Introduction and Social Justice Aims of Employment Regulation

AC 1.1 of 5OS01 Specialist Employment Law asks students to evaluate the aims and objectives of employment regulation, and this video addresses that criterion by examining the foundational rationale for why employment law exists at all. Rather than beginning with individual statutes, the video grounds its discussion in the concept of power imbalance within the employment relationship, using this to explain why legislative intervention became necessary and continues to be justified. The historical arc of regulation, from the early Factory Acts through to contemporary provisions on gender pay reporting and flexible working, is drawn upon to show how regulation has developed in response to changing social and economic conditions.

The video covers social justice, inclusion, and fairness as the three organising aims of employment regulation. The Equality Act 2010 features as the central legislative instrument in the discussion of inclusion, including its nine protected characteristics and its reach into both direct and indirect discrimination, as well as the duty to make reasonable adjustments. Fairness is addressed through the distinction between procedural and substantive fairness, with unfair dismissal law and the National Minimum Wage used to illustrate each dimension. Family-friendly provisions, including maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave, and flexible working legislation are also identified as mechanisms through which employment regulation pursues broader inclusion objectives.

Alongside the social justice case for regulation, the video also acknowledges the economic arguments that run in both directions. It identifies the protective arguments for regulation — covering unjust treatment, discrimination, child labour, and exploitative working conditions — alongside the critical perspective that regulation can be overly complex, poorly drafted, or act as a deterrent to job creation. The video also touches on the landscape of groups that either advocate for or oppose greater employment regulation, providing the kind of balanced analytical framing that AC 1.1 expects when evaluating regulatory aims and objectives.