UPSC EPFO

Industrial Relations and

International Labour
Organisation (ILO)
-By Hemakumar
ILO in News
 • The ILO was established as an agency for the League
of Nations following World War I.
• It was established by the Treaty of Versailles
(Versailles, Peace Conference) in 1919.
• India became member of ILO in 1919, as an original
signatory to the treaty of peace.
• It became the first specialised agency of the United
History Nations (UN) in the year 1946.
• The ILO has played a significant role in promoting
labour and human rights.
• The organization got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969,
for its efforts to improve peace amongst the classes,
and for promoting justice and fair work for the
workers.
• The ILO is the only tripartite U.N. agency.
 The preamble of the I.L.O constitution which
was originally supplemented by the Peace
Treaty of 1919 and later by the Philadelphia
Declaration of 1944 envisages the objectives
of International Labour Organisation.
Preamble of
the ILO
 Philadelphia Conference of 1944
under the Philadelphia Declaration
1. Labour is not a
commodity;
2. Freedom of expression
and of association are
Aims of the essential to sustained
progress;
ILO 1. Poverty anywhere
constitutes danger to
prosperity everywhere;
2. Promotion of the common
welfare
 1. Full employment and the revising of standards of living,
2. Fullest measure of their skill and make their contribution to the
common well being,
3. Facilities for training and the transfer of labour, including
migration for employment and settlement.
4. Policies in regard to wages and earning forms and other
conditions of work.
Objective of 5. Effective recognition of the right of collective bargaining, the co-
operation of management and labour.
ILO 6. Extension of social security measures to provide a basic
income to all in need of such protection and comprehensive
medical care,
7. Adequate protection for the life and health of workers in all
occupations,
8. Provision for child welfare and maternity protection.
9. The Provision of adequate nutrition, housing, and facilities for
recreation and culture.
10. The assurance of education and vocational opportunity.
 The ILO’s mission is to promote decent work for all
workers.
• Promoting, adopting and implementing
international labour standards.
• To ensure that men and women have equal access
Decent to decent work while enhancing opportunities for
the same.
Work • Creating sustainable, inclusive and decent
agenda employment for women and youth.
• Fostering tripartite mechanisms to protect the
rights of workers by promoting labour
administration, occupational safety and health
(OSH) and social protection.
 International
Labour
Organisation

Structure of
ILO International
Labour
Governing
Body
International
Labour Office
Conference
 • The progressive policies of the ILO are set by
the International Labour Conference.
1. • The conference is an annual event, which
International happens in Geneva, Switzerland.
Labour • The conference brings together all the
representatives of the ILO.
Conference • Function: It is a panel for the review of the
important issues regarding labour.
 • The Governing Body is the executive body of the
International Labour Organization.
• The governing body meets in Geneva. It meets
three times annually.
• The Office is the secretariat of the Organization.
2. • It is composed of 56 titular members, and 66
Governing deputy members.
Functions:
Body • Makes decisions regarding the agenda and the
policies of the International Labour Conference.
• It adopts the draft Programme and Budget of the
Organization for submission to the Conference.
• Election of the Director-General.
 • It is the permanent secretariat of the International
Labour Organization.
• Guy Ryder is the tenth and current Director-
General of the International Labour Organization.
• Functions: It decides the activities for ILO and is
3. supervised by the Governing Body and the
Director-General.
International • ILO member States hold periodically regional
meetings to discuss the relevant issues of the
Labour Office concerned regions.
• Each member states has the right to send four
delegates to the Conference:
o Two from government and one each
representing workers and employers, each of
whom may speak and vote independently.
 • The ILO registers complaints against entities
that are violating international rules. The
ILO, however, does not impose any sanctions
Registration on the governments.
of complaints • Complaints can also be filed against
member states for not complying with ILO
conventions that have been ratified.
 • The ILO is also responsible for setting
International Labour Standards. The
international labour conventions which are
set by the ILO are ratified by the member
International states. These are mostly non-binding in
Labour nature.
• But once a member state accepts
Standards conventions, it becomes legally binding. The
conventions are often used to bring national
laws in alignment with international
standards.
 • The formation of an ILO Global Commission on the
Future of Work marks the second stage in the ILO
Future of Work Initiative.
• In-depth examination of the future of work that
can provide the analytical basis.
ILO Global • Identifying the key challenges facing the world of
Commission work and making practical recommendations.
• Outlines a vision for a human-centred agenda that
on the Future is based on investing in people’s capabilities,
of Work institutions of work and decent and sustainable
work.
• Challenges caused by new technology, climate
change and demography and appeals for a
collective global response to the disturbances
being caused in the world of work.
 India has ratified six out of the eight-core/fundamental ILO
conventions
India has ratified six out of the eight-core/fundamental ILO
conventions. These conventions are:
• Forced Labour Convention (No. 29)
• Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No.105)
International • Equal Remuneration Convention (No.100)
Labour • Discrimination (Employment Occupation) Convention
(No.111)
Organization • Minimum Age Convention (No.138)

and India • Worst forms of Child Labour Convention (No.182)