Virginia Mantouvalou is keynote speaker at Biennial New Zealand Labour Law Conference

Virginia Mantouvalou, Director of Graduate Research Studies at UCL Laws was invited to be the keynote speaker at the 3rd Biennial New Zealand Labour Law Conference of the New Zealand Labour Law Society held in Wellington on 27 November.

Her research on the interaction between Human Rights and Labour Law was the subject of her presentation, entitled ‘Human Rights at Work’, fitting with the broader conference theme on ‘Challenges of Regulating Future Labour Markets’.

Virginia examined the effect of human rights on labour law over the decades in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and English Courts, arguing that human rights law serves as an important critical perspective for labour law matters.

Speaking of her experience at the conference, Virginia said there was a high level of engagement and discussion with the participants: “Some of the delegates commented that the human rights angle is particularly topical for New Zealand academics, trade unionists and practitioners, who are starting to explore human rights law can be used in New Zealand as an avenue for ‘worker voice’.”