Labour law and sustainability: what role for collective bargaining in Austria?

Journal title GIORNALE DI DIRITTO DEL LAVORO E DI RELAZIONI INDUSTRIALI
Author/s Elisabeth Brameshuber
Publishing Year 2025 Issue 2025/185
Language Italian Pages 14 P. 43-56 File size 177 KB
DOI 10.3280/GDL2025-185003
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Although collective bargaining tools are sometimes seen as particularly suitable for specifying corporate obligations regarding environmental issues, from a theoretical point of view, the question that arises at the supra-corporate level primarily concerns the normative competence of the collective agreement. Even at the corporate level, there is no explicit competence of the corporate partners to address sustainability issues through a company agreement. However, with sufficiently broad interpretation, many of the existing provisions can be used effectively. Through solid industrial relations, both at the supra-corporate and corporate levels, it is possible to find shared solutions to optimize resource use, harmonizing or balancing the perceived conflicts between “labor protection” and “environmental protection”.

Keywords: Sustainability; Environmental protection; Labour protection; Collective bargaining.

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Elisabeth Brameshuber, Diritto del lavoro e sostenibilità: quale ruolo per la contrattazione collettiva in Austria? in "GIORNALE DI DIRITTO DEL LAVORO E DI RELAZIONI INDUSTRIALI " 185/2025, pp 43-56, DOI: 10.3280/GDL2025-185003