Social justice and the market economy often seem to be on a collision course. Human dignity and equal treatment are of little commodity value. More and more, however, labour law theorists are insisting that, without more serious attention to human rights in the workplace, the dominance of market-driven economics will continue to engender grave and potentially explosive social problems.

This collection of essays—composed in honour of the leading labour law and social security jurist Ruth Ben-Israel—offers incisive perspectives on this vital aspect of today's post-industrial society. Featuring the most recent views of a virtual who's who of major labour law authorities, the book includes in-depth analyses of such important aspects of the field as the following:

All issues are treated from a comparative legal viewpoint, with valuable contributions from Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, and Japan.

Ruth Ben-Israel is notable for her commitment—as teacher, writer, and international advisor—to the continuity and expansion of social justice as the welfare state has increasingly succumbed to the pressure of the corporate-driven global economic model. Her extensive body of work emphasizes collective bargaining, strikes and lockouts, workers' participation, equal employment opportunity (especially for women), and unfair dismissal.