The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Employment Relation

This book is the first comprehensive academic treatment of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and employment rights, which has a global vocation demonstrated by having been ratified by 173 States since it was adopted in 1966.

Workers’ rights need protection and reinforcement. To achieve this aim, international human rights standards can play an important role. The ICESCR is the most important global UN instrument in this respect. It covers a wide range of employment rights, including the right to strike, and has global application. But it is not sufficiently developed and used, and national implementation often needs improvement.

Part 1 of the book analyses general issues related to the Covenant, such as context, development, challenges, influences at the global and regional levels, interpretation and procedural elements. Part 2 deals with the specific provisions which are directly linked to the employment relation.

The book is based on a thorough analysis, mainly, but not exclusively, of the case law of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), that is monitoring the national implementation of the Covenant. Together, the chapters in this book will empower academics and practitioners in labour law to find answers to relevant and practical problems in order to better enforce and improve workers’ rights.

The book is the result of a project by the ’Transnational Trade Union Rights’ experts Network (TTUR), linked to the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI).

Klaus Lörcher is the former Legal and Human Rights Advisor of the European Trade Union Confederation and former Legal Secretary of the Civil Service Tribunal of the European Union, Germany.
Niklas Bruun is Emeritus Professor in Private Law at the University of Helsinki, former Professor in Commercial Law at Hanken School of Economics, and President of the Board of the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Ana Teresa Ribeiro is Assistant Professor of Labour Law at Porto Faculty of Law, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal.