Declaration of Human Rights: the right to work

10 August 2024

On December 10 last year, we began a series on Human Rights. While everyone talks about them, few of us really know what they are and what they stand for.

Articles 22 to 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights specify economic and social rights. Everyone has the right to an occupation and to remuneration, as well as the right to freedom of association. They also express the need to define limits to working hours and the obligation to offer paid vacations.

Articles 22, 23 and 24 of the Declaration of Human Rights

Article 22: Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23:

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24: Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

The Red Cross is naturally committed to defending Human Rights. This commitment was reinforced in 2022 with the signing of the national “Business and Human Rights” Pact. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the reference documents of the Code of Conduct and Ethics of the Luxembourg Red Cross.

Image: upklyak – Freepik

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