Employee Law and Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employee Law and Relations - Essay Example The related regulation has brought about typification, tolerance, stabilisation, promotion and acceptance of some varieties of atypical work (Countouris, 2007, p. 142). Contemporary firms, in general, require and admit of considerable flexibility. This makes it imperative for the labour law to accord legal certainty for the forms that make it possible to acquire flexible work. A recent development in this area is that part – time, fixed – term and agency workers do obtain a measure of protection under the extant employment law (Countouris, 2007, p. 142). These forms of work have been acknowledged and described by doctrine, jurisprudence and the law. Moreover, such work has been considered to belong to unambiguous contractual structures. Consequently, such workers are recognised in the UK as employees. The legal status of atypical workers has been clarified due to typification, which accords it legality. On the Continent, such work has been recognised with reservations, by the labour law. Furthermore, such recognition was accorded only when such work could by typified contractually (Countouris, 2007, p. 142). However, over time, employment law has strived to accord social stability to atypical forms. As such, a fourth of the workforce of the UK consists of part – time workers. These workers constitute a segment of the atypical workforce, and are the focus of attention of the European Community Commission. In the year 1990, three directives were issued, with regard to atypical workers. These directives relate to the distortion to competition, working conditions, and the health and safety of temporary and part – time workers (Dickens, 1992, p. 3). This initiative was within the social facet of the Single European Market. Consequently, several decisions have been forthcoming from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that could bring