ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the importance of the law, especially of labour law, which regulates the individual and collective relations between employers, employees and between representatives of both sides of industry. Thus the role of the state and of regional and international organisations, which set the framework within which industrial relations evolve, is highlighted. In conceptualising the rules which the governmental authorities impose upon employees and employers, we include acts enacted by the legislature (parliament), of the government itself, of administrative authorities, social inspection, courts and the like. The basic question is: how far do these rules go and how much freedom is their left for the markets and for private actors? How far should these rules go?
