732-307 Law and Labour Relations in East-Asia and the Pacific Rim

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Subject Description

The subject will comprise the following topics:

• the origins of labour law in East-Asia and the pacific rim countries. An introduction to the evolution of labour law models in the relevant countries;
• transferability of legal models. An examination of the ways in which East-Asian countries have 'borrowed' Anglo-American, and Australian models of labour law;
• the adaptation of legal models in Asia. An examination of the ways in which laws and legal institutions are adapted to fit cultural, economic and political contexts;
• the regulation of the individual employer-employee relationship. An outline of the law comparing approaches to the contract of employment and the regulation of labour standards in the region;
• the regulation of industrial relations system. An outline of the law comparing approaches to the regulation of trade unions, and methods of industrial dispute settlement in the region;
• industrial relations in practice. A study of the practice, and a comparison of the formal rules, and actual practice.

Assessment

A mid-semester research essay to a maximum of 3500 words (40%) and a 2-hour end-of-semester examination (60%).

Prescribed Texts

A reading list will be provided at the beginning of the subject.