European integration in the field of justice: Supreme Court judges complete training-for-trainers course on ILO labour standards and EU law

Iryna Falovska, Secretary of the Third Judicial Chamber of the Civil Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, together with Supreme Court judges of the Civil Cassation Court Iryna Lytvynenko and Iryna Vorobiova, took part in a specialised international training-for-trainers programme on the application of international labour standards and the relevant acquis of the European Union (the body of EU law and principles) in judicial practice.

The programme lasted two weeks and consisted of two stages: participants first completed a distance online module and subsequently attended in-person training at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization in Turin (Italy).

During the course the judges deepened their knowledge of the system of international labour standards, the procedures for their adoption and supervision of compliance, mastered approaches to the interpretation and practical application of these standards in national judicial proceedings, familiarised themselves with the practice of the ILO supervisory bodies through concrete cases, and acquired skills in working with ILO databases, in particular the NORMLEX system. Particular attention within the course was devoted to teaching methodology and the development of training programmes, since the aim of the training is to form a network of national trainers who will subsequently disseminate the knowledge acquired among their colleagues.

The training is of particular significance for the Ukrainian judicial system. First, it strengthens judges’ capacity to apply international labour standards and EU law amid the reform of national labour legislation and the country’s European integration course. Second, it contributes to the formation of consistent judicial practice in the resolution of labour disputes that is aligned with the best international practices and grounded in human rights. Third, the knowledge gained by the judge-trainers will not remain individual experience but will form the basis of training courses of the National School of Judges of Ukraine and will therefore raise the qualifications of a considerably wider circle of judges who hear labour disputes.

For the judges of the Supreme Court, participation in the programme provided an opportunity not only to master international labour standards and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union more thoroughly, but also to join the community of judge-trainers who will continue to disseminate this knowledge within the system of judicial education in Ukraine.

The training was organised jointly by the National School of Judges of Ukraine, the International Labour Organization and the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO).