This module provides an understanding of the complex and intricate laws and legislation surrounding the status of the individual in particular employment relationships. We will explore specific employment related laws relating to pay, holidays and working time in order to evaluate the role of the law and its evolution in employment relations. In particular, this module will demonstrate how different employment relationships are treated in law and the duties of the parties and the use of relevant case law and legislation to compare the relative legal importance of individual terms of the contract of employment and their source.

‘Equality at Work’ engages in the critical examination of the effectiveness of protection against discrimination in the modern workplace. The main focus of this module will be on British legislation designed to prevent different forms of discrimination, and the legal rights of employees who have faced discrimination forbidden by British law: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race religious belief, sex and sexual orientation. We will also explore and critically evaluate the laws and polices promoting the reconciliation of work and family life.

This module will provide a comprehensive and practical understanding of the law and employment relations, with preference to the termination of employment. We will explore laws regulating not just wrongful and unfair dismissal and also the law on dismissals from employment for economic reasons. This understanding will give you the ability to critically analyse and discuss policies on dispute resolution in the workplace.

This module will teach you to critically evaluate the relationship of human rights and employment law, taking into account the international and supranational context of human rights. We will discuss the law relating to trade unions and its international context, including the relationship between trade unions and their members. We will apply and evaluate the legal framework on collective bargaining, including its international context, as well as discussing analytically the rules applicable to industrial conflicts in their international context. You will also learn to explain the law on worker participation in the UK in its international and supranational context.

The dissertation module is designed to further enhance your independent research skills and investigate legal issues in an area of employment law. This module will give you the chance to demonstrate sophisticated research skills in accessing and assessing a range of primary and secondary sources in the area of your dissertation topic. By building on skills and knowledge from your research project and previous modules this module will support you in presenting your independent research, with continuous guided supervision throughout the module.