The Joint Committee on Human Rights has issued a call for evidence looking at the extent to which human rights are protected and respected in the workplace.

Specifically, the House of Commons committee is asking consultees to address a number of questions under the following headings:

Freedom of association and the right to strike:

  1. Does the current law effectively protect the rights of trade unions and workers to take industrial action under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)?
  2. Does the law effectively protect the right to strike under other international human rights instruments?

The right to privacy and surveillance at work:

  1. What forms of surveillance that are used to monitor workers raise concerns under Article 8 of the ECHR (the right to family and private life)?
  2. Where surveillance is used to monitor workers, does the current legal framework protect their Article 8 right?

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion and freedom of expression:

  1. Does domestic law strike the right balance between workers’ Article 9 right (freedom of religion or belief) and Article 10 right (freedom of expression) and the rights of employers?
  2. Does domestic law adequately protect the rights of workers to be free from harassment by third parties on account of their religion or belief?

Labour market exploitation:

  1. Is the current legal and policy framework for tackling labour exploitation in the UK effective in protecting workers’ rights under Article 4 of the ECHR (the prohibition of slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour)?
  2. Do workers from particular groups disproportionately experience labour market exploitation?

Retained EU law and workers’ rights:

To what extent is the UK’s compliance with its human rights obligations relating to the protection of workers currently dependent on retained EU law?

International human rights treaties:

Does the UK effectively comply with its international obligations to protect workers’ rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights and International Labour Organisation Conventions?

The closing date for submissions is 24 March 2023.

To read the call for evidence in full and to submit evidence to the Committee, click here.