International Court of Justice affirms workers’ right to strike
Toronto – May 25, 2026 – UFCW Canada joins with international trade unionists around the world, as affiliates of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF), in welcoming a landmark advisory opinion issued on May 21 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), confirming that the right to strike is protected under International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize.
The historic ruling delivers a clear message that workers’ rights to organize, take collective action, and withdraw their labour are fundamental rights protected under international law.
The decision also brings an end to more than a decade of challenges launched by the Employers’ Group in 2012 against a long-established principle recognized by the ILO’s supervisory bodies: that the right to strike is inseparable from freedom of association and the right to organize.
For workers around the world, the right to strike is far more than a legal concept. It remains one of the most important tools workers have to defend fair wages, workplace safety, dignity, and justice on the job.
At a time when governments and corporations in many countries continue to attack collective bargaining rights and restrict workers’ ability to take collective action, the Court’s opinion represents a major victory for workers and trade unions globally.
The ruling also reaffirms the authority and importance of the ILO and its supervisory system. Efforts to weaken international labour standards that have protected workers for generations have now been firmly rejected by the highest judicial body in the United Nations system.
The ICJ’s opinion marks a major milestone for the international labour movement and reinforces the essential role unions play in advancing fairness, dignity, and respect at work. UFCW Canada stands in solidarity with workers around the world in defending the fundamental right to strike and the freedoms protected under international labour law.
