How are low protection workers regulated?

This project was a preliminary investigation of the norms that govern workers who lie outside the scope of labour standards laws (in either a legal or practical sense). Such workers generally receive lower levels of protection in respect of their remuneration, working time and leave entitlements than those covered by labour laws. They also have limited or no access to dispute resolution and enforcement processes that assist those covered by formal work law. The project conducted pilot studies in the food services industries in Australia and Indonesia (where low protection workers vastly outnumber those covered by labour laws).

Researchers

Sean Cooney [Melbourne Law School, UoM]

Joo Cheong Tham [Melbourne Law School, UoM]

John Howe [Melbourne Law School, UoM]

Martina Boese [Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Arts, UoM]

Petra Mahy [Business Law & Taxation, Faculty of Business and Economics, UoM]

Peter Gahan [Management and Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics, UoM]

Tranfaglia Azzurra [Melbourne Law School, UoM]

Research outputs

Publications

Mahy P., Mitchell R., Tham J., Boese M., Cooney S., and Howe J. (2015) The Plural Regulation of Work: A Pilot Study of Restaurant Workers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law Working Paper Series, Melbourne: University of Melbourne. [Indonesian translation]

Cooney S., Mahy P., Mitchell R. and Gahan P. (2014) 'The Evolution of Labor Law in Three Asian Nations: An Introductory Comparative Study' Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal 36(1):23-68.