WHAT DO WORKERS WANT, TODAY? An Interdisciplinary Reflection on Representation, Industrial Relations and Labour Law

Until the last century, trade unions were the main form of employee participation and inclusion in most Western countries. Things seem to be changing today. Unions, and the traditional forms of representation more generally, have been challenged by social and economic changes (tertiarisation of the economy, an increasingly diverse workforce, unstable employment, the establishment of neoliberal governments, to name but a few), while new mechanisms of employee participation have emerged. Employers’ organisations have also faced new challenges resulting from productive and sectoral fragmentation, different interests involved, and the trend toward government regulation concerning certain issues (e.g., minimum wage), as well as the decentralisation or even weakening of collective bargaining.

The collective dimension of work will be the key theme during the 2024 edition of the international conference organised by ADAPT's International School of Higher Education in Industrial and Labour Relations: What do Workers Want, Today? An Interdisciplinary Reflection on Representation, Industrial Relations and Labour Law.

The event will provide an opportunity to investigate the most relevant criteria adopted to assess people’s work, foster personal fulfilment and professional identity, and create sustainable and inclusive labour markets. Given the different aspects considered, an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective will be taken in order to reveal the full picture.

The conference organisers welcome scholars, experts and practitioners to submit their research. To this end, some useful information is provided below:
Publication of the Call for Abstracts: March 2024
Abstract Submission: from 18 March to 31 May 2024
Notification of Acceptance: 28 June 2024
Attendance Confirmation: 6 September 2024
Submission of full papers (for accepted abstracts and if interested in publication): 31 October 2024

Participation in the Conference is free, but registration is required.