International legal obligations on the right to work

Human Rights and Work

What is the Human Right to Work? What are the Human Rights of Workers?

The Human Right to Work is the human right of all women, men, youth and children to dignified, creative and productive labor, free from discrimination and exploitation, enabling all persons to live in peace, security, justice and dignity. All workers have human rights to basic labor protections. Engagement in any kind of production should be fruitful and rewarding.

The Human Rights at Issue

The human right of all persons to dignified and fulfilling work includes the following universal, indivisible, interconnected and interdependent human rights:

• The human right to work and receive wages that contribute to an adequate standard of living.
• The human right to a standard of living adequate for well-being, health and life.
• The human right to equal access to productive resources, including land, credit, and technology.
• The human right to freedom of association.
• The human right to protection from forced labor.
• The human right to adequate, safe working conditions.
• The human right to a clean and safe environment.
• The human right to reasonable limitation of working hours, rest and leisure.
• The human right to education and access to information, including vocational training.
• The human right to freedom from discrimination based on race, sex, or any other status, in all aspects of work, including in hiring and promotion.
• The human right to equal pay for equal work.
• The human right to freedom from sexual harassment in the workplace.
• The human right to proper consideration of women=s reproductive rights and sexuality, including job security during and after pregnancy, flexible working conditions, and access to child care.
• The human right to protection during pregnancy from work proven to be harmful.
• The human right to equal rights within the family, including shared responsibilities for children's upbringing.
• The human right to unemployment protection and social security.
• The human right of indigenous peoples to maintain their own ways of life, including the right to use lands to which they have traditionally had access for subsistence.
• The human right to protection for the child from economic exploitation and from any work that may be hazardous to his or her well-being and development.

Source: PHDRE.