ORIGINS OF ILO

Origins of the ILO

The International Labour Organization emerged with the League of Nations from the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. It was founded to give expression to the growing concern for social reform after World War I, and the conviction that any reform had to be conducted at an international level. After World War II, a dynamic restatement and enlargement of the ILO’s basic goals and principles was made in the Declaration of Philadelphia. The Declaration anticipated postwar growth in national independence, and heralded the birth of large-scale technical cooperation with the developing world. In 1946, the ILO became the first specialized agency associated with the newly formed United Nations Organization. On its 50th anniversary in 1969, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The first International Labour Conference was held in Washington in October-November 1919. Six Conventions and six Recommendations were adopted (including Convention No.1 on the duration of the work day).

How the ILO works The ILO has a tripartite structure unique in the United Nations, in which employers’ and workers’ representatives – the “social partners” of the economy – have an equal voice with those of governments in shaping its policies and programmes. The ILO also encourages this tripartism within its member States by promoting a “social dialogue” between trade unions and employers in formulating, and where appropriate, implementing national policy on social, economic, and many other issues. Minimum international labour standards and the broad policies of the ILO are set by the International Labour Conference, which meets annually. Every two years, the Conference adopts the ILO’s biennial work programme and budget, which is financed by member States. The Conference also provides an international forum for discussion of world labour and social problems. Each member country has the right to send four delegates to the Conference, two from the government and one each representing workers and employers. These delegates are free to speak and vote independently. Between annual sessions of the Conference, the work of the ILO is guided by the Governing Body of 28 government members and 14 worker and 14 employer members.

The ILO secretariat, operational headquarters, research centre and publishing house, are based in the International Labour Office, Geneva. Administration and management are decentralized in regional, area, and branch offices in more than 40 countries. The work of the Governing Body and of the Office is aided by tripartite committees covering major industries. It is also supported by committees of experts on such matters as vocational training, management development, occupational safety and health, industrial relations, workers’ education, and special problems of women and young workers. Regional meetings of the ILO member States are held periodically to examine matters of special interest to the regions concerned.

What the ILO does

The ILO has four principal strategic objectives:

 • To promote and realize standards, and fundamental principles and rights at work.

 • To create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment.

 • To enhance the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all.

 • To strengthen tripartism and social dialogue

These objectives are realized in a number of ways:

 1. Formulation of international policies and programmes to promote basic human rights, improve working and living conditions, and enhance employment opportunities.

2. Creation of international labour standards – backed by a unique system to supervise their application – to serve as guidelines for national authorities in putting these policies into action.

 3. An extensive programme of international technical cooperation, formulated and implemented in an active partnership with constituents, to help countries in making these policies effective in practice.

 4. Training, education, research, and publishing activities to help advance all of these efforts

Policies and Programmes

Declaration of Philadelphia In 1944, the International Labour Conference met in Philadelphia, USA, and adopted the Declaration of Philadelphia. This redefined the aims and purpose of the ILO by adopting the following principles:

 • Labour is not a commodity

. • Freedom of expression and of association are essential to sustained progress.

 • Poverty anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere.

 • All human beings, irrespective of race, creed, or sex, have the right to pursue both their material wellbeing and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, of economic security, and of equal opportunity

Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work In 1998, the International Labour Conference adopted the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which reaffirmed the commitment of the international community to “respect, to promote and to realize in good faith” the rights of workers and employers to freedom of association and the effective right to collective bargaining. It also commits member States to work towards the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, the effective abolition of child labour, and the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation. The Declaration emphasizes that all member States have an obligation to respect the fundamental principles involved, whether or not they have ratified the relevant Conventions

International Labour Standards

ILO Conventions and Recommendations

One of the ILO’s original and most important functions is the adoption by the tripartite International Labour Conference (employers, workers and governments) of Conventions and Recommendations which set international standards. Through ratifications by member States, these Conventions create binding obligations to implement their provisions. Recommendations provide guidance on policy, legislation, and practice. Since 1919, Conventions and Recommendations have been adopted covering practically all issues relating to the world of work. These include certain basic human rights (notably freedom of association, the right to organize and bargain collectively, the abolition of forced labour and child labour, and the elimination of discrimination in employment), labour administration, industrial relations, employment policy, working conditions, social security, occupational safety and health, employment of women, and employment of special categories such as migrant workers and seafarers.

Each member State is required to submit all Conventions and Recommendations adopted by the Conference to the competent national authorities for a decision on action to be taken. The ratifications of these Conventions have continued to increase in number. The ILO has established a supervisory procedure to ensure their application in law and practice, which is the most advanced of all such international procedures. It is based on objective evaluation by independent experts of the manner in which obligations are complied with, and on examination of cases by the ILO tripartite bodies. There is a special procedure to investigate complaints of infringement of freedom of association.

Key ILO Conventions No. 29 Forced Labour Convention (1930) Requires the suppression of forced or compulsory labour in all its forms. Certain exceptions are permitted, such as military service, properly supervised convict labour, and emergencies such as wars, fires, earthquakes.

No. 87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention (1948) Establishes the right of all workers and employers to form and join organizations of their own choosing without prior authorization, and lays down a series of guarantees for the free functioning of organizations without interference by public authorities.

 No. 98 Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention (1949) Provides for protection against anti-union discrimination, for protection of workers’ and employers’ organizations against acts of interference by each other, and for measures to promote collective bargaining.

No. 100 Equal Remuneration Convention (1951) Calls for equal pay and benefits for men and women for work of equal value.

No. 105 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (1957) Prohibits the use of any form of forced or compulsory labour as a means of political coercion or education, punishment for the expression of political or ideological views, workforce mobilization, labour discipline, punishment for participation in strikes, or discrimination

 No. 111 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (1958) Calls for a national policy to eliminate discrimination in access to employment, training, and working conditions, on grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin, and to promote equality of opportunity and treatment.

 No. 138 Minimum Age Convention (1973) Aims at the abolition of child labour, stipulating that the minimum age for admission to employment shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling.

 No. 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999) Calls for immediate and effective measures to secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour which include slavery and similar practices, forced recruitment for use in armed conflict, use in prostitution and pornography, any illicit activity, as well as work which is likely to harm the health, safety, and morals of children.

Focus on child labour Child labour is a pressing social,

economic and human rights issue. As many as 250 million children worldwide are thought to be working, deprived of adequate education, good health, and basic freedoms. Individual children pay the highest price, but countries suffer as well. Ending child labour is a goal in itself; but it is also a powerful way of promoting economic and human development.

 The ILO Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), containing the principle of the effective abolition of child labour, is strengthened by adoption of a new Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), calling for immediate measures to eliminate as a matter of urgency all of the worst forms of child labour – ranging from slavery and compulsory labour to use of a child in any illicit activity, and any work which is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

As the world has awakened to the abuses of child labour, the movement against it has evolved into a global cause virtually unprecedented in its pace and intensity. It is a movement which transcends political boundaries, languages, cultures and spiritual traditions. Every segment of civil society – governments, employers, trade unions, NGOs, and religious organizations – has joined together to declare that exploitative child labour must end. The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) currently manages over 1,000 programmes worldwide promoting alternatives to child labour

Gender and jobs

 Gender equality is a key element of the ILO agenda of Decent Work for All Women and Men.

 Gender equality, along with development, is one of the two cross-cutting issues of the four strategic objectives of the Decent Work agenda. The ILO’s approach to gender equality is to mainstream gender concerns in all its policies and programmes. Women have transformed the labour markets of the world. In some cases, they have succeeded in obtaining greater opportunities and economic autonomy. Yet, gender inequalities still permeate every aspect of the employment problem. Women still form the majority of unpaid, atypical, or discouraged workers in most countries.

The ILO is committed to an integrated policy on women and work. This involves a number of responses, including:

 • The International Programme on More and Better Jobs for Women. This programme promotes more jobs for women through employment creation, training, entrepreneurship development, improvement in access to the labour market, and equality of opportunity. It promotes better jobs through equal pay, occupational desegregation, health and safety, improved working conditions for non-standard employment, social security, family-friendly workplaces, and protection for vulnerable workers.

 • The Capacity-building Programme on Gender, Poverty and Employment. This programme focuses on enhancing women’s access to quality jobs, strengthening their bargaining and negotiating power, and providing innovative ways of increasing social protection, especially in the informal sector.

International Institute for Labour Studies The ILO International Institute for Labour Studies in Geneva promotes policy research and public discussion on emerging issues of concern to the ILO and its constituents – labour, business and government. The organizing theme of the Institute’s programmes is the notion of “decent work”. The Institute’s programmes seek to contribute to the development of the analytical and empirical foundations of decent work and a broader understanding of the policy instruments necessary to implement it in practice.

The Advantages of Labor Relations to an Organization

Many managers shudder when they think of unions organizing in their businesses and adopt an antagonistic approach to any existing labor organizations. However, organizations can reap several benefits from the presence of a labor union. When management and labor work together toward the same goals -- that of a profitable business with a high-quality product -- there need not be a constantly adversarial relationship. Strong labor relations can make a business more successful in the long run.

Lower Turnover Costs

Every time an employee leaves an organization, that organization incurs costs for the separation and replacement of the employee. Unions help reduce employee turnover because of greater management-employee communication and because workers can affect their environment in ways other than leaving their job

Employee Productivity

Evidence seems to indicate that unionized employees have a higher rate of productivity than nonunionized employees. A 2003 study published in "Industrial Relations" found that productivity among unionized manufacturing businesses were 10 percent higher than nonunion properties, and productivity in the education sector was 7 percent higher among unionized employees. The "Journal of Political Science" found that union shops were about 22 percent more productive than nonunion shops

Product and Service Quality

When employees have greater input into the production process for a good or service, the quality increases, as there is greater commitment on the part of those making or delivering the end-product. A 2009 study of unionized hospitals provides one example of improved quality. Professors Michael Ash and Jean Ann Sago reported that recovery rates for heart attack victims are higher in hospitals with unionized nurses than they are at nonunion hospitals. The reasons may be that the union advocates for higher staff-to-patient ratios, better nurse training and a limitation on excessive overtime. Strong labor relations can make for better communication between employees and management, which helps to identify product improvement ideas and head off problems before they become too costly.

Workplace Health and Safety

Worker health and safety has historically been a major goal for unions, and in the early days of labor organizing, unions were responsible for major reductions in worker fatalities in manufacturing industries. A safer workplace benefits an organization as it reduces worker compensation costs, absenteeism, health insurance costs and productivity. Unions typically demand greater health and safety training. One modern example of how unions affect workplace safety was the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers creating a safety program with Alabama Power in 2003. The program, called Target Zero, reduced the accidents at Alabama Power from 500 a year to 50 a year.