Labour and Employment Law (LAW263H1S)

This course surveys the legal regimes that regulate the work relationship, a system that includes the common law, statutory regulation and collective bargaining law. In addition to covering the basic principles of each of these legal regimes, we will also examine the role of the Charter and of international law in the regulation of employment, and will assess the interaction between the various domestic legal regimes. Students will have an opportunity to consider the political and social values which underlie these forms of workplace regulation, and to critically assess the manner and the extent to which each addresses issues such as employment security, workers’ collective interests, and individual rights, having regard to a variety of current issues, including globalization, the changing face of the Canadian workforce, and changes in the nature of work itself.
Specific topics to be covered include the common law contract of employment, including wrongful dismissal; the legislation and administration of employment standards; other forms of statutory regulation such as human rights legislation; and the law of collective bargaining, including certification, unfair labour practices, bargaining, industrial conflict and the administration of the collective agreement.
Teaching methods will include lecture, discussion, debate, guest speakers and films.