The International Labour Organization was created in 1919, at the end of the First World War, at the time of the Peace Conference, which convened first in Paris, then at Versailles. The Constitution of the International Labour Organization was adopted by the Peace Conference in April of 1919.

The initial motivation was humanitarian. The condition of workers, more and more numerous and exploited with no consideration for their health, their family lives and their advancement, was less and less acceptable. This preoccupation appears clearly in the Preamble of the Constitution of the ILO, where it is stated, "conditions of labour exist involving ... injustice, hardship and privation to large numbers of people. " The second motivation was political. Without an improvement in their condition, the workers, whose numbers were ever increasing, as a result of industrialization, would create social unrest, even revolution. The Preamble notes that injustice produces "unrest so great that the peace and harmony of the world are imperilled." The third motivation was economic. Because of its inevitable effect on the cost of production, any industry or country adopting social reform would find itself at a disadvantage vis-¨¤-vis its competitors. The Preamble states that "the failure of any nation to adopt humane conditions of labour is an obstacle in the way of other nations which desire to improve the conditions in their own countries."

During the midst of the Second World War, the International Labour Conference, attended by representatives of governments, employers and workers from 41 countries met in Philadelphia. The delegates adopted the Declaration of Philadelphia which, annexed to the Constitution, still constitutes the Charter of the aims and objectives of the ILO. In 1969, the ILO was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as it commemorated its 50th anniversary.

On March 4, 1999, Juan Somavia, an attorney by profession, took up office as the ILO's ninth Director-General. Mr. Somavia has had a long and distinguished career in civil and international affairs.

MANDATE

The International Labour Organization is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. The ILO formulates international labour standards in the form of Conventions and Recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labour rights: freedom of association, the right to organize, collective bargaining, abolition of forced labour, equality of opportunity and treatment, and other standards regulating conditions across the entire spectrum of work related issues. It provides technical assistance primarily in the fields of vocational training and vocational rehabilitation; employment policy; labour administration; labour law and industrial relations; working conditions; management development; cooperatives; social security; labour statistics and occupational safety and health. It promotes the development of independent employers' and workers' organizations and provides training and advisory services to those organizations. Within the UN system, the ILO has a unique tripartite structure with workers and employers participating as equal partners with governments in the work of its governing organs.

STRUCTURE

The ILO accomplishes its work through three main bodies, all of which encompass the unique feature of the Organization: its tripartite structure (government, employers, and workers).

1. International Labour Conference: The member States of the ILO meet at the International Labour Conference in June of each year, in Geneva. Each member State is represented by two government delegates, an employer delegate and a worker delegate. It is generally the Cabinet Ministers responsible for labour affairs in their own countries who head the delegations, take the floor and present their governments' points of view. The Conference plays a very important role. It establishes and adopts international labour standards. It acts as a forum where social and labour questions of importance to the entire world are discussed. The Conference also adopts the budget of the Organization and elects the Governing Body.

2. The Governing Body is the executive council of the ILO and meets three times a year in Geneva. It takes decisions on ILO's policy. It establishes the programme and the budget which it then submits to the Conference for adoption. It also elects the Director-General. It is composed of 28 government members, 14 employer members and 14 worker members. Ten of the government seats are permanently held by States of chief industrial importance. Representatives of other member countries are elected at the Conference every three years, taking into account geographical distribution. The employers and workers elect their own representatives respectively.

3. The International Labour Office is the permanent secretariat of the International Labour Organization and focal point for the overall activities that it prepares under the scrutiny of the Governing Body and under the leadership of a Director-General, who is elected for a five-year renewable term. The Office employs some 1,900 officials of over 110 nationalities at the Geneva headquarters and in 40 field offices around the world. In addition, some 600 experts undertake missions in all regions of the world under the programme of technical cooperation. The Office also constitutes a research and documentation centre and a printing house issuing a broad range of specialized studies, reports and periodicals.

ILO LABOUR STANDARDS

The ILO's standards take the form of international labour Conventions and Recommendations. The ILO's Conventions are international treaties, subject to ratification by ILO member States. Its Recommendations are non-binding instruments.

Eight Conventions should be considered fundamental to the rights of human beings at work, implemented and ratified by all member States of the organization. These are called Fundamental ILO Conventions. The Fundamental Conventions cover the areas of freedom of association, the abolition of forced labour, equality, and the elimination of forced child labour. Another four Conventions concerning matters of essential importance to labour institutions and policy have been considered as Priority Conventions. These include areas such as tripartite consultation, labor inspection and labor policy.

A member State ratifies an ILO Convention when it "obtains the consent of the authority or authorities within whose competence the matter lies, it communicates the formal ratification of the Convention to the Director-General and takes such action as may be necessary to make effective the provisions of such Convention." Beyond that, no special requirements are laid down in the ILO Constitution as regards the form in which ratifications should be communicated to the ILO. The important thing is, of course, that the document in question clearly indicates that it constitutes the formal undertaking by a State to give effect to a specified Convention or Conventions and that it is signed by someone with authority to act on behalf of the State concerned. When a country ratifies an ILO Convention it agrees to two important things. First, it agrees to implement the Convention. To understand the implications of this, the provisions of the Convention concerned must be reviewed. Second, it agrees to submit itself to the ILO's supervision of the measures it takes to implement the Convention. Enforcement of the ILO Convention is done through a detailed reporting and supervision system as outlined in the ILO Constitution.

Recommendations typically deal with the same subjects as Conventions and set out guidelines, which can orient national policy and action. By the end of July 2002, ILO had adopted over 193 Recommendations covering a broad range of subjects. Both forms are intended to have a concrete impact on working conditions and practices in every country of the world.

The annual International Labour Conference, as well as other ILO bodies, often agree upon documents less formal than Conventions and Recommendations. These take such forms as codes of conduct and resolutions. These documents are often intended to have a normative effect but are not referred to as part of the ILO's system of international labour standards.


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THE EIGHT FUNDAMENTAL 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.

For more information about ILO Standards, please click here