Freedom of expression and religion for employees in focus in new doctoral thesis

Erik Grahn's thesis concerns case law on the limitation of employees' obligations with regard to the right to private and family life, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion under the European Convention. It contains an examination of the perspective of European Convention law and Swedish labor law.

“By examining how these are expressed in court practice, the legal situation is clarified and some further patterns are identified. The study is supplemented with interpretations and generalizations aimed at reconciling the human rights perspective and the labour law perspective, and proposing concrete solutions to legal problems that arise when employees assert their human rights and freedoms,” explains Erik.

“However, some situations are also mentioned where such reconciliation is not possible. For example, the thesis highlights a potential conflict between the European Convention and the changes to the Employment Protection Act that were introduced in 2022. In addition, there are observations on the legal cultures of convention law and labor law, including the styles of argumentation used in these.”

Read more about Erik and this thesis in the PhD student of the month portrait!