The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency dealing with labour issues, [2] particularly international

labour standards and decent work for all. 185 of the 193 UN member states are members of the ILO. In 1969, the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize for improving peace among classes, pursuing [1] justice for workers, and providing technical assistance to developing nations. The ILO registers complaints against entities that are violating international rules; however, it does not impose sanctions on governments.

Governance, organization, and membership

Unlike other United Nations specialized agencies, the International Labour Organization has a tripartite governing structure representing governments, employers and workers (usually with a ratio [4] of 2:1:1). The rationale behind the tripartite structure is creation of free and open debate among governments and social partners. The ILO secretariat (staff) is referred to as the International Labour Office.

Governing Body[edit]
The Governing Body decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft programme and budget of the organization for submission to the conference, elects the director-general, requests information from member states concerning labour matters, appoints commissions of inquiry and supervises the work of the International Labour Office. Juan Somava was the ILO's director-general since 1999 until October 2012, when Guy Ryder was elected as his replacement. This guiding body is composed of 28 government representatives, 14 workers' representatives, and 14 employers' representatives. Ten of the government seats are held by member states that are nations of "chief industrial importance," as first considered by an "impartial committee." The nations are Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, [5] Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. The terms of office are [6][7] three years.

International Labour Conference

The ILO organizes the International Labour Conference in Geneva every year in June, where conventions and recommendations are crafted and adopted. Also known as the parliament of Labour, the conference also makes decisions about the ILO's general policy, work programme and budget. Each member state has four representatives at the conference: two government delegates, an employer delegate and a worker delegate. All of them have individual voting rights, and all votes are equal, regardless of the population of the delegate's member state. The employer and worker delegates are normally chosen in agreement with the "most representative" national organizations of employers and [citation workers. Usually, the workers' delegates coordinate their voting, as do the employers' delegates. needed] [8] . All delegate have the same rights, and are not required to vote in blocs.

Conventions
Through July 2011, the ILO has adopted 189 conventions. If these conventions are ratified by enough governments, they become in force. However, ILO conventions are consideredinternational labor standards regardless of ratifications. When a convention comes into force, it creates a legal obligation for ratifying nations to apply its provisions. Every year the International Labour Conference's Committee on the Application of Standards examines a number of alleged breaches of international labour standards. Governments are required to submit reports detailing their compliance with the obligations of the conventions they have ratified. Conventions that have not been ratified by member states have the same legal force as do recommendations. In 1998, the 86th International Labour Conference adopted the Declaration on Fundamental Principles [9] and Rights at Work. This declaration contains four fundamental policies: 1. The right of workers to associate freely and bargain collectively; 2. The end of forced and compulsory labour; 3. The end of child labour; and 4. The end of unfair discrimination among workers. The ILO asserts that its members have an obligation to work towards fully respecting these principles, embodied in relevant ILO Conventions. The ILO Conventions which embody the fundamental principles [10] have now been ratified by most member states.

Membership
As of 2013, 185 of the 193 member states of the United Nations are members of the ILO. member states which are not members of the ILO are Andorra, Bhutan, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, North Korea andTonga.
[11]

The UN

The ILO constitution permits any member of the UN to become a member of the ILO. To gain membership, a nation must inform the Director-General that it accepts all the obligations of the ILO [12] constitution. Members of the ILO under the League of Nations automatically became members when the organization's new constitution came into effect after World War II. In addition, any original member of the United Nations and any state admitted to the U.N. thereafter may join. Other states can be admitted by a two-thirds vote of all delegates, including a two-thirds vote of government delegates, at any ILO General Conference.

Origins[edit]
While the ILO was established as an agency of the League of Nations following World War I, its founders had made great strides in social thought and action before 1919. The core members all knew one another from earlier private professional and ideological networks, in which they exchanged knowledge, experiences, and ideas on social policy. Prewar "epistemic communities", such as the International Association for Labour Legislation (IALL), founded in 1900, and political networks, such as the Socialist Second International, were a decisive factor in the institutionalization of international labour [15] politics.

In the postWorld War I euphoria, the idea of a "makeable society" was an important catalyst behind the social engineering of the ILO architects. As a new discipline, international labour law became a useful instrument for putting social reforms into practice. The utopian ideals of the founding members social justice and the right to decent work were changed by diplomatic and political compromises made at [15] the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, showing the ILO's balance between idealism and pragmatism. Over the course of the First World War, the international labour movement proposed a comprehensive programme of protection for the working classes, conceived as compensation for labour's support during [clarification needed] the war. Post-war reconstruction and the protection of labour unions occupied the attention of many nations during and immediately after World War I. In Great Britain, the Whitley Commission, a subcommittee of the Reconstruction Commission, recommended in its July 1918 Final Report that [16] "industrial councils" be established throughout the world. The British Labour Party had issued its own [17] reconstruction programme in the document titled Labour and the New Social Order. In February 1918, the third Inter-Allied Labour and Socialist Conference (representing delegates from Great Britain, France, Belgium and Italy) issued its report, advocating an international labour rights body, an end to secret [18] diplomacy, and other goals. And in December 1918, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) issued its own distinctively apolitical report, which called for the achievement of numerous incremental [19] improvements via the collective bargaining process.

Commission on International Labour Legislation

Meanwhile, the Paris Peace Conference sought to dampen public support for communism. Subsequently, the Allied Powers agreed that clauses should be inserted into the emerging peace treaty protecting labour unions and workers' rights, and that an international labour body be established to help guide international labour relations in the future. The advisory Commission on International Labour Legislation was established by the Peace Conference to draft these proposals. The Commission met for the first time [19] on 1 February 1919, and Gompers was elected chairman. Two competing proposals for an international body emerged during the Commission's meetings. The British proposed establishing an international parliament to enact labour laws which each member of the League would be required to implement. Each nation would have two delegates to the parliament, one [19] each from labour and management. An international labour office would collect statistics on labour issues and enforce the new international laws. Philosophically opposed to the concept of an international parliament and convinced that international standards would lower the few protections achieved in the United States, Gompers proposed that the international labour body be authorized only to make recommendations, and that enforcement be left up to the League of Nations. Despite vigorous opposition [19] from the British, the American proposal was adopted. Gompers also set the agenda for the draft charter protecting workers' rights. The Americans made 10 proposals. Three were adopted without change: That labour should not be treated as a commodity; that all workers had the right to a wage sufficient to live on; and that women should receive equal pay for equal work. A proposal protecting the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association was amended to include only freedom of association. A proposed ban on the international shipment of goods made by children under the age of 16 was amended to ban goods made by children under the age of 14. A proposal to require an eight-hour work day was amended to require the eight-hour work day or the 40hour work week (an exception was made for countries where productivity was low). Four other American proposals were rejected. Meanwhile, international delegates proposed three additional clauses, which

were adopted: One or more days for weekly rest; equality of laws for foreign workers; and regular and [19] frequent inspection of factory conditions. The Commission issued its final report on 4 March 1919, and the Peace Conference adopted it without [19] amendment on 11 April. The report became Part XIII of the Treaty of Versailles.

Interwar period
The first annual conference (referred to as the International Labour Conference, or ILC) began on 29 [20] October 1919 at the Pan American Union (building) in Washington, D.C. and adopted the first six International Labour Conventions, which dealt with hours of work in industry, unemployment, maternity [21] protection, night work for women, minimum age, and night work for young persons in industry. The prominent French socialistAlbert Thomas became its first Director General. Despite open disappointment and sharp critique, the revived International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) quickly adapted itself to this mechanism. The IFTU increasingly oriented its international [22] activities around the lobby work of the ILO. At the time of establishment, the U.S. government was not a member of ILO, as the US Senate rejected the Covenant of the League of Nations, and the United States could not join any of its agencies. Following the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the U.S. presidency, the new administration made renewed efforts to join the ILO even without League membership. On 19 June 1934, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing the President to join ILO without joining the League of Nations as a whole. On 22 June 1934, the ILO adopted a resolution inviting the U.S. government to join the organization. On 20 August 1934, the U.S. government responded positively and took its seat at the ILO.

Programs[edit]
Labour statistics[edit]
The ILO is a major provider of labour statistics. Labour statistics are an important tool for its member states to monitor their progress toward improving labour standards. As part of their statistical work, ILO [28] maintains several databases, such as Laborsta. This database covers 11 major data series for over 200 countries. In addition, ILO publishes a number of compilations of labour statistics, such as the Key Indicators of Labour Markets (KILM). KILM covers 20 main indicators on labour participation rates, employment, unemployment, educational attainment, labour cost, and economic performance. Many of these indicators have been prepared by other organizations. For example, the Division of International Labour Comparisons of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics prepares the hourly compensation in [29] manufacturing indicator.

Training and teaching units[edit]

The International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITCILO) is based in Turin, [30] Italy. Together with the University of Turin, Faculty of Law, the ITC offers training for ILO officers and secretariat members, as well as offering educational programmes. For instance, the ITCILO offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) programme in Management of Development, which aims specialize professionals [31] in the field of cooperation and development.

Child labour[edit]
The term child labour is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. It refers to work that: is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and interferes with their schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

In its most extreme forms, child labour involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities often at a very early age. Whether or not particular forms of "work" can be called child labour depends on the child's age, the type and hours of work performed, the conditions under which it is performed and the objectives pursued by individual countries. The answer varies from country to country, as well as among sectors within countries. Not all work done by children should be classified as child labour that is to be targeted for elimination. Children's or adolescents' participation in work that does not negatively affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling, is generally regarded as being something positive. This includes activities such as helping their parents around the home, assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays. These kinds of activities contribute to children's development and to the welfare of their families; they provide them with skills and experience, and help ILO's response to child

labour
to prepare theILO's response to child labour m to be productivThe ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) was created in 1992 with the overall goal of the progressive elimination of child labour, which was to be achieved through strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the problem and promoting a worldwide movement to combat child labour. IPEC currently has operations in 88 countries, with an annual expenditure on technical cooperation projects that reached over US$ 74 million, 50 million in 2006. It is the largest programme of its kind globally and the biggest single operational programme of the ILO. The number and range of IPEC's partners have expanded over the years and now include employers' and workers' organizations, other international and government agencies, private businesses, communitybased organizations, NGOs, the media, parliamentarians, the judiciary, universities, religious groups and, of course, children and their families. IPEC's work to eliminate child labour is an important facet of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda. Child [33] labour not only prevents children from acquiring the skills and education they need for a better future, it also perpetuates poverty and affects national economies through losses in competitiveness, productivity and potential income. Withdrawing children from child labour, providing them with education and assisting
[32]

their families with training and employment opportunities contribute directly to creating decent work for adults. e members of soForced

labour[edit]

The ILO has considered the fight against forced labour to be one of its main priorities. During the interwar years, the issue was mainly considered a colonial phenomenon, and the ILO's concern was to establish minimum standards protecting the inhabitants of colonies from the worst abuses committed by economic interests. After 1945, the goal became to set a uniform and universal standard, determined by the higher awareness gained during World War II of politically and economically motivated systems of forced labour, but debates were hampered by the Cold War and by exemptions claimed by colonial powers. Since the 1960s, declarations of labour standards as a component of human rights have been weakened by government of postcolonial countries claiming a need to exercise extraordinary powers over labour in [34] their role as emergency regimes promoting rapid economic development. ciety duriIn June 1998 the International Labour Conference adopted a Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up that obligates member States to respect, promote and realize freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, the effective abolition of child labour, and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. With the adoption of the Declaration, the International Labour Organization (ILO) created the InFocus Programme on Promoting the Declaration which is responsible for the reporting processes and technical cooperation activities associated with the Declaration; and it carries out awareness raising, advocacy and knowledge functions. In November 2001, following the publication of the in Focus Programme's first Global Report on forced labour, the ILO Governing Body created a Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour (SAPFL), as part of broader efforts to promote the 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up. Since its inception, SAP-FL has focused on raising global awareness of forced labour in its different forms, and mobilising action against its manifestation. Several thematic and country-specific studies and surveys have since been undertaken, on such diverse aspects of forced labour as bonded labour, human trafficking, forced domestic work, rural servitude, and forced prison labour. The Special Action Programme to combat Forced Labour (SAP-FL) has spearheaded the ILO's work in this field since early 2002. The programme is designed to: Raise global awareness and understanding of modern forced labour Assist governments in developing and implementing new laws, policies and action plans Develop and disseminate guidance and training materials on key aspects of forced labour and trafficking Implement innovative programmes that combine policy development, capacity building of law enforcement and labour market institutions, and targeted, field-based projects of direct support for both prevention of forced labour and identification and rehabilitation of its victims.

Minimum wage law[edit]

To protect the right of labours for fixing minimum wage, ILO has created Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery Convention, 1928, Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery (Agriculture) Convention, 1951 and Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 as minimum wage law.

HIV/AIDS[edit]
Under the name ILOAIDS, the ILO created the Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work as a document providing principles for "policy development and practical guidelines for programmes at [35] enterprise, community, and national levels." Including: prevention of HIV management and mitigation of the impact of AIDS on the world of work care and support of workers infected and affected by HIV/AIDS elimination of stigma and discrimination on the basis of real or perceived HIV status.

Indigenous peoples[edit]
ILO-Convention 169 concerns indigenous and tribal peoples in independent countries. It was adopted on 27 June 1989 by the General Conference of the ILO at its 76th session. Its entry into force was 5 [36][37] September 1991.

Migrant workers[edit]
As the word "migrant" suggests, migrant workers refer to those who moves from place to place to do their job. For the rights of migrant workers, ILO has adopted conventions, including Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 and United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in 1990.

Domestic workers[edit]
Domestic workers are those who perform a variety of tasks for and in other peoples. For example, they may cook / clean the house and look after children. Yet they are often the ones with the least consideration, excluded from labour and social protection. This is mainly due to the fact that women have [38] traditionally carried out the tasks without pay. For the rights and decent work of domestic workers including migrant domestic workers, ILO has adopted Convention on domestic workers on 16 June 2011.

ILO and Globalization[edit]

Seeking a process of globalization that is inclusive, democratically governed and provides opportunities and tangible benefits for all countries and people. The World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization was established by the ILO's Governing Body in February 2002 at the initiative of the Director-General in response to the fact that there did not appear to be a space within the multilateral system that would cover adequately and comprehensively the social dimension of the various aspects of globalization. The World Commission Report, A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All, is the first attempt at structured dialogue among representatives of constituencies with different interests and opinions on the social dimension of globalization, aimed at finding common ground on one of the most [39] controversial and divisive subjects of our time.

Recent ILO Committee Reports and Recommendations[edit]

The ILO has several specialized and technical committees that focus on labour relations and trade union rights issues. One of these bodies is the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association. This committee has successfully issued recommendations in 2010 on 6 anomalous and highly celebrated cases in the labour front, two of which are the following: Case Number 2716 International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Associations (IUF) and the National Union of Workers in the Hotel, Restaurant, and Allied Industries (NUWHRAIN), Dusit Hotel Nikko Chapter supported by the Alliance of Progressive Labour (APL), the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), the Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU), Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (MAKABAYAN), the National Labor Union (NLU), Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), the Alliance of Coca-Cola Unions of the Philippines (ACCUP), the Automotive Industry Workers Alliance (AIWA), the League of Independent Bank Organization (LIBO), the National Alliance of Broadcast Unions (NABU), the Postal Employees Union of the Philippines (PEUP), Pinag-isang Tinig at Lakas ng Anak Pawis (PIGLAS), the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance (PMA) and the Workers Solidarity Network [40] (WSN). The complainants allege that, in a decision concerning anti-union dismissals in the context of a labour dispute, the Supreme Court of the Philippines held that workers who shaved or cropped their hair engaged in an unprotected illegal strike, and thus upheld the dismissal of 29 trade union officers and allowed dismissal of 61 trade union members, in violation of the principles of freedom of association. [41] The issue has been protested on wildly in the Philippines.
[42]

Case Number 2669 International Wiring Systems Workers Union (IWSWU)

Military threat and harassment against IWSWU officers and their families; interference by the armed forces of the Philippines in trade union affairs by dissuading trade union members to engage in collective bargaining; and vilification campaign against IWSWU members and families to the detriment of their safety and security. ng their adult life.