Current relations between International Human Rights Law and Labour Law

Abstract

The international human rights system –as far as "labour human rights" are concerned– has an impact on domestic labour law not only through the obligations imposed on States, but also through the application by judges of the rights recognised in international instruments and the interpretations made by the supervisory bodies. The existence of a "system of human rights at work" can be seen in which these rights are finalised by the interpretations of the supervisory bodies. The importance of the jurisprudence of these supervisory bodies also influences the study and teaching of labour law by defining the scope of labour human rights. At the same time, the jurisprudence of the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights incorporates international labour standards and the pronouncements of the ILO supervisory bodies, which points to the links between labour law and international human rights law. In addition to the system of human rights at work, the paper refers to other ways of dealing with the globalisation of markets, such as social clauses in free trade agreements or global framework agreements. And it addresses the question of the future of labour law.