ILO

In the first two years of the ILO’s existence, 22 international labour conventions were adopted. Some of the topics that the first conventions addressed were “hours of work in industry, unemployment, maternity protection, night work for women, minimum age, and night work for young persons in industry.” In 1930, the ILO adopted the first future fundamental convention: the Forced Labour Convention (No.29), which prohibited all forms of forced labour unless exempted by certain conditions. With the onset of the Great Depression, the United States joined the ILO in 1934 noting that complex labour issues would require an international response. Throughout the history of the League of Nations, the ILO is the only League-affiliated organisation that the United States joined. With the backdrop of World War 2, the ILO broadened its mandate with the Declaration of Philadelphia, signed during the 26th general conference session in 1944. The Declaration of Philadelphia, which is attached to the general constitution of the ILO, foreshadows some of the ILO’s earliest future fundamental conventions including the freedom of expression and association which was adopted in 1948 as Convention 87, Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention.

In the first half of the 20th century, global divisions of labour were shaped largely by the practices of colonialism. Poorer countries exported natural resources to richer countries, which then manufactured and produced specialised goods. As many colonised nations achieved independence, developing nations in the global South took on increasingly protectionist policies in attempts to build up the manufacturing sectors of their economies, thus marking a shift in the global division of labour. However, towards the latter part of the 20th century, a number of factors saw protectionist measures fall. Such factors included rising labour costs in the north, advances in transportation and communication technologies, the liberalisation of trade, and the deregulation of markets. In the midst of a changing international labour landscape, developing nations in the south took on a previously unseen domination of the labour-intensive manufacturing industry.

With the deregulation of major markets and significant increases in the volume of international trade, attempts to make manufacturing sectors more attractive to retailers saw extreme downward pressure placed on the quality of working conditions in lower income regions of the world. This gave rise to growing concerns about a global Race to the bottom, in which governments take part in the iterative loosening of labour protections in attempts to aid the international competitiveness of export-oriented industries. Fears of this nature consequently produced the notable increases in the discourse on international labour ethics that characterise the contemporary international human rights arena.

International Labour Standards

International labour standards are a comprehensive set of legal instruments that establish basic principles and rights at work, with a goal to improve working conditions on a global scale. The Conventions and Recommendations of the ILO form the international labor standards. Conventions are legally binding international treaties that may be ratified by member states. Recommendations are non-binding guidelines. In many cases, a convention lays down the basic principles to be implemented by ratifying countries, while a related recommendation supplements the convention by providing more detailed guidelines on how it could be applied. Recommendations can also be autonomous, ie: not linked to a convention.

The standards are backed by a supervisory system designed to address their application at the national level.

The ILO’s Governing Body has identified eight conventions as ‘fundamental’, covering subjects that are considered as fundamental principles and rights at work. The eight fundamental conventions are:

1. Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87)
2. Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98)
3. Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)
4. Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
5. Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)
6. Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)
7. Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)
8. Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)

ILO Conventions

• C014 – Weekly Rest (Industry) Convention, 1921 (No. 14)
• C029 – Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)
• C077 – Medical Examination of Young Persons (Industry) Convention, 1946 (No. 77)
• C078 – Medical Examination of Young Persons (Non-Industrial Occupations) Convention, 1946 (No. 78)
• C081 – Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81)
• C087 – Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87)
• C094 – Labour Clauses (Public Contracts) Convention, 1949 (No. 94)
• C095 – Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95)
• C097 – Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97)
• C098 – Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98)
• C100 – Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)
• C102 – Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102)
• C105 – Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
• C106 – Weekly Rest (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1957 (No. 106)
• C110 – Plantations Convention, 1958 (No. 110)
• C111 – Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)
• C115 – Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 (No. 115)
• C118 – Equality of Treatment (Social Security) Convention, 1962 (No. 118)
• C120 – Hygiene (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1964 (No. 120)
• C121 – Employment Injury Benefits Convention, 1964 [Schedule I amended in 1980] (No. 121)
• C122 – Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122)
• C124 – Medical Examination of Young Persons (Underground Work) Convention, 1965 (No. 124)
• C128 – Invalidity, Old-Age and Survivors’ Benefits Convention, 1967 (No. 128)
• C129 – Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129)
• C130 – Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Convention, 1969 (No. 130)
• C131 – Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131)
• C135 – Workers’ Representatives Convention, 1971 (No. 135)
• C138 – Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)
• C139 – Occupational Cancer Convention, 1974 (No. 139)
• C140 – Paid Educational Leave Convention, 1974 (No. 140)
• C141 – Rural Workers’ Organisations Convention, 1975 (No. 141)
• C142 – Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142)
• C143 – Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143)
• C144 – Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144)
• C145 – Continuity of Employment (Seafarers) Convention, 1976 (No. 145)
• C146 – Seafarers’ Annual Leave with Pay Convention, 1976 (No. 146)
• C147 – Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 147)
• C148 – Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977 (No. 148)
• C149 – Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149)
• C150 – Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150)
• C151 – Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 (No. 151)
• C152 – Occupational Safety and Health (Dock Work) Convention, 1979 (No. 152)
• C154 – Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154)
• C155 – Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155)
• C156 – Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156)
• C157 – Maintenance of Social Security Rights Convention, 1982 (No. 157)
• C159 – Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159)
• C160 – Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160)
• C161 – Occupational Health Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161)
• C162 – Asbestos Convention, 1986 (No. 162)
• C163 – Seafarers’ Welfare Convention, 1987 (No. 163)
• C164 – Health Protection and Medical Care (Seafarers) Convention, 1987 (No. 164)
• C165 – Social Security (Seafarers) Convention (Revised), 1987 (No. 165)
• C166 – Repatriation of Seafarers Convention (Revised), 1987 (No. 166)
• C167 – Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167)
• C168 – Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment Convention, 1988 (No. 168)
• C169 – Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)
• C170 – Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170)
• C171 – Night Work Convention, 1990 (No. 171)
• C172 – Working Conditions (Hotels and Restaurants) Convention, 1991 (No. 172)
• C173 – Protection of Workers’ Claims (Employer’s Insolvency) Convention, 1992 (No. 173)
• C174 – Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993 (No. 174)
• C175 – Part-Time Work Convention, 1994 (No. 175)
• C176 – Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995 (No. 176)
• C177 – Home Work Convention, 1996 (No. 177)
• C178 – Labour Inspection (Seafarers) Convention, 1996 (No. 178)
• C179 – Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers Convention, 1996 (No. 179)
• C180 – Seafarers’ Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention, 1996 (No. 180)
• C181 – Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181)
• C182 – Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)
• C183 – Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183)
• C184 – Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001 (No. 184)
• C185 – Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003 (No. 185)
• MLC, 2006 – Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006)
• C187 – Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187)
• C188 – Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188)
• C189 – Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189)
• P029 – Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930
• P081 – Protocol of 1995 to the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947
• P089 – Protocol of 1990 to the Night Work (Women) Convention (Revised), 1948
• P110 – Protocol of 1982 to the Plantations Convention, 1958
• P147 – Protocol of 1996 to the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976
• P155 – Protocol of 2002 to the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981