Essay on "International Labour Organization"

Essay 10 pages (3260 words) Sources: 7

[EXCERPT] . . . .

ILO

International Labour Organization

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the tripartite UN agency that brings together governments, employers, and workers of its member states in common action to promote decent work throughout the world. Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues. (International Labour Organization)

The ILO was founded in 1919 to pursue a vision based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon decent treatment of working people. The ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946. (International Labour Organization)

These ILO standards take the form of international labour Conventions and Recommendations. ILO Conventions are international treaties, subject to ratification by ILO member States. Recommendations are non-binding instruments - often dealing with the same subjects as Conventions - which set out guidelines orienting national policy and action. Both forms are intended to have a concrete impact on working conditions and practices around of the world. Whether or not a country has ratified a particular Convention, the standards provide guidance for the operation of national labour institutions and mechanisms, and good labour and employment practices. (ILO Organization: Office of Communication)

Let there be no doubt that there is much controversy over the ILO's role in setting standards and how effective their system is in the current day. We will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this organization and determine in the end how truly effective it is in it's current format. We will also lay out a few changes, as seen by the "experts" that may make ILO even more effective.

Strengths of ILO as a Global Standard-setting Body

Tripartism

Basic to the operations of the International Labor Organization (ILO) is tripartism -- the process by which workers, employers, and governments contribute to the setting of workplace standards and the protection of workers' rights worldwide. This concept, unique among international organizations, is founded in evidence that voluntary interaction and dialogue among representatives of the various parties is vital for social and economic stability and progress, while being consonant with democratic ideals. (Simpson)

There is no doubt that tripartism is the real strength of the ILO. This tripartism permeates the whole organization, including its voting rules. Under the ILO constitution each member state can send four delegates to meetings of the International Labour Conference, two from government, one from employers and the other from workers. Each has one vote. This applies to the ILO committee structure as well, where most of the work is done. (John Braithwaite, Peter Drahos)

The Conventions and Recommendations are a vivid example of tripartite deliberations, resulting in the adoption of compromise instruments that contain solid obligations but that are, at the same time, sufficiently flexible as to be acceptable to the majority of countries. (Simpson, the ILO and Tripartism: Some Reflections - Labour Standards Cooperation)

Independent organizations for workers and employers are the cornerstones of ILO's tripartite structure and its efforts to promote freedom of association. ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association, set up in 1950, has examined over 2,000 cases of violation of workers' and employers' freedom to organize themselves. It has a mandate to handle complaints in all ILO member States, including those that have not ratified freedom of association conventions. (International Labour Organization - 2)

The case of ILO, according to Braithwaite and Drahos, suggests that perhaps tripartism ought to become a constitutionalizing principle for international organizations.

Policy-making and Implementation

Further to the case of tripartism, Malva Driessen points out that it is evident within the ILO that the employers' and workers' organizations play an important role in both phases (of policy making and implementation), and that is exactly what makes the ILO structure unique. In phase one, they participate in the drafting of conventions and fully participate in the annual conference. They are fully incorporated into the organization.

They also have an important function in the implementation-phase, in the regular supervision as well as in the complaints procedures. In the second phase, the occupational groups have many roles in monitoring (Driessen).

Virginia Leary, in her treatise on NGO's gaining access to the ILO, argues that the organization's strength -- the incorporation of NGO's into the organization structure -- is also its weakness. Her point is that in makes the organization inflexible to adopt other NGO's, like human rights, etc. To participate in ILO activities. (Leary)

This is a point, by the way, that Driessen tends to agree, though she prefers to emphasize the critical strength that this incorporation of worker and employer groups into the ILO's Constitution, brings to the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization, while pointing out tongue-in-cheek that, "She (Leary) does not discuss extensively strong points, (of NGO participation in the ILO)." (Driessen) Leary responds, "I am convinced that the ILO would profit greatly in its work if it were able to provide more opportunity for other NGOs."

Social Justice and the "2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization"

The Social Justice agenda has always been and will remain the key, core bedrock of the ILO's purpose. Its dedication to justice, decent work, and global standards for the treatment of workers has been sustained since its founding, as evidenced by the organization winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969. As the world changes, so does the ILO. In its latest thrust forward, the ILO has put forth a new Declaration to reinforce that agenda.

The demands of the modern world of work are changing and this Declaration strengthens our effort to respond through the Decent Work Agenda," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. "Not only does it signal a major change towards balanced economic and social policies, but it equips the ILO with a formidable tool to pursue the promotion of a fair globalization based on Decent Work." (ILO Dept. Of Communication and Public Information)

Through the Declaration governments, employers and workers from all member States call for a new strategy to sustain open economies and open societies based on social justice, full and productive employment, sustainable enterprises and social cohesion. The Declaration acknowledges the benefits of globalization but calls for renewed efforts to implement decent work policies as the means to achieve improved and fair outcomes for all. (ILO Organization: Office of Communication)

The Declaration stresses the fundamental principles of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of all forms of forced labour, the effective abolition of child labour and the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation as the Organization's bedrock principles. The Declaration adopted this year underscores the particular significance of these rights as enabling conditions for the realization of the ILO's four strategic objectives. (ILO Organization: Office of Communication)

Basic Labour Standard-setting Function

Though there is much dispute over the current effectivity of the ILO's labour-setting capability, it cannot be passed over for the good it has done over many decades of protecting workers worldwide. The basic process and the global standards it has established would have been nearly non-existent if not for the ILO.

The standard-setting function is the strength of the International Labour Organization. It draws its uniqueness from the constant search for a consensus between public authorities and the principal interested parties, namely employers and workers. The entire process of international labour standards, from their elaboration to the supervision of their application and their promotion is motivated by tripartism, which is a peaceful means of conducting work relations involving the full participation of employers and workers in the decisions which affect them. Governments and employers' and workers' organizations are thus partners in the framework of this unique international organization, the ILO, whose objective is to improve the lot of all people in their work. Standards are the principal means which it puts at their disposal for bringing this about. (ILO Bureau for Worker's Activities)

In June of each year, after considerable preparatory work, representatives of governments, and employers' and workers' organizations of all member countries meet in the International Labour Conference in Geneva, to adopt or revise those standards which will become international labour Conventions or Recommendations. These international instruments deal with people and their work. The Conventions are binding for countries which ratify them.

These standards are subject to constant supervision by the ILO. Each member country agrees to present periodically to the International Labour Office a report on the measures taken to apply, in law and in practice, the Conventions which it has ratified. The government reports are examined by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, composed of some twenty independent, eminent figures in either the legal or social field and who are also specialists in labour matters. The Committee submits an annual report to the International Labour Conference, which is closely examined by a tripartite

Committee composed of government, employer and worker members. (ILO Bureau for Worker's Activities)

Weaknesses of ILO as a Global Standard-setting Body

Professor Guy Standing worked for the… READ MORE

How to Reference "International Labour Organization" Essay in a Bibliography

Related Essays:

International Labour Law Term Paper

Professor Alston on the 'core labor standards' of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a review of how the Declaration goes against the original intent of the 1919 ILO tradition (ilo.org… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (1905 words) Sources: 6 Style: Harvard Topic: Law / Legal / Jurisprudence

---

International Labour Economics Term Paper

International Labor Economics

Programme Title

Module Number & Name

International Labour Economics (Irish Labour Market)

Statistical Profile of Irish Labour Market

The Republic of Ireland is a member of the… read more

Term Paper 7 pages (2169 words) Sources: 7 Topic: Economics / Finance / Banking

---

International Development Studies Economic Development and Culture Change Term Paper

International Development Studies: Economic Development & Culture Change

According to Sen, democracy is associated with the freedom of thought and action and, deriving from this, the freedom of the individual,… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1827 words) Sources: 1+ Style: MLA Topic: World History

---

Labor Discrimination Equal Pay Act Law and Reality Thesis

Labor Discrimination - Equal Pay Act - Law and Reality

The objective of this work is to examine law and regulations relating to labor discrimination, the equal pay act and… read more

Thesis 25 pages (6312 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

Labor Unions Are Organizations That Lawfully Represent Article Critique

Labor unions are organizations that lawfully represent workers in many industries across the economy. They offer workers collective bargaining with their employers on issues such as wages, employment benefits as… read more

Article Critique 3 pages (862 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>