Section 6 Worker Rights a. All workers, including foreigners, are free to associate, join unions of their choice, and select their own union representatives. Due to the country's small size and population, only one trade union operates, representing about 13 percent of the work force. The trade union, however, looks after the interests of nonmembers as well. It is a member of the World Confederation of Labor but is represented on an ad hoc basis by a Swiss union.
Workers have the right to strike except in certain essential services.
No strikes are known to have taken place in the last 27 years. The law does not provide specific protection for those who strike. In 1997 the Government incorporated European Economic Area guidelines into labor law legislation that came into force in the spring. These guidelines require that, among other things, employers enter into consultations in cases of projected mass dismissals, and submit employment contracts in written form. The law provides for the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively.