Law students from the European Union are reporting for JURIST on law-related events in and affecting the European Union and its member states. Ciara Dinneny is a trainee with the Law Society of Ireland. She files this dispatch from Dublin.

Two defence teams at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague filed a motion Thursday seeking an adjournment of hearings next week in anticipation of a historic industrial action.

Informed sources within the ICC tell JURIST that on Monday the 5th of December, ICC legal defence support staff will go on strike and engage in a demonstration before the ICC and the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) demanding that they be provided with basic labour and human rights that are available to court staff and other persons working within the Dutch labour market. ICC defence staff members are young lawyers acting as legal assistants and case managers. ICC defence teams also include lead counsel. Defence teams are made up of 2/3 support staff; over 30 lawyers are expected to be involved in this labour action. The vast majority are women.

Defence support staff have significantly fewer rights and lower wages than their counterparts in the Office of the Prosecution (OTP). They lack basic labour rights, having no contract, no job termination period, no sick leave, no vacation pay, and no parental pay. Additionally, their salaries have not been adjusted since 2013, despite the current 14% inflation rate in the Netherlands. Staff members of the...

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