UN’s ICJ Invents an International “Right to Strike”
The United Nations’ International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the UN World Court, issued an advisory opinion on May 21 claiming that a “right to strike” exists under international law — a major power grab by both the court and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
In a 10-4 vote, the ICJ ruled that “the right to strike of workers and their organizations is protected under the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87).” It nonetheless noted that its ruling “does not entail any determination on the precise content, scope or conditions for the exercise of that right.”
According to a UN press release, “The case was referred to the Court by the ILO’s Governing Body in November 2023, after years of disagreement among the agency’s core constituents — governments, employers and workers — over whether Convention No. 87 protects the right to strike, even though the treaty does not explicitly mention strikes.” The ICJ held hearings on the case in October 2025, as The New American reported at the time.
In a statement released in response to the ICJ ruling, the ILO announced that its Governing Body “is expected to consider the matter at its 358th session in November, including any follow-up.”
Another Power Grab
The ICJ’s ruling marks yet another UN power grab, in which the scope and authority of UN agencies expand at the expense of national sovereignty.
The ruling also demonstrates how the UN’s concept of “rights” is antithetical to the traditional American understanding. The UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), for example, claims that rights are “granted … by the constitution or by law,” as opposed to being unalienable or God-given. It also claims that the government can limit rights as “determined by law.” Finally, the UDHR claims that “rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.”
By contrast, the U.S. Declaration of Independence affirms “that all men … are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” It also declares “that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.” In other words, while the UN claims that rights come from government — and can be easily revoked — the Declaration of Independence states that rights come from God, and that government has a fundamental duty to protect those preexisting rights.
Instead of participating in a globalist organization created with the purpose of becoming a world government, and that continues to subvert national sovereignty, the United States must get out of the UN entirely. Legislation to do just that, the DEFUND Act (H.R. 1498 and S. 669), is currently pending in both the U.S. House and Senate.
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