The Right to Work : Legal and Philosophical Perspectives

The value of work cannot be underestimated in today's world. Work is valuable
because productive labour generates goods needed for survival, such as food and
housing; goods needed for self-development, such as education and culture; and
other material goods that people wish to have in order to live a fulfilling life. A
job also generally inspires a sense of achievement, self-esteem and the esteem of
others. People develop social relations at work, which can be very important for
them. Work brings both material and non-material benefits.
There is no doubt that work is a crucial good. Do we have a human right to this
good? What is the content of the right? Does it impose a duty on governments to
promote full employment? Does it entail an obligation to protect decent work?
There is also a question about the right-holders. Do migrants have a right to work,
for example? At the same time many people would rather not work. What kind of
right is this, if many people do not want to have it? The chapters of this book
address the uncertainty and controversy that surround the right to work both in
theoretical scholarship and in policymaking. They discuss the philosophical
underpinnings of the right to work, and its development in human rights law at
national level (in jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan,
France and the United States) and international level (in the context of the United
Nations, the European Social Charter, the International Labour Organization, theEuropean Convention on Human Rights and other legal orders).

“Virginia Mantouvalou has assembled a remarkable collection of essays on the 'right to work' (RTW). The provenance, content, efficacy, future prospects and very existence of RTW are contested by many of her distinguished contributors.” —The Modern Law Review

“...this book provides some deep insights into the thousand faces of the right to work in a number of jurisdictions...The book makes a great contribution to the analysis of this right.” —European Journal of Social Security

“...a fascinating and multi-faceted discourse on the nature of work and the meaning of rights....This slim but complex and weighty book will be an excellent selection for academic libraries supporting advanced or interdisciplinary study in labour law, worker's rights, or human rights - particularly its international aspects.” —Canadian Law Library

“This book has important implications for workers' rights and human rights separately- and workers' rights together.” —Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal

“Indeed, the contributions seem to suggest that rather than being conceived as an endpoint in terms of a clear and sharply defined legal instrument, the right to work is better seen as a way to raise discussion about many underlying issues for enhancing labour protection.” —Industrial Law Journal