New Labour Laws in Old Member States Trade Union Responses to European Enlargement

The enlargement of the EU in 2004 and 2007 has led to greatly increased free movement of workers from 'new' to 'old' member states. The unprecedented scale of this migration has had a profound impact on the regulation of labour law in Europe. This book compares the ways trade unions have responded to the effects of the enlargements, and in particular to the increased migration of workers across borders. It undertakes a contextualised comparison of trade union responses in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and the UK, and examines the relationship between trade unions and labour law at a national and European level. This analysis illustrates how trade unions can use law to better respond to changing regulatory and opportunity structures, and indicates the kinds of laws that would benefit trade unions at a national and European level.

1. Introduction; 2. The national context: historical developments; 3. Europeanisation and European labour law; 4. Europeanisation and the CJEU; 5. The national context: trade unions, migrant workers and the European Union enlargements; 6. Austria; 7. Germany; 8. Ireland; 9. Sweden; 10. The UK; 11. Analysis of trade union responses; 12. Trade unions, new member state workers and Europeanisation: effects and opportunities; 13. The kind of laws the unions ought to want; 14. Conclusion.

Rebecca Zahn is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Strathclyde. From 2010 to 2011 she held a Max Weber Fellowship at the European University Institute, Florence. She serves as the Labour Law Section Convenor for the Society of Legal Scholars and is the elected Secretary of the University Association for Contemporary European Studies.