Introduction

Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is concerned with the more general problem often referred to as just conditions of work. The provisions should be read in conjunction with Article 22, enjoining the state's general obligation to guarantee social security and, in accordance with the resources of each state, economic, social, and cultural rights. The rights mentioned in Article 24 are among the original concerns of the labor movement and among the early standards established by international labor law. In some countries the right prescribed in the article is considered to be a fundamental right and may be embodied in constitutions.