[JURIST] The state of North Carolina is violating international freedom of association labor standards [ILO materials] by prohibiting governmental entities from bargaining with unions, according to a decision released Tuesday by the International Labor Organization (ILO) [official website], the labor standards branch of the United Nations. North Carolina General Statute section 95-98 [text] states:

Any agreement, or contract, between the governing authority of any city, town, county, or other municipality, or between any agency, unit, or instrumentality thereof, or between any agency, instrumentality, or institution of the State of North Carolina, and any labor union, trade union, or labor organization, as bargaining agent for any public employees of such city, town, county or other municipality, or agency or instrumentality of government, is hereby declared to be against the public policy of the State, illegal, unlawful, void and of no effect. (1959, c. 742.)