World Labour Laws

Putting the ³u´ in Labour * Adam Richard Tanielian Institute of International Studies Ramkhamhaeng University LLD English Program May 2011 [email protected] Abstract: A comparative study of national labor laws, international a greements, direc tives, policies, and convention ratifications in NAFTA, the EU, India, Japan, and South Africa. This research finds mode rate uniformity in national legislation across jur isdiction s, though enforc ement measur es vary widely . Budgetary constraint s limit the effectiveness of public programs. This article conclude s that private and non-p rofit actions must be inc reased to protect workers¶ rights, and businesses must take the lead in enforcing and applying laws, rules, codes, and r egulations . Introduction This world is in no shortage of legisla tion. Some nations have a little more than other s, but compiled legal databases are full t o the brim with statutes, r egulations , enforcement mandates, and assorted policies. A quick search of nation al legislation on databases like the International Labour Organization¶s (ILO) NALTEX yields comprehensive cove rage of vast issues at individual national levels. Again, some nation s are a little more thorough and technical, some are more innov ative while others ar e laggards and followers on the adoption normal curve, but as time goes on we see that basically every nation has aligned its national legal system with a globalized purpose. The United Nation s (UN) has been instrumental in facilitating international cooperation, and while some nations have different strategies through which they seek to achieve goals set at t he international and global level, each nation does in many ways reflect the principles of the community of nations. While the legislative branches worldwide have taken up the cause of standardization to an international and global set of initiatives, again with some degree of variation, the executive branches have not been the least bit uniform in their enforcement of laws and prosecutions of violators. The judicial branches, be ing the quietest of the three, may appear as lacking transparency given the complications resul ting from theory-pragmatism conflicts, and failures to effectively and efficiently adjudicate offende rs. These comp laints may be taken lightly as we presently have insufficient access to recor ds, and an insufficiently organized international system of checks or means of monitoring to make entirely r eliable conclusions. Work-related legal issues can be vo latile for employees and employers. Accidents like the BP oil spill and earlier Bhopal disaster 1 attract media and public attention to safety and health * The ³u´ stands for ³you´ 1 See OSHA response to Deepwater Horizon at http://www.osha.gov/oilspills/index.html and BBC release on Bhopal trial convictions at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8725140.stm

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World Labour Laws