Spain has today signed the Additional Protocol to the European Social Charter at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg providing for a system of collective complaints.
By signing this Additional Protocol, which paves the way for its ratification, our country will complete the adoption of the entire system of the European Social Charter. This system comprises the European Social Charter as ratified by Spain; three Additional Protocols, of which the first two are already ratified, and the revised European Social Charter, which is currently undergoing the ratification process.
This adoption will allow new measures to be developed to improve the effective application of the social rights guaranteed under the European Social Charter, which extends the protection of fundamental rights at a labour level.
The Third Additional Protocol signed today provides for collective complaints and, among other aspects, strengthens the participation of trade union, business and social organisations in complying with the European Social Charter and seeks to complement the protection system and guarantee the social and economic rights contained in the Charter. This Protocol improves the effective application of the rights guarantee under the European Social Charter through a procedure that allows the aforesaid organisations to present complaints to the European Social Rights Council, guaranteeing the legal protection of social and employment rights.
By signing this Protocol, Spain also continues developing the conventional framework of the Council of Europe, pursuant to its commitment to this benchmark organisation on human rights on our continent.
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