Three applicants, who were all current or former prostitutes, challenged the constitutionality of three provisions of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985. The three provisions outlawed “bawdy-houses” (also referred to as brothels), “living on the avails” (living off of a prostitutes profits), and public communication with prostitutes. Prostitution was legal in Canada, however, Parliament was allowed …Read more

The applicants were five Norwegian nationals, a Swedish national and an Icelandic national. The applicants developed health problems such as obstructive lung diseases and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and became disabled. This had happened as a result of their deep diving jobs. They alleged that the working conditions and compromising safety had lead to …Read more

The appellant contracted a disease while on a business trip to the Chernobyl region to participate in work to contain the consequences of the nuclear disaster. He sought to receive employment compensation based on the disease he acquired and his resulting disability, without submitting an official report on an accident at work or an occupational …Read more

The applicants were three companies selling pre-packaged food items. They challenged the constitutionality of a 2009 law that restricted smoking in publically accessible closed spaces, for the protection of non-smokers and workers in such establishments. The law generally required that establishments either ban smoking or install smoking rooms. Establishments where the primary activity was serving …Read more

The plaintiff, Agenor Pereira Dias Filho, filed an action against the National Congress before the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil, asking the Court to have §4 of article 40 of the Federal Constitution regulated. The plaintiff claimed that the nature of his work as nursing assistant subjected him to unhealthy working conditions and entitled him …Read more

The appellant was assigned to ensure the proper alignment of the cargo containers when moving cargo containers into and out of a hatch within vessels. This required him to repeatedly enter and leave the hatch. He did so via the only means of access available to them – a metal rung ladder hanging vertically alongside …Read more

Jean Smith brought an action for damages against her employee, Northamptonshire Council, under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, for injuries she suffered in her employment. Ms. Smith was employed by the council as a driver and a carer. Her duties included picking up Mrs. Cotter, who was confined to a wheelchair, …Read more

The Plaintiffs, parents of a worker who died in a fire at his workplace, sued their son´s employer for damages. They alleged that the employer had not implemented appropriate measures to deal with situations of emergency such as the fire that caused their son’s death. The lower court accepted the claim of the Plaintiffs, awarding …Read more

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office filed an extraordinary appeal against the decision of the First Region Federal Court, which ruled that crimes against employees amounting to conditions analogous to slavery (crime against the organization of work), exposure to risk of life and health of such workers, the frustration of their labor rights and omission of data …Read more