali e dei tribunali statunitensi. Viene data attenzione al settore della sicurezza, i.e. "Private Military and Security Companies" (PMSCs, interessato da notevole crescita negli ultimi decenni. Le PMSCs, impiegate da parte dei governi che esternalizzano una funzione tipicamente dello stato e da imprese e ONG attive in contesti difficili, hanno operato senza adeguato controllo. Le loro attività sollevano questioni su potenziali abusi dei diritti umani commessi dai propri dipendenti oltre che su violazioni dei diritti del lavoro subite dagli stessi. Le azioni ONU per portare le PMSCs fuori dalla 'zona legale grigia' in cui hanno operato vengono trattate insieme alle iniziative di autoregolamentazione. / The study, given the debate about the increasing power of corporations and the attempts to ensure their respect of fundamental human rights, deepens the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate accountability, framing the analysis within the broader discourse of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with its economic, technological and social aspects as well as environmental and political issues. International standards in the area of corporations’ human rights obligations are analyzed in addition to legal mechanisms to hold corporations accountable, particularly for corporate complicity in human rights abuses by States, through the jurisprudence of international criminal tribunals and U.S. Courts. Special attention is given to the security sector, i.e. Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), interested in the last decades by a steady growth. PMSCs, increasingly contracted by governments willing to outsource a typical state function and by companies and NGOs active in difficult contexts, have been operating without proper supervision and accountability. PMSCs activities raise issues concerning potential human rights violations committed by their employees and labour rights abuses their employees might suffer themselves. UN actions aimed at bringing PMSCs out of the legal ‘grey zone’ where they have been operating are tackled alongside with self-regulatory initiatives.