Top UN court rules workers’ right to strike ‘protected’ in key treaty

Key points

• The nonbinding ruling is expected to be hailed as a victory by workers’ groups and influence global labour relations.
• The top United Nations court has ruled that workers and unions have the right to strike under a key international treaty, an opinion that could shape labour laws around the world.
• International Court of Justice (ICJ) President Yuji Iwasawa said on Thursday that the court was “of the opinion that the right to strike of workers and their organisations is protected” under the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 1948 Freedom of Association treaty.
• The finding came in a 10-4 ruling by the court’s 14-member panel.
• The ILO, a United Nations agency that sets global labour standards, had asked for the advisory opinion in November 2023 amid a battle between workers’ and employers’ representatives over whether the treaty – known as Convention 87 – implicitly protects workers’ right to strike.