The history of the development of the European Convention on Human Rights represents a unique experience of widening the scope of protection of an international instrument from classical political and civil rights to certain social and economic rights. With a particular focus upon the protection of labour rights under the European Convention, the author researches the roots of expansion of the Convention, analyzing the process of drafting and the capabilities theory of A. Sen, and the application of Convention as a “living instrument”. The paper traces how the judgments of the European Court in social matters contribute to the development of the relevant legislation of the states and establish enforceable standards of human rights protection.