On 16 December 1966, the United Nations General Assembly adopted two international treaties that would forever shape international human rights: The International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The ICESCR lays down the right to work, just and fair working conditions and freedom of association, and recognises the right to strike.
On its 50th ETUC General Secretary, Luca Visentini, said
“The Covenant is a milestone in world-wide workers’ rights. But 50 years later it is still not properly implemented even in the EU. It should be compulsory re-reading for judges in the European Court of Justice and lawmakers everywhere. There should be a system set up in the EU for complaints to be made if the Covenant is not respected.”
