Labour, Strategy, and Legal Mobilisation

The purpose of this new IER blog series is to shed light on the ways that law is mobilised at work, the role of courts and their capacity to redress workplace grievances, and the broader role of law in industrial relations.  In order to grasp the potential and effects of law in this context, and to comprehend why unions have opted to mobilise its resources, this blog series presents a range of insights and perspectives on the strategic use of law and its capacity (or not) to realise worker-protective labour law reforms. From legal practitioners to trade unionists and researchers, we present reflections on the role of courts in the development of worker-protective law, the relationship between organising and legal strategies in new and traditional trade unions, and the trajectory of legislative campaigns for improved regulatory standards and fundamental rights.

The blog series is based on an ESRC-funded workshop that took place at the Centre for Law at Work, University of Bristol, in June 2021. For readers that are interested in exploring the subject matter further, they can access a special issue produced by many of the contributors to this series.

An initiative by Dr Jack Meakin, University of Leeds