Human Rights in a Globalising Economy: Rights and Responsibilities of Trade Unions
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2016
Abstract
From the Publisher
In addressing the role of trade unions in the local, national and international economy, many commentators, both within the labour movement as well as outside, tend to focus quite narrowly on the role of unions in organising and representing workers in the workplace. This is not surprising given that the fundamental objective of the trade union movement is to ensure the social and economic well-being of workers, and a common experience affecting that wellbeing is what happens in the workplace. Thus union activity aimed at improving wages and working conditions obviously serves to achieve that fundamental objective.
But workers’ social and economic well-being is not solely affected by what occurs within the workplace, and trade unions have a role in influencing government policies on economic and social issues generally, and in working to insure political and civil rights. Not only is this role consistent with the fundamental objectives of the trade union movement, it is a responsibility which unions assume as the beneficiary of the rights to association, assembly and free speech.
Recommended Citation
Fick, Barbara, "Human Rights in a Globalising Economy: Rights and Responsibilities of Trade Unions" (2016). Book Chapters. 31.
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/book_chapters/31
Publication Information
in Between Rights and Responsibilities: A Fundamental Debate 113 (Stephan Parmentier, Hans Werdmödler and Michaël Merrigan eds., 2016).