LABOUR CONFLICTS AND FORMS OF RESOLUTION IN PORTUGUESE SOCIETY
The objective of this project was to identify and analyze conflict resolution in the labor market. From the perspective of the political sociology of law, the aim was to identify the functions and roles played by collective bargaining and conciliation, mediation and arbitration mechanisms, as well as the employment tribunals. The role played by the state through the use of direct intervention mechanisms in conflicts was also considered.
The study showed that there are several bodies in Portuguese society which have the authority to resolve labour disputes, depending on whether the situation involves individual or collective conflict. In the case of the former,
the importance of extrajudicial conciliation was established, whereas in the latter it was the role played by direct state intervention. The outputs of the study included an article “O sistema de resolução dos conflitos de trabalho: da formalização processual à efetividade das práticas” (2001) and a PHD thesis “Trabalho Procura Justiça: a resolução dos conflitos laborais na sociedade portuguesa” (2003).
Cristina Cruz