OVERVIEW

The teaching of labor law focuses on the study of the legal discipline applicable to the individual employment relationship, paying the necessary attention also to trade union freedoms and the role of collective bargaining. In the second part of the course (for the first part borrowed from the homonymous teaching in the degree course in Administrative and Political Sciences) some topics of specific interest for students in social work will be explored in depth, such as, for example, the work of prisoners, care work, the role of social cooperatives.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides students with knowledge about Italian employment law (the legal regulation of the employment relation and of the employment market). As to respond to the special future needs of students, the course shall be divided into two main parts. A first institutional part is focused on the basics of Italian employment law; a second part shall be devoted to the analysis of specific topics such as moral harassment and the protection of the employee, the legal regulation and protection of disabled employees (with a particular focus on the prohibition of discrimination), work of prisoners, work in social enterprises.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide adequate knowledge of the discipline of labor law (mainly the discipline of the employment relationship, with the necessary references to the rules of the labor market). In order to meet the specific future work needs of students, the course is divided into a first institutional part, intended to study the basic institutes of the subject, and a second monographic part during which more specific topics will be explored, which may vary from year to year, such as mobbing and personal injury, the regulation of the placement of disabled workers and anti-discrimination protection, prison work, work in companies and social cooperatives.

In particular, the teaching of labor law aims, in a first part, to provide students with basic notions of labor law with specific reference to the following topics:

Freedom of association, organization of the union, collective interests.
Union representation in the company and union rights.
Collective bargaining: structure and contents.
Subjective and objective effectiveness of the collective agreement.
Ownership and exercise of the right to strike (in the private sector and in essential public services).
Subordination and autonomy with reference also to coordinated and hetero-organized collaborations.
The structure of the employment contract and remuneration.
Flexible forms of work.
Anti-discrimination protection.
The employer's powers and the events modifying the employment relationship.
Events terminating the employment contract.

In the second part of the course (18 hours) some of the following topics will be explored in depth (also with essays and presentations entrusted to those attending):

Prison work.
The right to work of disabled people.
Work in social cooperatives.
Mobbing, harassment, discrimination.
Minimum wage and citizen's income.
Care work

Individual study, attendance and participation in the proposed training activities will allow the student to:

- Understand and remember the main regulatory provisions that regulate the performance of the individual employment relationship.
-  Understand the role of the trade union system in the functioning of the labor law system and in particular the contribution of collective bargaining in the regulation of employment relationships.
- Understand and distinguish the types of subordinate and autonomous work and the related legal effects.
- Identify, understand and apply the rules that govern the exercise of the employer's powers, the transformative and extinguishing events of employment relationships, the anti-discrimination legislation.
- Understand and critically evaluate, with independent judgment, the reforms of the market and of the employment relationship;
- Express oneself in appropriate technical legal language.
- Know the discipline and understand the legal issues related to prison work, disabled work, social cooperatives, management of employment contracts in the context of the events that modify the company.
- Understand the phenomenon of mobbing and harassment from a legal point of view.

PREREQUISITES

Labor law is a specialized discipline. Knowledge of Italian constitutional law and the institutions of Italian private law is necessary.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching consists of frontal lessons, for a total of 36 pre (equal to 6 CFU), during which the main theoretical notions of labor law will be presented and analyzed but examples and practical cases will also be proposed and discussed. Sentences and regulatory texts of particular relevance will be inserted in Aulaweb on the basis of which specific in-depth studies and a collective comparison can be started. The lessons will be held together with students of the degree course in Administrative and Political Sciences.

The additional 18 hours (equal to 3 CFU) will be organized in frontal lessons, meetings with guests, group work, presentation and discussion of individual or group work (on topics defined with the attendees during the first part of the course). In this second part of the course, dedicated to monographic in-depth studies, scholars and experts or professionals may be invited to give a lesson, also in order to allow students to acquire greater awareness of the concrete and applicative dimension of the subject.

Students are invited to regularly consult Aulaweb for updated information on how lessons are conducted as well as on exam methods.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

General part: Trade union freedom, trade union organization, collective interests; Trade union representation in the company and trade union rights; Collective bargaining: structure and contents; Subjective and objective effectiveness of the collective agreement; Ownership and exercise of the right to strike (in the private sector and in essential public services); Subordination and autonomy with reference also to coordinated and hetero-organized collaborations; The structure of the employment contract and remuneration; Flexible forms of work; Anti-discrimination protection; The employer's powers and the events modifying the employment relationship; Events terminating the employment contract.

Monographic insights: They will be identified during the course, with the indication in the aulaweb of the mandatory readings on topics consistent with the training path (see training objectives).

Students will be able to agree with the teachers on a topic of their interest (also connected to any work activity in progress), and present (in class or during the exam) their paper, which must in any case be sent at least 15 days before the exam session.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Exam programs and reading and study materials

The program for attending students will be defined during the course, in relation to the topics covered in class; however, reading L. Gaeta, Storia (illustrata) del diritto del lavoro italiano, Giappichelli, Turin, 2020 is mandatory.

All the information and supplementary and updating materials used in class will be progressively available on aulaweb.

Official program of the course (non-attending students):

- L. Gaeta, Storia (illustrata) del diritto del lavoro italiano, Giappichelli, Turin, 2020;

- L. Gaeta, Notes from the course on labor law, III edition, Giappichelli, Turin, 2024 or, alternatively A. Di Stasi, S. Giubboni, V. Pinto, Lessons on labor law, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2022 (excluding Part I).

The mandatory materials for the monographic part will be indicated on Aulaweb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

I semester from September  to December  2025
 

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

For students attending the course, the exam is oral. Any individual or group work (short research, essay) will be presented and discussed. The first question will focus on one of the monographic topics explored in depth during the course.

For students not attending the course, the exam consists of an oral test (unless a written test is requested) which is normally divided into three/four questions of a mainly theoretical nature on the entire program (at least one question will concern the special part, with reference to the mandatory readings that will be indicated).

Students are invited to regularly consult Aulaweb for updated information on the methods of delivery of the lessons as well as on the methods of examination.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral exam aims to verify the actual knowledge and acquisition by the student of the basic theoretical notions as well as her ability to identify and apply the main reference rules that regulate the performance of the individual employment relationship. Through general theoretical questions, it will be verified whether the student is able to:

- identify, distinguish, know and apply the main regulatory provisions that regulate the performance of individual employment relationships;
- understand and interpret, with a critical spirit and independent judgment, the main regulatory texts as well as the texts of some fundamental sentences discussed in class;
- identify autonomously and apply, also starting from practical cases and examples, the reference cases and the related effects;
- identify and define the main concepts of labor law using appropriate technical language.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For working students, specific opportunities for meeting and help with preparation may be organized upon request, in person at agreed times or via Teams.