Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Spain
Case No. 2121 (Spain): trade union rights of migrants without residence
ILO Committee on Freedom of Association · Spain · 2002 · International body
Citation: Case No. 2121 [report number to be added]
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
May a law make the right to join a union depend on the worker having legal residence?
What the court decided
No. Freedom of association belongs to all workers without distinction, including those in an irregular situation; the Committee asked Spain to amend its Aliens Act.
In plain language
A Spanish law said migrants without legal residence could not join unions. The ILO’s freedom of association committee said every worker, with or without papers, may join a union, and asked Spain to change the law. Spain’s Constitutional Court later struck the rule down.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Sebuah UU Spanyol menyatakan migran tanpa izin tinggal tidak boleh bergabung dengan serikat. Komite Kebebasan Berserikat ILO menyatakan setiap pekerja, berdokumen atau tidak, boleh bergabung dengan serikat, dan meminta Spanyol mengubah UU itu. MK Spanyol kemudian membatalkan aturan tersebut.
Pertanyaan: Bolehkah undang-undang mensyaratkan izin tinggal yang sah untuk hak bergabung dengan serikat pekerja?
What happened afterwards
- 2001: Complaint by Spanish unions.
- 2002: Committee calls for amendment.
- 2007-11-07: Spanish Constitutional Court strikes down the residence requirement (STC 236/2007).
Sources
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Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/ilo-cfa-2121/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.