Professor Tonia Novitz  of the University of Bristol Law School is one of twelve named partners in a study, 'Viking Laval Rüffert - Consequences and Policy Perspectives', which has received funding from the European Commission, commencing in January 2010.

The judgments delivered by the European Court of Justice in Viking, Laval and Rüffert raise the question of relationship between economic freedoms and fundamental social rights especially that of freedom of association. The focus of this project will be firstly to analyse the effects of these judgments on national systems of industrial relations and secondly to consider the prospects for reform. The study will include countries representing the Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, German and Romanic models of industrial relations as well as the situation in the new EU member states. Professor Novitz will be providing an analysis of UK law in conjunction with Hannah Reed of the TUC.