Working Lives Research Institute
On 2 December 2011 legal experts from the 12 countries participating in the EU funded project , ‘Precarious work and social rights’, met in London to discuss a number of key issues related to the project. The first of these was around the concept of precarious work, with legal experts discussing this in relation to their country specific laws and practices. They addressed whether precarious work was associated with specific forms of employment relationship and what these were, or whether account had also to be taken of wider sociological issues like the degree of security, choice or associated risks experienced by workers. The meeting also focused on the issue of fundamental rights with an in-depth discussion on the notion of a basic floor of rights, with experts exchanging views on the advantages and risks of setting minimum standards.
The project is being co-ordinated by WLRI a report, based on the data collected in the course of the project, will be submitted to the European Commission in the first half of 2012. On 30 March 2012 there will also be a major workshop in Londonwhere the projects legal experts will be joined by 12 industrial relations experts who have also been working on the project, together with invited social attaches from the participating countries, as well as employer and trade union representatives. A key objective of the project is to provide information to assist in the development of EU level policy on precarious work and social rights.