SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES AND LABOR-LAW

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have long been exempt from m any provisions of labour law; but although much has been written on ot her aspects of SMEs there has been little on the effects of labour leg islation. This article, after considering how SMEs should best be defi ned, discusses their current proliferation and their standing in devel oped and developing countries. A detailed overview of the relevant leg islation in various western European and Latin American countries is f ollowed by an analysis of the different legal approaches to special tr eatment for SMEs.