"The law governing labour relations is one of the centrally important branches of the law - the legal basis on which a very large majority of people earn their living. No-one should be qualified as a lawyer - professionally or academically - who has not mastered its principles."
Kahn-Freund's Labour and the Law 3rd ed
Davies and Friedland 1983

The Labour Law module covers legal aspects of the individual relationship between the employer and the employee. The law on this subject has evolved at a considerable rate in the last two decades, reflecting changes of both legal and political emphasis and making this a module of contemporary relevance.

The dynamic relationship between employer and employee is one of the most pervasive relationships of modern society. The premises, character and terms of the relationship can impinge deeply upon the lives of employer and employee alike. The principles and rules of law governing the nature of the employer-employee relationship, the formation, content, alteration and termination of the contract of employment are studied and the way in which these principles and rules are worked out in the courts, tribunals and workplace is explored.
There is an increasing amount of legislation which has been enacted with the social policy objectives of both ensuring equality of treatment within the workplace and protecting the work-life balance of employees. At the other end of the scale, the hostile atmosphere which can be created as a result of arbitrary discrimination is inimical to a good relationship between employer and employee. Over the years there has been extensive litigation with reference to discrimination seeking to clarify the nature and extent of the protection provided and, more recently, further legislation has extended both the scope of the previous legislation and also the grounds for unlawful discrimination. The module examines the substantive content of both the legislation on work-life balance and the anti-discrimination legislation and considers how it is applied in a number of practical situations.

Overall, the module will promote understanding of the way in which social, political and economic factors have influenced the development and current position of law governing the employer/employee relationship, enable students to analyse and assess the conflicts between the rights of employers and employee, the balance between discriminating factors and business needs and the complex interrelationship between the legislature and the courts in formulating the law relating to this subject.

1. The scope and character of the subject.
2. The nature and creation of the employment contract
3. The terms of the contract and their variation.
4. Identifying employees.
5. Employee's Implied Duties.
6. Termination of the contract.
7. Unfair dismissal.
8. Redundancy.
9. Preserving the work-life balance.
10. The anti-discrimination legislation.