European Social Charter
The European Social Charter is a Council of Europe treaty which was opened for signature on 18 October 1961 and initially became effective on 26 February 1965, after West Germany had become the fifth of the 13 signing nations to ratify it. By 1991, 20 nations had ratified it.[1]
Contents
The Charter was established to support the
States Parties to the Charter must submit annual reports on a part of the provisions of the Charter (be it the 1961 Charter or the 1996 Revised Charter), showing how they implement them in law and in practice.
1996 revision
The Charter was revised in 1996. The Revised Charter came into force in 1999 and is gradually replacing the initial 1961 treaty. The Charter sets out
Article 21 creates the right to information and consultation.
Article 22 creates the "right to take part in the determination and improvement of the working conditions and working environment", or
European Committee of Social Rights
The
The ECSR is composed of 15 independent members who are elected by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers for a period of six years, renewable once.
Under the 1995 Additional Protocol providing for a system of Collective Complaints which came into force in 1998, complaints of violations of the Charter may be lodged with the ECSR.
Certain organisations are entitled to lodge complaints with the ECSR (a special list of
See also
- European Convention on Human Rights
- European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
- European decency threshold
- EU labour law
- Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
- Economic, social and cultural rights
- International human rights law
- Three generations of human rights
- List of Council of Europe treaties
Notes
- ^ Carole Benelhocine, The European Social Charter (Council of Europe, 2012) pp77-78
- ^ European Social Charter, Part II, Article 31
- ^ European Social Charter, Part II, Article 11
- ^ European Social Charter, Part II, Article 1
- ^ European Social Charter, Part II, Article 2
- ^ European Social Charter, Part II, Article 4
- ^ European Social Charter, Part II, Article 8
- ^ European Social Charter, Part II, Article 12
- ^ European Social Charter, Part II, Article 30
- ^ European Social Charter, Article 19
- ^ European Social Charter, Article 15