In 2019, the world witnessed an exceptional wave of climate protests. In this case study, we scrutinise who participated in the protests staged in Belgium. We ask: did the exceptional mobilising context of the 2019 protest wave also bring exceptional protesters to the streets? Were thanks to the unique momentum standard barriers to protest participation overcome? We answer these questions by comparing three surveys of participants in the 2019 protest wave with three surveys of relevant reference publics. Our findings show that while the Belgian 2019 protest was in many ways exceptional, its participants were less so. Although participants – especially in the early phase of the protest wave – were less protest experienced, younger and unaffiliated to organisations, our findings simultaneously confirm the persistence of a great many well-known socio-demographic and political inequalities. Our conclusion centres on the implications of these findings.

In 2019, the world witnessed an exceptional wave of climate protests. In this case study, we scrutinise who participated in the protests staged in Belgium. We ask: did the exceptional mobilising context of the 2019 protest wave also bring exceptional protesters to the streets? Were thanks to the unique momentum standard barriers to protest participation overcome? We answer these questions by comparing three surveys of participants in the 2019 protest wave with three surveys of relevant reference publics. Our findings show that while the Belgian 2019 protest was in many ways exceptional, its participants were less so. Although participants – especially in the early phase of the protest wave – were less protest experienced, younger and unaffiliated to organisations, our findings simultaneously confirm the persistence of a great many well-known socio-demographic and political inequalities. Our conclusion centres on the implications of these findings.

In 2021, Dutch courts held that both Deliveroo riders and Uber drivers are employees. Interestingly, the District Court of Amsterdam considered there to be a ‘modern relationship of authority’ between Uber drivers and Uber.

Very weighty reasons for exclusion of employment periods accrued in other former USSR states in state pension calculation for permanently resident non-citizens, in contrast to Latvian citizens: no violation of art. 14 ECHR

Disciplinary proceedings for enforcement officer were unfair as the selection of disciplinary chamber members was not transparent.

Appeal dismissed against claim for damages for pension deductions because of seizure.

Temporary agency workers are entitled to the same amount of days of annual leave and holiday pay as ‘normal’ workers. An English translation is not available, but the ECJ’s summary in English is available here: https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2022-05/cp220082en.pdf.

The Italian Supreme Court has held a collective redundancy to be unfair because the first information notice to the unions was incomplete and did not mention the reasons why the employees to be dismissed could not be assigned to another site of the company.

Setting an age limit for eligibility as a sector convenor constitutes age discrimination and is in breach of Directive 2000/78.

The French Supreme Court has held that an employer was not guilty of direct discrimination on the ground of religious beliefs by imposing on an employee of Hindu faith a disciplinary transfer to a new working site, when such transfer was justified by an essential and determining professional requirement.

Belgian law provides that replacement contracts that exceed two years become contracts of indefinite duration. The same rule applies for fixed-term contracts but not for the case where the employer alternates these two types of contracts. In the case at hand, the Belgian Constitutional Court considered Belgian law to be discriminatory on this point and invited the legislator to put an end to this difference of treatment. Awaiting this legislative change, labour courts and tribunals should consider alternation of fixed-term and replacement contracts for more than two years as a contract of indefinite duration.

It is not allowed to vary benefits of workers with children in another member state depending on the price level in the country of residence of the children.