Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Part 1 of Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

The right to work is a fundamental human right, which is closely related to other fundamental human rights and establishes preconditions for the exercise of those rights. The right to work is a set of interconnected rights, such as:

• • the right to free choice of employment, 

  • the right to equal pay for equal work without any discrimination,

  • the right to rest and leisure, 

  • the right to paid leave, 

  • the right to a decent work environment, 

  • other rights. 

The right to safe and healthy, non-discriminatory, fair and favorable working environment (work conditions) based on respect for universal human rights, as well as the right to participate in its definition and improvement play an important role among the mentioned rights. Unlawful restrictions on exercise of this right can generate obstacles to effective implementation of all the other rights of employees, since exercise of other labor rights is only possible in case of ensuring a decent working environment. 

The obligation to ensure a decent working environment is first of all imposed on the employer in the frame of both national law regulations, as well as international obligations undertaken by the state. The State, in its turn, oversees employers’ implementation of their obligation to ensure a decent working environment and applies appropriate liability measures, if necessary. For example, Article 961 of the RA Code of Administrative Offences envisages an administrative liability in the form of a fine for an employer for breach of technical regulations setting requirements of safe and healthy work performance or technical safety rules.

More HERE.