The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished only if it is based on social justice.

1. International Labour Organization
International labour organization
Prepared By: Maged Elsakka
Maged Elsakka

2. International Labour Organization
Origins and history:
The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World
War I, to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished
only if it is based on social justice.
The Constitution was drafted between January and April, 1919, by the Labour
Commission set up by the Peace Conference, which first met in Paris and then in
Versailles. The Commission, chaired by Samuel Gompers, head of the American
Federation of Labour (AFL) in the United States, was composed of
representatives from nine countries: Belgium, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France,
Italy, Japan, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It resulted in a
tripartite organization, the only one of its kind bringing together representatives of
governments, employers and workers in its executive bodies.
The Constitution contained ideas tested within the International Association for
Labour Legislation, founded in Basel in 1901. Advocacy for an international
organization dealing with labour issues began in the nineteenth century, led by
two industrialists, Robert Owen (1771-1853) of Wales and Daniel Legrand (1783-
1859) of France.
The driving forces for ILO's creation arose from security, humanitarian, political
and economic considerations. Summarizing them, the ILO Constitution's
Preamble says the High Contracting Parties were 'moved by sentiments of justice
and humanity as well as by the desire to secure the permanent peace of the
world...'
There was keen appreciation of the importance of social justice in securing
peace, against a background of exploitation of workers in the industrializing
nations of that time. There was also increasing understanding of the world's
economic interdependence and the need for cooperation to obtain similarity of
working conditions in countries competing for markets. Reflecting these ideas,
the Preamble states:
1. Whereas universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based
upon social justice;
2. And whereas conditions of labour exist involving such injustice hardship and
privation to large numbers of people as to produce unrest so great that the
peace and harmony of the world are imperilled; and an improvement of
those conditions is urgently required;
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3. International Labour Organization
3. Whereas also 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.
The areas of improvement listed in the Preamble remain relevant today, for
example:
Regulation of the hours of work including the establishment of a maximum
working day and week;
1. Regulation of labour supply, prevention of unemployment and provision of
an adequate living wage;
2. Protection of the worker against sickness, disease and injury arising out of
his employment;
3. Protection of children, young persons and women;
4. Provision for old age and injury, protection of the interests of workers when
employed in countries other than their own;
5. Recognition of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value;
6. Recognition of the principle of freedom of association;
7. Organization of vocational and technical education, and other measures.
Mission and objectives:
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to promoting social
justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its
founding mission that labour peace is essential to prosperity. Today, the ILO
helps advance the creation of decent work and the economic and working
conditions that give working people and business people a stake in lasting
peace, prosperity and progress. Its tripartite structure provides a unique platform
for promoting decent work for all women and men. Its main aims are to promote
rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social
protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.
The ILO has four strategic objectives
 Promote and realize standards and fundamental principles and rights at
work
 Create greater opportunities for women and men to decent employment
and income
 Enhance the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all
 Strengthen tripartism and social dialogue
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4. International Labour Organization
In support of its goals, the ILO offers unmatched expertise and knowledge about
the world of work, acquired over more than 90 years of responding to the needs
of people everywhere for decent work, livelihoods and dignity. It serves its
tripartite constituents - and society as a whole - in a variety of ways, including:
1. Formulation of international policies and programmes to promote basic
human rights, improve working and living conditions, and enhance
employment opportunities
2. Creation of international labour standards backed by a unique system to
supervise their application
3. An extensive programme of international technical cooperation formulated
and implemented in an active partnership with constituents, to help countries
put these policies into practice in an effective manner
4. Training, education and research activities to help advance all of these
efforts
Structure:
**Tripartite constituents:
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the only tripartite U.N.
agency with government, employer, and worker representatives. This
tripartite structure makes the ILO a unique forum in which the governments
and the social partners of the economy of its Member States can freely and
openly debate and elaborate labour standards and policies.
**International Labour Office:
The International Labour Office is the permanent secretariat of the International
Labour Organization. It is the focal point for International Labour Organization's
overall activities, which it prepares under the scrutiny of the Governing Body and
under the leadership of the Director-General.
**ILO Director-General:
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder took office on 1 October 2012. Guy Ryder sees
the ILO as absolutely central to the questions of the day: jobs, social protection,
the fight against poverty, and equality. For this reason, he wants to reinforce the
ILO's place at the centre of international decision-making on issues that affect the
world of work.
**ILO Administrative Tribunal:
The Administrative Tribunal examines employment-related complaints by officials
of the International Labour Office and of the other international organizations that
have recognized its jurisdiction. It is currently open to approximately 46,000
international civil servants who are serving or former officials of some 60
organizations.
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5. International Labour Organization
**ILO Centers and Institutes:
The ILO is a major resource centre for information, analysis and guidance on the
world of work. Research accompanies and reinforces all of the Organization’s
standard-setting and technical cooperation activities and the ILO is universally
regarded as an authoritative source of knowledge on the world of work. Its
institutes and Centres are specialized departments of the Organization which
provide specialized support for ILO’s offices and constituents.
How the ILO works:
Tripartism and social dialogue
Underlying the ILO’s work is the importance of cooperation between
governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations in fostering social and
economic progress.
The ILO aims to ensure that it serves the needs of working women and men by
bringing together governments, employers and workers to set labour standards,
develop policies and devise programmes. The very structure of the ILO, where
workers and employers together have an equal voice with governments in its
deliberations, shows social dialogue in action. It ensures that the views of the
social partners are closely reflected in ILO labour standards, policies and
programmes.
The ILO encourages this tripartism within its constituents and member States by
promoting a social dialogue between trade unions and employers in formulating,
and where appropriate, implementing national policy on social, economic, and
many other issues.
The ILO accomplishes its work through three main bodies (The International
labour Conference, the Governing body and the Office) which comprise
governments', employers' and workers' representatives.
The work of the Governing Body and of the Office is aided by tripartite
committees covering major industries. It is also supported by committees of
experts on such matters as vocational training, management development,
occupational safety and health, industrial relations, workers’ education, and
special problems of women and young workers.
Regional meetings of the ILO member States are held periodically to examine
matters of special interest to the regions concerned.
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6. International Labour Organization
Labour standards:
International labour standards have grown into a comprehensive system of
instruments on work and social policy, backed by a supervisory system designed
to address all sorts of problems in their application at the national level.
Supervisory bodies and procedures
General Introduction
1. Supervising the application of standards
Reports of the supervisory bodies
1. 2014 Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and
Recommendations
2. 2014 General Survey on Minimum Wage Systems
3. 2014 Information document on ratifications and standards-related activities
4. 2014 Report of the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards
5. 372nd Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association (June 2014)
Complaint procedures
1. List of representations under article 24 of the ILO Constitution
2. List of Commissions of Inquiry
International labour organization Achievement2014:
**Sustainable Development.. Decent Work at heart of UN development goals
As the UN crafts its post-2015 goals, a look at how decent work for all underpins
sustainable development.
**World Conference on Indigenous Peoples When indigenous and world leaders
meet A historic meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York is set to bolster
further ratification of the ILO’s Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention.
** G20 Labour and Employment Ministers meeting - Melbourne
ILO Chief welcomes G20's "ambitious" commitments to promote decent jobs
ILO Director-General has welcomed commitments made by the G20 Ministers to
tackle the global jobs crisis with a package of measures to support the creation of
decent jobs that can lift working families out of poverty and drive sustainable
development.
** Ebola outbreak: Workplace briefing note
Healthcare workers infected with the Ebola virus in Western Africa underscore
the risks posed by all workers who come in to contact with the disease. The ILO
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7. International Labour Organization
and WHO have issued joint briefing note for employers and workers on Ebola,
providing guidance on preventing the virus in the workplace.
Working papers2014:
 Decent Work in Caribbean Small Island Developing States
 Microcredit in France: What impact does it have on employment?
 Disabled beggars in Addis Ababa: Current situation and prospects for
change
 Comparing indicators of labour market regulations across databases: A
post scriptum to the employing workers debate
 Growth with equity in Singapore: Challenges and prospects
 Deregulating labour markets: how robust is the analysis of recent IMF
working papers?
 Analysis of employment, real wage, and productivity trends in South
Africa since 1994
 In search of good quality part-time employment
 Poverty, Inequality and Employment in Chile
 The use of working time-related crisis response measures during the
Great Recession
Challenges faced by the ILO:
 Incidents occurring at the workplace resulting in deaths, compensation and work-offs are
still on the rise.
 The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) released a
report on unfair practices at the workplace. Discrimination is rising in new
forms, such as treatment towards the physically challenged, sexual orientation,
partiality in hiring younger or older laborers and unfair treatment to those
infected with HIV/AIDS.
 Law enforcement is not effective. More than 180 conventions set up by the ILO
in 1919 are not taken seriously by many companies. Some of these
conventions that are usually not adhered to are fundamental safety standards
at the workplace, equality, child labor, eight-hour work day and maternity
protection.
The ILO has more than 160 member countries. The US, the UK, the Russian
Federation, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, India and China hold
permanent seats in the governing body.
Maged Elsakka