Human Rights, Workers' Rights, and the 'Right to Occupational Safety What would be the main ...

There are no special workers' rights. Workers possess only the rights possessed by any other human beings, although these rights, as in other areas of human intercourse, may impose special standards in the workplace.

• The basis upon which special workers' rights are argued for subordinates the individual to the welfare of society. Since rights presuppose the priority of the individual, the attempt to argue for special workers' rights is incoherent.


• The idea of enforcing special workers' rights is implicitly paternalistic, inasmuch as it does not acknowledge the freedom or ability of workers to order their own affairs.

A free labour market will lead to atrocities such as child labour or hazardous working conditions.

A consistent and strict interpretation of basic human rights provides safeguards against the fear of exploitation that usually motivates theories of special workers' rights.
Presumed examples of the evils of a free labour market are inconsistent with the implications of that approach and thus are not genuine examples of a free labour market approach.