right to work

UK/ɹaɪt tə wɜːk/US/ɹaɪt tə wɝk/

noun

The human right (the right of an individual) to have gainful employment.

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Meanings

nounright to work (plural rights to work)

plural rights to work

  1. public policyethicsThe human right (the right of an individual) to have gainful employment.

    1948, United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 23.1), United Nations Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

  2. USpublic policylawThe prohibition of union security agreements or closed shops; the prohibition of the requirement that those who take on work in a unionised shop join the union or pay it for representing them.
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see right, work.

Translations

Bulgarian право на труд
  • право на труд (pravo na trud)the fundamental human right to have employment
Chinese Mandarin 工作權 /工作权
  • 工作權 /工作权 (gōngzuò quán)the fundamental human right to have employment
Dutch recht op arbeid, recht op werk
  • recht op arbeidthe fundamental human right to have employment
  • recht op werkthe fundamental human right to have employment
Finnish oikeus työhön
  • oikeus työhönthe fundamental human right to have employment
French droit au travail
  • droit au travailthe fundamental human right to have employment
German Recht auf Arbeit
  • Recht auf Arbeitthe fundamental human right to have employment
Hungarian a munkához való jog
  • a munkához való jogthe fundamental human right to have employment
Italian diritto al lavoro
  • diritto al lavorothe fundamental human right to have employment
Japanese 働く権利
  • 働く権利 (hataraku kenri)the fundamental human right to have employment
Polish prawo do pracy
  • prawo do pracythe fundamental human right to have employment
Russian пра́во на труд
  • пра́во на труд (právo na trud)the fundamental human right to have employment
Spanish derecho al trabajo, derecho a trabajar
  • derecho al trabajothe fundamental human right to have employment
  • derecho a trabajarthe fundamental human right to have employment
  • derecho al trabajoprohibition of closed shops
Cite this entry
APA

right to work. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/right%20to%20work

MLA

“right to work.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/right%20to%20work. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “right to work,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/right%20to%20work.

Source: right to work on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.