Class Labor and Social Security Criminal Law

The field of action of this curricular unit is the normative (doctrinal and jurisprudential) set formed by some interdisciplinary connections between three areas of legal knowledge: criminal law, labour law and social security law. For this purpose, the Criminal Law must be understood in its broad sense, covering not only the Criminal Law in the strict sense, i.e., the crimes against labour relations and social security, with the respective penalties, but also the illicit acts described by the Administrative Offenses Law, with the pecuniary sanctions provided for facts which indirectly damage or jeopardize those same interests. In this framework, in order to favour a practical approach, special emphasis will be given to the procedural regulation provided to labour and social security offenses. What does not exclude the analysis of new related topics, such as the legal protection of workers who denounce the practice of criminal or administrative wrongdoings (“whistleblowing”).

Not applicable

1. The “science of joint criminal law” (including the Administrative Offenses Law) 2. Criminal protection of labour relations (workers' rights)     2.1. Incriminating rules in the Labour Code    2.2. Administrative offenses against labour relations 3. Criminal protection of social security    3.1. Incriminating rules in the general law of tax infractions    3.2. Administrative offenses against social security 4. The institutional approach)    4.1. The Authority for Working Conditions (ACT)    4.2. The Social Security Institute (ISS, I.P.)   4.3. Connections with other authorities (obligations with CITE and insurance companies) 5. The procedural regulation provided to labour and social security offenses    5.1. Administrative stage    5.2. Judicial stage 6. Whistleblowing in the Portuguese legal system    6.1. In relation to offenses against labour relations and social security    6.2. The protection system for workers who report violations of EU Law.

The curricular unit is taught as a seminar, so the assessment is based on the students' participation in the works prepared and discussed in continuous assessment. This participation includes the presentation and discussion of a written article of their own, prepared through individual tutoring. Thus, after presenting the theoretical and dogmatic bases, students will develop their critical and analytical reflections from the jurisprudential and doctrinal reflections proposed by presenting and discussing them in the classroom, thus promoting critical reflection (in groups), orality and argumentation.

Duarte, S. R. (2021). Regime jurídico do procedimento aplicável às contraordenações laborais e de segurança social - Da (in) suficiência das comunicações entre a ACT e o ISS, I.P. e direito de defesa do arguido. Petrony. Gercke, B., Kraft, O., & Richter, M. (2015). Arbeitstrafrecht. Strafrechtlichen Risiken und Risikomanagement (2. Aufl.). C. F. Müller. Levin, B. (2016). Criminal Labor Law. Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law, 37, 43-100. Martínez, R. de. V. (2020). Derecho Penal del Trabajo. Tirant Lo Blanch. Martins, J. J. O. (2021). Contraordenações laborais e da segurança social. Inserção no Direito Penal Laboral, questões gerais e tramitação. Prontuário do Direito do Trabalho, 1, 117-180. Silva, G. M. (2015). Sobre as normas penais do Código do Trabalho. Em AA. VV., Estudos dedicados ao Professor Doutor Bernardo da Gama Lobo Xavier (pp. 149-164). Universidade Católica.