Important notice
The course guide is provisional.
The PDF version of the course guide may take a few days to become available in the DDD.
Labour Market and Employment Relations in the Age of Digitalisation
Code: 45811Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Social Policy, Employment and Welfare | OP | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Oriol Barranco Font
- Email :
- oriol.barranco@uab.cat
Teaching staff
- Oscar Molina Romo
- Miguel Angel Purcalla Bonilla
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
There are no specific requirements.
Objectives
The module addresses the relationships and dynamics that develop between, on the one hand, the transformations of labour markets and employment relations and, on the other, the action of the actors within industrial relations systems.
The module applies a dual analytical perspective. The first is that of social analysis. This consists of examining, on the one hand, how the actions of the State, employer organisations and trade unions affect the characteristics of labour markets and national and regional employment models. On the other hand, from this perspective, it also analyses how the characteristics of labour markets and the employment model condition the action and strategies of industrial relations actors, as well as the emergence of new movements and actors for the representation and advocacy of workers. Comparative analysis of territorial differences, both nationally and internationally, and of different types of labour protest, are central to this approach.
The second perspective is legal. This consists of analysing the content of regulations, directives, recommendations, resolutions and other legal instruments of the European Union in the fields of labour law and social security. Likewise, the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union in these areas is also subject to analysis.
The objectives are:
- To provide analytical, conceptual and methodological tools for the study of national industrial relations systems and their effects on the characteristics of the labour market and employment models.
- To examine employer, trade union and new movement or organisation strategies in labour advocacy, taking into account their diversity and social constraints.
- To analyse the role of national labour institutions as conditioning factors in the action of employer organisations and trade unions.
- To analyse the role of European Union regulations and case law as conditioning factors in the action of employer organisations, trade unions and governments in labour and social security matters.
Learning outcomes
- CA22 (Assess the contexts of opportunities and constraints in which labour actors define their strategies in relation to their strategies, objectives, and power resources) Assess the contexts of opportunities and constraints in which labour actors define their strategies in relation to their strategies, objectives, and power resources
- CA23 (Assess the influence of different actors on the characteristics of national labour markets and employment models.) Assess the influence of different actors on the characteristics of national labour markets and employment models.
- KA19 (Describe the implications of the changes in labour markets and employment models on labour relations and their actors.) Describe the implications of the changes in labour markets and employment models on labour relations and their actors.
- KA20 (Compare the main strategies and forms of action of the actors in industrial relations.) Compare the main strategies and forms of action of the actors in industrial relations.
- KA21 (Explain the role of European and national regulations and labour institutions in regulating industrial relations.) Explain the role of European and national regulations and labour institutions in regulating industrial relations.
- SA18 (Analyse the challenges posed to actors in industrial relations by the changes in labour markets and employment models in societies in the global north.) Analyse the challenges posed to actors in industrial relations by the changes in labour markets and employment models in societies in the global north.
- SA19 (Apply a comparative perspective to the study of the action and strategies of the actors in national industrial relations systems.) Apply a comparative perspective to the study of the action and strategies of the actors in national industrial relations systems.
Contents
The module is structured in two parts.
PART A - Comparative Industrial Relations (Prof. Oscar Molina and Oriol Barranco)
The first part of the course provides analytical tools to examine industrial relations systems, both from a national and international perspective, using a comparative approach. On the one hand, it analyses the impact of the State and its regulations, employer associations, and trade unions on the characteristics of labour markets and national/regional employment models. On the other hand, it also examines how labour market characteristics, employment models, and productive structures shape the actions and strategies of industrial relations actors, as well as the emergence of new movements and organisations advocating for workers' rights. The comparative analysis of differences between regions-both nationally and internationally-and different types of labour protests are central themes.
Session 1. The Actors in industrials Relations: Trade Unions and Employer Organizations.
- Analytical perspectives on industrial relations
- The Comparative analysis in industrial relations; theories and methods
- The actors in industrial relations. Trade unions and employer organizations. Power inequality and logics of action.
Session 2. Inequality and Industrial Relations. The Importance of Collective Bargaining
- Inequalities and models of capitalism
- Inequalities and models of capitalism
- Neo-corporatism and its economic impact
- The rise of inequality; the role of industrial relations
- Dimensions of Collective Bargaining and Inequality
Session 3. AI, Algorithmic Management and Industrial Democracy
- Technology and employment relations: determinism vs. Contingency
- Industrial democracy and collective bargaining in the age of AI and algorithmic management
- Conflict in the age of AI
Session 4. Socio-Productive Transformations and Trade Union Action
- Trade union and collective action in the post-Fordism
- The international trade union's crisis and the case of Spain
- The Sources of trade union power
- Towards the trade union and labour movement revitalisation?
Session 5. Trade Unions and New Labour Organisations in Contemporary Spain
- Trade action in Spain in recent decades
- New employment and working realities and new challenges for collective action
- Trade unions and new labour organisations
Session 6. Collective action in the platform economy
-The characteristics of platform employment and platform work
-Collective action, demands and struggles of delivery workers: difficulties, achievements and challenges
PART B - European Social Law (Prof. Miguel Ángel Purcalla)
This second part of the module focuses on the study of social law, adopting a multi-level perspective. This part of the module analyses the way in which social and labour problems such as the free movement of workers, digital disconnection, the use of algorithms or safety and hygiene at work have been regulated at a European level.
Session 1 - Free Movement of Workers and Algorithms in Personnel Selection
-The principles that guarantee the free movement of workers in the EU, and the obstacles to free movement
-The use of algorithms by companies and their regulation
Session 2. Practical issues on technology and corporate control of the employment relationship: regulatory, frameworks, judicial criteria and practical experiences in the EU
- The conflicting rights at stake (company/employee) as a starting point: technology and employment relations (preliminary idea)
- Control of the use of the Internet and e-mail provided by the company
- Geolocation of workers
- Video surveillance
- Right to "disconnect".
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading of materials | 80 | 3.2 | |
| Reading discussions | 15 | 0.6 | |
| Practival execises | 23 | 0.92 | |
| Master classes | 32 | 1.28 |
Part A of the course (Comparative Industrial Relations) will consist of six sessions, whilst Part B (European Social Law) will have two sessions.
The development of the teaching of the subject and the training of students is based on the following activities:
1. Directed activities:
1.1 Lectures: through which the student acquires the conceptual bases of the subject. These are activities in charge of the teacher in which he will assume the explanation of the subject corresponding to the session, but seeking the active participation of the student through questions, the presentation and discussion of specific cases, etc.
1.2. Presentation and discussion of readings. They involve the preparation and discussion in class of readings related to the subject presented. For this, the students will receive bibliographic support and guidance from the subject teacher. Given the complexity of the matter addressed and the frequent prior ignorance of it by the students, it will be ensured that the topics to be exposed are affordable or of greater simplicity.
2. Supervised activities:
These are activities that students need to complete before the reading discussion. They involve thinking through/preparing answers to the questions about the session readings provided by the teaching staff.
3. Autonomous activities:
3.1. Preparation of exercises: through this activity the student must apply the knowledge acquired in the lectures to weekly exercises. The exercises will also be based on the readings proposed by the teachers.
3.2. Reading of materials and preparation of summaries: this involves reading and analyzing the articles and regulations that, before each session, will be provided to students on the virtual campus.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assigments / practical cases | 12,5 | 0 | 0 | KA21, SA19 |
| Analytical Assignments (part A) | 37,5 | 0 | 0 | CA22, CA23, KA19, KA20, SA18, SA19 |
| Reading discussions (PART A) | 37,5 | 0 | 0 | CA22, KA19, KA20, SA18, SA19 |
| Active participation in class (part B) | 12,5 | 0 | 0 | KA21, SA19 |
The evaluation of the Module will be structured as follows:
Part A - Comparative Industrial Relations
Assessment will be based on active participation and the critical ability demonstrated in discussions of the compulsory readings carried out in class, or on the results of the exercises set by the lecturer. Should students wish to improve their grade, they may complete a critical commentary or essay on some of the issues addressed in the compulsory reading texts. This exercise may increase the final grade by up to a maximum of 2 points. If any student does not achieve a passing grade or cannot be assessed due to lack of participation in the reading discussions or exercises, they will be required to complete the exercise. In that case, the maximum grade obtainable will be 6.
Part B - European Social Law
The evaluation will consist of two pieces of evidence or elements.
First, active participation in the sessions. The sessions are structured around the discussion of materials previously posted on the CV. The teacher's presentation is structured around the debate presented, but incorporating practical elements based on cases, sentences, etc.
Second, in carrying out exercises / practical cases based on the contents of the sessions. Such exercises can be carried out individually or in a group of a maximum of 2 students. The guidelines in this regard (deadlines, solution methodology, extension) will be indicated by the teachers at the beginning of the module. In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted in any of its phases. Any work containing AI-generated content will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in a partial or total deduction of marks for the activity, or more severe penalties in serious cases.
In accordance with the academic regulations, the commission of any irregularity in an assessment act (academic fraud, plagiarism, or improper use of AI, unless such use is expressly authorized in the teaching guide), which may lead to a significant variation in the grade, implies that this act will be graded with a zero (0). If you have doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, you can consult the Guide on How to Cite and How to Avoid Plagiarism that you will find on the Virtual Campus. In the event that the teaching guide provides that, in order to pass the subject, it is an essential requirement to have obtained a minimum grade in this assessment act, or that several irregularities occur in the assessment acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject is 0. Apart from this, a disciplinary process may be initiated against the student who incurs any of these irregularities. The teaching staff reserves the right to conduct oral.
Bibliography
Part A
Aloisi, A. 2022. “Platform work in Europe: Lessons learned, legal developments and challenges ahead.” European Labour Law Journal, 13(1): 4-29.
Alós, R., Beneyto, P., Jódar, P., Molina, O. y Vidal, S. (2015). La representación sindical en España. Fundación 1º de Mayo.
Alós, R. y Barranco, O. (2021). Los trabajadores y las trabajadoras sin representación en la empresa y elsindicato. En X. Solà Monells y R. Esteban Legarreta (eds.), La representación laboral en las empresasdispersas y en red: problemática, disfunciones y propuestas correctoras (pp. 1-25). Comares.
Atzeni, M. y Cini, L. (2024). New theories and politics for working class organizing in the gig and precariousworld of work. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 45(3), 937-958.
Arasanz-Díaz, J., and P. Sanz-de-Miguel. 2023. “Union Strategies for the Representation of Platform Delivery Workers in Spain.” Journal of Labor and Society 26(4): 510–532.
Barranco, O. (2025). Navegando en la crisis permanente. Apuntes sobre la acción sindical en el Estado español. En P. Ibarra, R. Gomà y A. Sribman (coords.), Movimientos sociales y cambio de época. La acción colectiva en transición (pp. 197-216). Bellaterra Edicions.
Barranco, O. y Molina, O. (2014). Sindicalismo y crisis económica: Amenazas, retosy oportunidades. Kult-ur,1(2), 171-194.
Barranco, O. y Molina, O. (2021). Continuity and change in trade unions frames: Evidence from general strikesin Spain. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 42(4), 1232-1253.
Barranco, O., Alós, R. y Molina, O. (2022). Innovar para representar: trabajadores con dificultades de representación colectiva y estrategias sindicales en España. Cuadernos de Relaciones Laborales, 40(1), 115-137.
Beneyto, P. J. (2008). El sindicalismo español en perspectiva europea: de la anomalía a la convergencia. Cuadernos de relaciones laborales, 26(1), 57.
Beneyto, P. J. (2016). Trabajo y sindicalismo en la globalización. Revista Española de Sociología (RES),25(1), 57-83.
Bernaciak, M., Gumbrell-McCormick, R., & Hyman, R. (2015). El sindicalismo europeo: ¿de la crisis a larenovación? Fundación 1º de Mayo.
Bieler, A., Erne, R., Golden, D., Helle, I., Kjeldstadli, K., Matos, T., & Stan, S. (Eds.). (2015). Labour andtransnational action in times of crisis. Pickering & Chatto Publishers.
Calmfors, L., & Driffill, J. (1988). Bargaining structure, corporatism and macroeconomic performance. Economic Policy, 3(6), 13-61.
Cini, L., Maccarrone, V., & Tassinari, A. (2022). With or without U(nions)? Understanding the diversity of gigworkers' organizing practices in Italy and the UK. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 28(3), 341-362.
Demougin, P., Gooberman, L., Hauptmeier, M., & Heery, E. (2019). Employer organisations transformed.Human Resource Management Journal, 29(1), 1-16.
Dencik, L., & Wilkin, P. (2020). Digital activism and the political culture of trade unionism. Information,Communication & Society, 23(12), 1728-1737.
Dorigatti, L., & Pedersini, R. (2021). Industrial relations and inequality: The many conditions of a crucialrelationship. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 27(1), 11-27.
Fernández Rodríguez, C. J., Ibáñez Rojo, R., & Martínez Lucio, M. (2023). Spain: Boundaries, roles and changes in trade unionism. En J. Waddington, T. Müller y K. Vandaele (eds.), Trade Unions in the EuropeanUnion. Picking up the pieces of the neoliberal challenge (pp. 1013-1050). Peter Lang.
Fernández, V. R., & Bazza, A. (2016). Repensando las Variedades de Capitalismo desde la Periferia. Desenvolvimento em Questão, 14(35).
Frege, C., & Kelly, J. E. (Eds.). (2004). Varieties of unionism: Strategies for union revitalization in a globalizing economy. Oxford University Press.
García Calavia, M. A., & Rigby, M. (2016). Recursos de poder de los sindicatos en España. Su examen a través de la negociación colectiva. Sociología del trabajo, 87, 7-24.
Hall, P. A., & Soskice, D. (2001). Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Oxford University Press.
Hau, M. F., Hansen, N. W., Molina, O., & Barranco, O. (2025). Union democracy from below: Social media, gender, and online grassroots activism. European Societies.
Heras, J. L., & Rodríguez, L. (2021). Striking to Renew: Basque Unions' Organizing Strategies and Use of the Strike-Fund. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 59(3), 669-700.
Hyman, R. (2015). Tres hipótesis sobre el futuro de las relaciones laborales en Europa. Revista Internacional del Trabajo, 134(1), 5-15.
Ibsen, C. L., & Tapia, M. (2017). Trade union revitalisation: Where are we now? Where to next? Journal of Industrial Relations, 59(2), 170-191.
Johnston, H., & Land-Kazlauskas, C. (2019). Organizing on-demand: Representation, voice, and collective bargaining in the gig economy. Conditions of Work and Employment Series No. 94.
Locke, R., Kochan, T., & Piore, M. (1995). Reconceptualizing comparative industrial relations: Lessons from international research. International Labour Review, 134, 139.
Marginson, P. (2015). Coordinated bargaining in Europe: From incremental corrosion to frontal assault? European Journal of Industrial Relations, 21(2), 97-114.
Martin-Caballero, A. 2026. “The politics of platform work reform: How institutions, power and enforcement shape regulatory divergence in Spain and Chile.” Economic and Industrial Democracy 0(0)
Martínez-Lucio M. (2008). ¿Todavía organizaciones del descontento?: los retos de las estrategias derenovación sindical en España. Arxius de sociologia, 18, 119-133.
Metcalf, D., Hansen, K., & Charlwood, A. (2001). Unions and the sword of justice: Unions and pay systems, pay inequality, pay discrimination and low pay. National Institute Economic Review, 176(1), 61-75.
Molina, O., & Rhodes, M. (2002). Corporatism: The past, present, and future of a concept. Annual Review of Political Science, 5(1), 305-331.
Murray, G. (2017). Union renewal: What can we learn from three decades of research? Transfer: EuropeanReview of Labour and Research, 23(1), 9-29.
Regini, M. (2003). Tripartite concertation and varieties of capitalism. European Journal of Industrial Relations,9(3), 251-263.
Rodríguez, J. K. (2025). From sectionalism and sectionality to intersectionality. En G. Gall (ed.), The Handbook of Labour Unions (pp. 277-294). Agenda.
Todolí-Signes, A. 2021. “Making Algorithms Safe for Workers: Occupational Risks Associated with Work Managed by Artificial Intelligence.” Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research 27(4): 433–452.
Umney, C., M. Stuart, I. Bessa, S. Joyce, D. Neumann, and V. Trappmann. 2024. “Platform Labour Unrest in a Global Perspective.” Work, Employment and Society 38(1): 3–26.
Vandaele, K. (2018). Will trade unions survive in the platform economy? Emerging Patterns of Platform Workers' Collective Voice and Representation in Europe. ETUI.
PARTE B
Session 1
PURCALLA BONILLA, M.A. (2009): El trabajo globalizado: realidades y propuestas. Thomson-Aranzadi
TRIGUEROS MARTÍNEZ, L.A. (2012): Los derechos sociales fundamentales de los trabajadores inmigrantes,
Comares
WEBGRAFIA:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/atyourservice/es/displayFtu.html?ftuId=FTU_2.1.5.html
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=457&langId=es
http://www.ugt-fica.org/images/V_GUIA_B%C3%81SICA_MOVILIDAD_INTRAEUROPEA.pdf
http://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/FORO/article/viewFile/53400/48986
https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/empleo/carl/portal/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=27183257-5124-4381-9a15-c7d2de74243a&http://www.empleo.gob.es/es/sec_trabajo/debes_saber/desplazamiento-trabajadores/index.htm
https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1999-22895
http://www.laboral-social.com/sites/laboral-social.com/files/CT_97_2016.pdf
http://treball.gencat.cat/es/tramits/tramits-temes/Presentar-comunicacions-de-desplacaments-transnacionals?category=
http://treball.gencat.cat/es/tramits/tramits-temes/Presentar-comunicacions-de-desplacaments-transnacionals?category=
https://www.iberley.es/temas/desplazamiento-trabajadores-marco-prestacion-servicios-transnacional-12191
http://bloglaboral.garrigues.com/controles-legales-en-desplazamientos-temporales-de-trabajadores-en-la-ue
Session 2
LLAMOSAS TRAPAGA, A. (2015): Relaciones laborales y NTIC, Dykinson
PURCALLA BONILLA, M.A. y PRECIADO DOMÈNECH, C.H.: "Trabajo a distancia y teletrabajo", Actualidad
Laboral, nº 2, 2013.
Webgrafia:
http://revistas.uned.es/index.php/derechopolitico/article/viewFile/13219/12378
http://www.winit.it/controllo-e-localizzazione-gps-lavoratori-e-dipendenti/
http://www.studiotrincaassociato.com/site/?p=453
https://www.cnil.fr/fr/la-geolocalisation-des-vehicules-des-salaries
http://www.dottrinalavoro.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Controllo-a-distanza-e-utilizzazione-di-impianti-Gps-WKI.
Software
No specific software is required.
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE