Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Landmark judgment

The editorial “Overriding social interest” (Dec. 25) has brought to the notice the landmark judgement delivered by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) upholding the trade unions’ right to collective action, including striking work, as a fundamental right. That it has justified this in terms of the public interest of protection of workers — even where that right amounts to a restriction on the right of movement of establishments guaranteed under the European Union law — takes us back to the case related to the historical strike in July 2003 by Tamil Nadu Government employees and teachers. What has come out in the ECJ’s judgment is that the trade unions’ right to collective action cannot be placed at the altar of the market economy. There is a growing threat to workers’ rights in various forms, irrespective of their being part of organised or unorganised sections of the working class. The movement against social injustice and unfair labour practices will derive inspiration from the judgment.

S.V. Venugopalan,

Chennai

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