The ILO at a glance

7/30/2019 The ILO at a glance

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TheILOat a glance


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Universal and

lasting peace can be

established only if it

is based on social

justice."

I LO Constitution, 1919


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Past...

The ILO was ceated in 1919, as pat of the Teat of Vesailles

that ended World War I, to reect the belief that universal and

lasting peace can be accoplished onl if it is based on social

justice. The ILOs foundes wee coitted to speading huane

woing conditions and cobating injustice, hadship and povet.

In 1944, duing anothe peiod of intenational cisis, ILO ebes

built on these ais b adopting the Declaration of Philadelphia,

which states that labou is not a coodit and sets out basic

huan and econoic ights unde the pinciple that povet

anwhee constitutes a dange to pospeit evewhee.

The ILO in 1946 became the rst specialized agency associated with

the newl foed United Nations. On its 50th annivesa in 1969, the

ILO was awaded the Nobel Peace Pize.

The vast expansion in the nube of counties belonging to the ILO in

the decades afte Wold Wa II bought uch change. The oganization

launched technical assistance pogaes to povide expetise

and assistance to govenents, woes and eploes woldwide,

especiall in developing nations. In counties such as Poland, Chile and

South Afica, the ILOs stong suppot fo tade union ights helped in

the ght for democracy and freedom.


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Anothe ipotant date fo the ILO was 1998, when delegates to

the Intenational Labou Confeence adopted the Declaration on

Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. These pinciples and

ights ae the ight to feedo of association and collective bagaining

and the eliination of child labou, foced labou and disciination

lined to eploent. The guaantee of these fundaental

pinciples and ights at wo, accoding to the Declaation, is

ipotant because it enables people to clai feel and on the

basis of equalit of oppotunit, thei fai shae of the wealth which

the have helped to geneate and to achieve full thei huan

potential.

...to Present


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Wo is cental to peoples well-being. In addition to poviding incoe,

wo can pave the wa fo boade social and econoic advanceent,

stengthening individuals, thei failies and counities. Such

pogess, howeve, hinges on wo that is decent.

Decent wo sus up the aspiations of people in thei woing lives.

It involves oppotunities fo wo that is poductive and delives a faiincoe, secuit in the woplace and social potection fo failies.

Decent wo eans bette pospects fo pesonal developent and

social integation, and feedo fo people to expess thei concens,

oganize and paticipate in the decisions that affect thei lives. It

entails equalit of oppotunit and teatent fo all woen and

en.

Decent wo is the e to the eadication of povet. If woenand en have access to decent wo, the can shae in the gains

bought b inceased intenational econoic integation. Extending

oppotunities fo decent wo to oe people is a cucial eleent

in aing globalization oe inclusive and fai. Ceating decent

eploent ust theefoe be at the heat of developent polic.

Decent Work...


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...in a Globalizing World

In 2004, the ole of the ILO in pooting stategies fo a fai

globalization was baced b the epot of the Wold Coission on

the Social Diension of Globalization.

The dive to foste decent wo spans the ILO, integating what the

oganization does at intenational, egional, national and local levels.

In binging togethe govenents, eploes and woes to set

labou standads, supevise thei ipleentation, aise awaeness,

develop policies and devise pogaes, the ILO ais to ensue that

its effots ae ooted in the needs of woing woen and en.

The ILO wos activel with the UN and othe ultilateal agencies

to develop policies and pogaes that suppot the ceation of

decent wo oppotunities as a cental plan of effots to educe and

eadicate povet.


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Social

Dialogue is a

flexible tool

for achieving

economic andsocialchange.

SOCIAL DIALOGUE

Undeling the ILOs wo is the ipotance of coopeation between

govenents and eploes and woes oganizations in fosteing

social and econoic pogess. Dialogue between the govenents and

the two social patnes pootes consensus-building and deocatic

involveent of those with vital staes in the wold of wo.

This social dialogue can ean negotiation, consultation o sipl

an exchange of views between epesentatives of eploes, woes

and govenents. It a consist of elations between labou and

anageent, with o without diect govenent involveent. Social

dialogue is a exible tool that enables governments and employers

and woes oganizations to anage change and achieve econoic

and social goals.

The ve stuctue of the ILO, whee woes and eploes togethe

have an equal voice with govenents in the wo of its govening

councils, shows social dialogue in action. It ensues that the views

of the social partners are closely reected in ILO labour standards,

policies and pogaes.


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GOVErNANCE AND POL ICymAk ING

The ILOs boad policies ae set b the Intenational Labou

Confeence, which eets once a ea and bings togethe

the oganizations constituents. The Confeence also adopts

new intenational labou standads and appoves the ILOs

wo plan and budget.

Between sessions of the Confeence, the ILO is guided b its

Govening Bod, which is coposed of 28 govenent

ebes, 14 eploe ebes and 14 woe ebes.

The ILOs Secretariat, the International Labour Ofce, hasits headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and maintains eld

ofces in more than 40 countries.

In 1999, Juan Soavia of Chile becae the ILOs ninth Diecto-

General. He is the rst person from the Southern Hemisphere

to head the oganization.

At the sae tie, the ILO helps govenents and eploes and

woes oganizations establish sound labou elations, adapt labou

laws to changing econoic and social cicustances and ipove

labou adinistation. In suppoting and einfocing eploes and

woes oganizations, the ILO helps to ceate the conditions fo

effective dialogue with govenents and with each othe.

GOVErNANCE AND POL ICymAk ING


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Core labourstandards are

a central plank

of decent work

STANDARDS

Since its early days, the ILO has sought to dene and guarantee

labou ights and ipove conditions fo woing people b building

a sste of intenational labou standads expessed in the fo of

Conventions, recoendations and Codes of Pactice.

The ILO has since adopted oe than 180 ILO Conventions and

190 recoendations coveing all aspects of the wold of wo.

This bod of intenational labou law was ecentl eviewed

b the Govening Bod which deteined that oe than 70

of the Conventions adopted befoe 1985 eained full up to

date and the eainde equied evision o withdawal. In

addition, dozens of Codes of Pactice have been developed.

In aeas as vaied as atenit leave and potection of igants,

these standads pla an ipotant ole in the dawing up of nationallegislation. A supeviso pocess helps to ensue that standads

ratied by individual member States are applied and the ILO provides

advice in the dafting of national labou laws.

With the adoption of the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and

Rights at Work in 1998, ILO ebe States decided to uphold a set

of core labour standards regardless of whether they had ratied the

elevant conventions. These ae basic huan ights and a cental

plan of decent wo.


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Freedom of

Association

is a building

block for social

and economic

progress

Freedom of Association

The ight of woes and eploes to fo and join oganizations of

thei choice is an integal pat of a fee and open societ. It is a basic

civil libet that seves as a building bloc fo social and econoic

pogess. Lined to this is the effective ecognition of the ight to

collective bagaining. Voice and epesentation ae an ipotant

pat of decent wo.

The existence of independent oganizations fo woes and

eploes seves as a foundation to the ILOs tipatite stuctue,

and thei involveent in ILO actions and policies einfoces feedo

of association, diectl and indiectl. Fo advising govenents on

labou legislation to poviding education and taining fo tade unions

and eploe goups, the ILO is egulal engaged in pooting

feedo of association.

The ILOs Coittee on Feedo of Association was set up in 1951 to

exaine violations of woes and eploes oganizing ights. The

coittee has exained oe than 2,000 cases, including allegations

of udes, disappeaances, phsical attacs, aests and foced

exile of trade union ofcials. The committee is tripartite and handles

complaints in ILO member States whether or not they have ratied

feedo of association conventions.

Though the Coittee on Feedo of Association and othe

supeviso echaniss, the ILO has fequentl defended ights of

tade unions and eploes oganizations. In an cases, these

organizations have played a signicant role in their countries

deocatic tansfoation.


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10

Forced Labour

An estiated iniu of at least 12 illion people woldwide ae

victis of foced labou. Of those, 10 illion ae exploited b foced

labou in the pivate econo, athe than that iposed diectl

by states. The ILO estimates that US$32 billion in annual prots are

generated by the forced labour of trafcked people.

Forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafckingand othe fos of oden slave. The ost vulneable victis ae

woen and gils foced into postitution, igants tapped in debt

bondage, and sweatshop o fa woes ept thee b cleal illegal

tactics and paid little o nothing.

The ILO has woed since its inception to tacle foced labou and

the conditions that give ise to it and has established a Special Action

Pogae on Foced Labou to intensif this effot. In patneship with

woes, eploes, civil societ and othe intenational oganizations,

the ILO sees to addess all aspects of foced labou. These ange fo

peventive easues including livelihood ipoveent pojects in

communities where trafcking victims originate, to support for freed

workers. Programmes can include micronance, training opportunities

and facilitating access to education.

The ILO is also pessing fo effective national laws and stonge

enfoceent echaniss, such as legal sanctions and vigoous

posecution against those who exploit foced laboues. B aising

public awaeness, the ILO sees to shine a spotlight on such huan

and labou ights violations.

The ILO seeksto address

all aspects of

forced labour


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Child labour is

on the decline

globally

Child Labour

Thee ae oe than 200 illion childen woing thoughout the

wold, an full-tie. The ae depived of adequate education,

good health and basic feedos. Of these, 126 illion o one in

eve 12 childen woldwide ae exposed to hazadous fos of

child labou, wo that endanges thei phsical, ental o oal

well-being.

Ove the past 15 eas, the wold has awaened to child labou as a

pessing social, econoic and huan ights issue. Toda, child labou

globall is on the decline, and if this tend continues, its wost fos

a be eliinated in the coing decade. This is the diect esult of

a poweful intenational oveent to eliinate child labou.

This movement is reected in the unprecedented pace with whichcounties ae atifing the ILOs Wost Fos of Child Labou

Convention. Adopted in 1999, the Convention has been ratied by

nine out of eve 10 of the ILOs 181 ebe States. Siilal, the

ILOs Minimum Age Convention adopted in 1973 has now been ratied

by four out of ve ILO member States.

The ILO has been a pincipal engine behind this gowing oveent.

The Intenational Pogae on the Eliination of Child Labou

(IPEC), launched in 1992, now encopasses activities in ove 80

counties. As with othe aspects of decent wo, eliinating child

labou is a developent as well as huan ights issue. ILO policies

and pogaes ai to help ensue that childen eceive the

education and taining the need to becoe poductive adults in

decent eploent.


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1

Discrimination

Hundeds of illions of people suffe fo disciination in the

wold of wo. This not onl violates a ost basic huan ight, but

has wider social and economic consequences. Discrimination sties

oppotunities, wasting the huan talent needed fo econoic

pogess and accentuating social tensions and inequalities. Cobating

disciination is an essential pat of pooting decent wo, and

success on this font is felt well beond the woplace.

Issues lined to disciination ae pesent thoughout the ILOs sphee

of wo. B bolsteing feedo of association, fo exaple, the ILO

sees to pevent disciination against tade union ebes and

ofcials.

Programmes to ght forced labour and child labour include helping

gils and woen tapped in postitution o coecive doestic labou.

Non-disciination is a ain pinciple in the ILOs code of pactice on

HIV/AIDS and the wold of wo. ILO guidelines on labou law include

povisions on disciination.

At the sae tie, gende equalit is integated into all ILO activities.

This reects the persistent and varied problems faced by women in

the labou aet. Woen continue to ean less than en, doinating

low-paid and less-potected occupations and accounting fo the

ajoit of woes in infoal, atpical and unpaid situations. The

ILO wos to expand eploent oppotunities fo woen, enhance

conditions of eploent and eliinate gende disciination. It

encouages woens entepeneuship though suppot sevices,

business development, training, micronance and documentation of

good pactices. And it helps woes oganizations defend and expand

the ights of woen at the woplace and poote thei ole in tade

unions and societ at lage.

Discriminationstifles

opportunities,

wasting human

talent needed

for economic

progress


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There has

never been

a greater

need to put

employment at

the centre of

economic andsocial policies

With global uneploent at histoicall high levels, thee has neve

been a geate need to put eploent at the cente of econoic

and social policies. Even aong those who wo, the extent of

povet undescoes the need fo a fa geate nube of poductive

and decent jobs.

The insufcient pace in creating decent work worldwide points to

the need fo geate intenational coodination of aco-econoic

policies, as well as active labou aet policies at the national

level.

Poductive and feel chosen eploent is at the coe of the ILOs

andate, and the oganization is coitted to full eploent.The ILO identies policies that help create and maintain decent

wo and incoe policies that ae foulated in a copehensive

Global Eploent Agenda woed out b the thee ILO constituents.

The oganization caies out eseach and taes pat in intenational

discussion of eploent stategies.

EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME

1


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The ILO is paticulal concened about the assive uneploent

of oung woen and en neal half the wolds uneploed ae

oung people and it sees to help the and thei govenents

though polic advice and concete taining and eploent

initiatives.

The ILO has pioneeed analsis and action on the infoal econo.

This te is used to descibe wo done beond the each of foal

laws and enfoceent echaniss. In an developing counties,

oe than half of the non-agicultual wofoce is in the infoal

econo. most woen in these counties wo infoall often as

steet tades. Infoal wo is ostl unpoductive, insecue, pool

euneated and done unde advese conditions. Helping eploesand woes to ove out of infoalit equies copehensive

stategies to aise sills and poductivit, ipove laws and thei

application and foste self-suppot institutions.

Peiodic ILO publications including Key Indicators of the Labour

Market analse tends and povide extensive statistical data.

The ILO povides technical suppot and advice in aeas anging fo

training and skills to micronance and small business development.

It has advised counties aing the tansition fo centall

planned to aet econoies on eploent, labou aet and

huan esouce policies. The oganization also wos to poote

eploent-intensive investent in developing counties.


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1

Wages and Other Conditionsof Employment

While wages a ise in an counties, the often eain too

low fo an woes to eet thei basic needs. And while soe

woes a see deceases in the tie the devote to wo, the

accopaning unpedictabilit can weaen job secuit and pose

new difculties for reconciling work and family. Dirty and dangerous

woing conditions, on the decline in industialized counties, ae

still pevalent in the developing wold. meanwhile, job elated

stess and violence ae stating to be ecognized globall as ajo

pobles.

Wages, woing tie, wo oganization, woing conditions and

adapting woing life to the deands of life outside wo ae coe

eleents of the eploent elationship and of woes potection,

as well as e diensions of econoic pefoance, and thus ae ofpincipal inteest to the ILO. These issues ae ajo coponents

of huan esouces anageent, collective bagaining and social

dialogue, as well as of govenent policies.


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1

The ILO iscommitted

to helping

countries

extend social

protection to

all groups in

society

SOCIAL PROT ECT ION

most en and woen do not have adequate levels of social potection.

The face danges in the woplace and poo o non-existent pension

and health insurance coverage. Some are not allowed sufcient rest

times and many women lack maternity benets. International labour

standads and the UN ecognize social potection as a basic huan

ight. moeove, well-designed social secuit sstes ipoveeconoic pefoance, contibuting to copetitiveness. The ILO

is coitted to helping counties extend social potection to all

goups in societ and to ipoving woing conditions and safet at

wo.


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1

Social Security

Only 20 per cent of the worlds population have adequate social

security coverage, and more than half lack any coverage at all. The

situation reects levels of economic development, with fewer than

10 per cent of workers in least-developed countries covered by

social security. In middle-income countries, coverage ranges from

20 to 60 per cent, while in most industrial nations, it is close to

100 pe cent.

Social secuit involves access to health cae and incoe secuit,

paticulal in cases of old age, uneploent, sicness, invalidit,

wo inju, atenit o loss of a ain incoe eane.

Concen aong govenents, eploes and woes led the ILO

to launch a Global Capaign on Social Secuit and Coveage foAll in 2003. The capaign builds on ILO effots alead undewa

in oe than 30 counties. These include pojects to help counties

extend coveage at the national level and to stengthen counit-

based social secuit oganizations. The ILO is also doing ipotant

eseach to identif factos that undeine secuit aong people

in the developing and developed wold.


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1

International Migration

Close to half of all igants and efugees woldwide o soe 86 illion

adults ae econoicall active, eploed o othewise engaged in

euneative activit. And the nube of igants cossing bodes

in seach of eploent and huan secuit is expected to incease

apidl in the coing decades due to the failue of globalization to

povide jobs and econoic oppotunities. Stict iigation contols

and baies iposed b ajo eceiving counties have led to anube of issues of concen, including a high incidence of abuse and

exploitation of igant woes in host societies.

The ILO sees todas global challenge as foging the policies and the

esouces to anage labou igation bette so that it contibutes

positivel to the gowth and developent of both hoe and host

societies, as well as to the well being of the igants theselves.


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The ILO places

special

importance

on developing

and applying

a preventive

safety and

health culture

in workplaces

worldwide

Health and Safety

Eve ea, oe than 2 illion people die fo occupational

accidents o wo-elated diseases. B consevative estiates,

thee ae 270 illion occupational accidents and 160 illion cases

of occupational disease.

The safet of wo vaies enoousl between counties, econoic

sectos and social goups. Deaths and injuies tae a paticulal

heav toll in developing nations, whee lage nubes of people ae

engaged in hazadous activities such as agicultue, constuction,

logging, shing and mining. Throughout the world, the poorest and

least potected often woen, childen and igants ae aong

the ost affected.

Given the pogess that an industialized counties have ade ineducing seious injuies, it is clea that ipoveents in woplace

safet ield esults. yet thee is a lac of awaeness, nowledge and

information about the issue. The ILO works to ll this gap through

eseach, advocac and technical assistance. It helps counties

develop anageent tools, onitoing and infoation sevices,

with the pia focus on hazadous occupations.

The ILO places special ipotance on developing and appling a

peventive safet and health cultue in woplaces woldwide.


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0

HIV/AIDS

In a elativel shot peiod, the pandeic of HIV/AIDS has becoe one

of the ost citical woplace issues in ou tie. Neal 40 illion

people of woing age have HIV and the global labou foce has lost an

estiated 28 illion woes to AIDS since the stat of the epideic

20 eas ago.

In addition to the epideics devastating ipact on these woen anden and thei failies, it affects the wold of wo in an was.

Fo exaple, disciination against people with HIV/AIDS theatens

fundaental ights at wo, undeining oppotunities fo people to

obtain decent eploent.

Following consultations aong govenents, eploes and woes,

the ILO in 2001 adopted a Code of Pactice on HIV/AIDS and the Wold

of Wo.

The pioneering Code is designed to help prevent the spread of

HIV/AIDS while managing and mitigating its workplace impact.

Among the Codes key principles are non-discrimination, gender

equality, a healthy working environment, no HIV testing for

purposes of employment, condentiality and the continuation of

the employment relationship. Increasingly, the code is serving

as a reference point for employers and trade unions negotiatingagreements on handling HIV/AIDS in the world of work.


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ISBN

978-92-2-118960-2

International Labour Ofce

Depatent of Counication and Public Infoation

4, oute des moillons

CH-1211 Geneva 22

Switzeland

Telephone: +41 22 799 7912Fax: +41 22 799 8577

Eail: [email protected]

www. ilo.og

978-92-2-118961-9

12/2007

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