Discrimination in employment relations in the European Court of Human Rights case law

Most people fulfill their vital needs only through the work, therefore equal access of citizens to work, parity approach to wages and salaries are considered to be the main facets of the social policies of all civilized nations that guarantee the free development of citizens. However, we often meet various forms of employment discrimination, which is based on race, gender, religion, national origin, age, and physical or mental disability. Discrimination can be intended, involving disparate treatment of a group or individual, or unintended, but still making disparate impact on them. However, the prohibition of discrimination enshrined in employment in international law, as well as at the level of the national legal system does not provide full protection of Russian citizens from this phenomenon. The consequence of widespread discrimination in employment was growing discontent among the workers, which is a threat to the stability of social relations in Russia. Since Russia has not yet developed a clear mechanism for the protection of citizens from discrimination, the author appeals to the European Court of Human Rights, provides an analysis of the most significant of them. The article examines solutions related to employment discrimination on the basis of faith, HIV-infection, previous jobs. According to the author, reception by the Russian courts of the ECHR experience in the field of protection against discrimination will be the next step in enhancing the protection of citizens’ rights and further building a legal state. However, changes in the Russian legislation, according to which it is now possible to recognize the decisions of the ECHR unenforceable, causing some concern, as they can adversely affect the process.

About the author: Irina Mikhaylenko – Graduate student, Institute of State and Law, Tyumen State University.

Citation: Mikhaylenko I. (2016) Diskriminatsiya v trudovykh otnosheniyakh v praktike Evropeyskogo Suda po pravam cheloveka [Discrimination in employment relations in the European Court of Human Rights case law]. Mezhdunarodnoe pravosudie, no. 4, pp. 132–140. (In Russian).

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