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ESCR-Net Caselaw Database: A database on domestic, regional and international decisions regarding Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

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Nevsun Resources Ltd. v. Araya

Nevsun Resources Ltd. (Nevsun), a corporation incorporated in British Columbia that owns 60% of the Bisha Mining Share Company, appealed from the Court of Appeal’s agreement with the Chambers Judge to dismiss Nevsun’s motion to strike the pleadings. Nevsun was sued in a class action made up of more than 1,000 individuals who claimed they were forced to work at the Bisha Mining Share Company’s mine between 2008 and 2012.

Hartz IV GFCC, Judgment of the First Senate of 09 February 2010 -1 BvL 1/09, 1 BvL 3/09, 1 BvL 4/09

In 2005, Germany began the fourth stage of a program aimed at reducing the costs of the country’s social welfare system, an initiative named after its chief architect, Volkswagen personnel director, Peter Hartz. Hartz IV merged unemployment and welfare benefits, fixing the standard benefit for single people living in old West German states (including East Berlin) at 345 Euros per month. This amount was determined based on a statistical survey of income and expenditure of lower income groups. Benefits for other household members were determined as a percentage of 345 Euros.

Sanctions in Social Law, 1 BvL 7/16, Rn. (1-225)

The plaintiff in this case is a man whose unemployment benefits were reduced first by 30% and then by 60% when he declined a proposed employer and later failed to accept a training and trial placement in another role. The man objected to the reductions unsuccessfully, and filed suit in the Social Court. Before rendering a decision, the Social Court stayed the proceedings in order to obtain judicial review from the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) as to whether or not the sanctions scheme in question is in compliance with the Basic Law.

Partido Socialista Brasileiro v. Ministro de Estado da Previdência e Assistência Social, ADI No. 1.946, 2003.

In 1998, Congress approved Amendment 20 to the Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988, thereby altering the country’s social security system. The amendment imposed a ceiling of R$1200 on social security benefits per beneficiary. On its face, the R$1200 maximum purported to apply neutrally to several benefits categories, including with respect to pregnancy-related leave.

Marcia Cecilia Trujillo Calero v. Ecuador, CESCR, Communication 10/2015, UN Doc. E/C.12/63/D/10/2015 (26 March 2018)

UN Committee on ESCR addresses the impact of unpaid care work on women’s social security access

Marcia Cecilia Trujillo Calero made 29 years’ worth of retirement contributions to the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (IESS). Of the 305 contributions she made, approximately half were voluntary contributions made from 1981 through 1995, when she was an unpaid care worker at home, caring for her three children. During an eight-month period starting in 1989, Ms. Trujillo paused her voluntary payments, though she retroactively paid them in full in April 1990. Afterward, Ms.

Minority Rights Group International and SOS-Esclaves on behalf of Said Ould Salem and Yarg Ould Salem v. The Government of the Republic of Mauritania, Decision No: 003/2017

African Children's Rights Committee holds Mauritania Accountable for Child Slavery

Said Ould Salem and his younger brother, Yarg Ould Salem, were born to a Haratine mother, part of Mauritania’s former slave class. While slavery is now outlawed in Mauritania, the practice remains widespread, commonly victimizing members of the Haratine minority. From birth onwards, both brothers became slaves to the El Hassine family. The two children worked seven days a week without rest, including on Fridays.

Lagos del Campo vs Peru, Case No. 12.795, Judgment of 31 August 2017 (Preliminary Objections, Merits, Reparations and Costs)

Inter-American Court recognizes the direct enforceability of ESCR

Alfredo Lagos del Campo was fired from his job on July 1, 1989. Mr. Lagos del Campo had previously been a union leader but, at the time of his dismissal, he was the President of the Electoral Committee, an elected representative of the company’s Industrial Community (a type of employee organization in Peru created through law). Mr. Lagos del Campo gave an interview for a magazine in his capacity as President of the Electoral Committee, stating he had publicly denounced actions by his employer who he believed was pressuring workers using extortion and coercive tactics.

R (on the application of UNISON) (Appellant) v Lord Chancellor (Respondent), [2017] UKSC 51

UK Supreme Court cancels case fees to ensure workers’ access to justice

Prior to the enactment of the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal Fees Order 2013 (Fees Order) in the UK, a claimant could pursue and appeal employment proceedings without paying any fee. Fees were introduced under the Fees Order, with the amount varying depending on factors including the claim classification and complexity. Type A claims (£390 fee) generally required less time to resolve. Type B claims (£1,200) included unfair dismissal, equal pay and discrimination claims.

Undocumented Workers v. United States of America, IACHR, Report No. 50/16, Case 12.834, Merits (Publication)

Undocumented workers should be granted equal rights, states the Inter-American Commission

Leopoldo Zumaya and Francisco Berumen Lizalde were both injured on the job while working without work authorization in the United States. Each sustained long-term physical damage and were denied access to compensation solely because of their immigration status. Mr. Zumaya filed a workers’ compensation claim but had to settle for a fraction of what he would have received if he had been a U.S. legal permanent resident or citizen. Mr. Lizalde was arrested and deported to Mexico – seemingly in direct response to his workers’ compensation claim – and therefore was unable to pursue it.

British Columbia Teachers' Federation v. British Columbia, 2016 SCC 49

The Supreme Court of Canada upholds the right to collective bargaining for teachers’ union

On 10 November 2016, in a decisive victory for workers’ rights, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) upheld the constitutional right to the freedom of association {S. 2 (d)}, delivering a 7-2 decision in favor of the British Columbia Teacher’s Federation (BCTF), the labour union that represents all public school teachers in the province of British Columbia (BC).