ILO: International Labour Organization - Office of the Secretary 485-511, DOI: 10.1017/S0020859008003568. 9In 1919, the three main social reformist schools of thought agreed on various social goals in the specific context of the end of the war but their union was also aimed at countering the Bolshevik Revolution and the upsurge of European revolutionary movements (Phelan, 1949). This has been the driving force as we have together crafted and pursued the Decent Work Agenda which expresses the mandate of the ILO in the reality of the 21st century. The Organization also implemented a fellowship programme and then a programme of courses for supervisory staff from developing countries in the Turin International Training Centre, established in 1965. 190). This productivist turn admittedly marked an inflection, but it endorsed the ILOs lasting assumption that economic prosperity was the condition of universal social justice. As we look ahead, our challenges include: As we pursue these and other challenges, we can take strength from the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, a major statement of principles and policy that builds on the Philadelphia Declaration of 1944 and the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of 1998. The International Labour Organization (ILO) created the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization (2008) to advocate "decent work" policies in response to the increasingly precarious nature of labour in the globalized economy. ILO Histories: Essays on the International Labour Organization and its Impact on the World during the Twentieth Century (Bern and New York: Peter Lang), pp. The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, adopted in 1998 and amended in 2022, is an expression of commitment by governments, employers' and workers' organizations to uphold basic human values - values that are vital to our social and economic lives. 6. PDF Evaluation of the impact of the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a 27-28. The Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization was adopted in Geneva by acclamation with an accompanying resolution . [1] Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the first and oldest specialised agencies of the UN. 321335, DOI: 10.1353/hum.2012.0025. While the ILO has promoted measures to frame and regulate labour as a commodity, the very principles on which it is based condemn it to accept its existence. Rodrguez-Piero, L. (2005) Indigenous Peoples, Postcolonialism, and International Law: The ILO Regime, 1919-1989 (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press), pp. Tripartism is a cornerstone of the Organization and its representatives (governments, workers and employers) meet at the Annual Labour Conference and, four times a year, under the framework of the Administrative Councilor executive bodyof the Organization. Insofar as it seemed certain that metropolitan participants could not invest as much as was needed in the colonies, the ILO proposed extending the European model of productivity to non-metropolitan territories by bringing African workers into the labour market, but also by training managers and workers and by developing a management culture. The ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization (Social Justice Declaration or Declaration), unanimously adopted at the 99th Session (2008) of the International Labour Conference, provides a contemporary and dynamic vision of the ILO's mandate and objectives in the context of globalization. Un agenda social pour le multilatralisme (Paris: LHarmattan). Moynihan, D.P. It helps to tilt the balance of power in favour of the workers and ensure that their social situation is not systematically indexed to the economic results achieved by the company. The Declaration expresses the universality of the Decent Work Agenda: all Members of the Organization must pursue policies based on the strategic objectives - employment, social protection, social dialogue, and rights at work. 1 (New York: Columbia University Press), pp. Reynaud, E. (2017) The International Labour Organization and the Living Wage: a Historical Perspective, Conditions of Work and Employment Series No. Then, starting from the formula with which the Declaration of Philadelphia beginslabour is not a commodityI will examine the tensions created within the Organization by the contradiction between the social objectives that it is supposed to promote and the conditions for their realisation in an open capitalist economy. 2, pp. Report of the Director-General, 2008, Promotion of the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in Bulgaria and Romania, Promoting fundamental principles and rights at work, From Protocol to Practice: A Bridge to Global Action on Forced Labour (Bridge Project), ILO 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, Elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation, Integrated Strategy on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work 2017-2023, The teeth of the ILO - The impact of the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamentals Principles and Rights at Work. 21Many workers are thus excluded from the scope of the Organization; this is particularly the case for informal workers who, in India, make up almost 93 per cent of the labour force. 23-29. International Labour Office (1931) Dix ans dorganisation internationale du travail (Geneva: International Labour Office). The words "the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization (2008), as amended in 2022" shall be substituted for the words "the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization" or any variant contained in the Preamble of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. Ekbladh, D. (2010) The Great American Mission: Modernization and the Construction of an American World Order (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press). Van Daele, M. Rodriguez Garcia, G. van Goethem and M. van der Linden (eds.) Phelan, E. (1949) LOIT au service de la paix, Une voie sociale pour le dveloppement: Le Bureau international du travail et les dbuts de la coopration technique (1919-1949), Institution spcialise et organisation mondiale: tude des relations de la OIT avec la SDN et lONU, Van Daele, J., M. Rodriguez Garcia, G. van Goethem and M. van der Linden (eds. Collective bargaining and labour relations, Employment injury insurance and protection, Forced labour, human trafficking and slavery, Agriculture; plantations;other rural sectors, Financial services; professional services, Shipping; ports; fisheries; inland waterways, Transport (including civil aviation; railways; road transport). 15The ILO tackled the issue of labour as a commodity as early as 1920, in the context of its normative work on fixing a minimum wageone of the general principles expressed in its Constitution. In 1946, it officially became a specialised agency of the United Nations (Alcock, 1971; Ghebali, 1989). It is our assessment of the past and our mandate for the future. Bonvin, J.-M. (1998) LOrganisation international du Travail, Etude sur une agence productrice de normes (Paris: PUF), pp. It explains the theory of change for development cooperation on fundamental principles and rights at work, milestones and expected results and shares some recent success stories. Keeping up with the pace of innovation which will demand constant improvements in education, training, productivity and knowledge-sharing systems. The Constitution of the Organization has barely changed and begins with this premise: Universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice, which gives the ILO essentially three filiations. ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization Struck, D. Rodogno and J. Vogel (eds.) The Origins of The International Labour Office, History, vol. Daughton, J.P. (2013) ILO Expertise and Colonial Violence in the Interwar Years, in S. Kott, and J. Droux (eds.) And, most recently in 2019 with the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work. 44-67. 8Despite these obstacles, the ILO carried out a considerable amount of normative work during the period between the First and Second World Wars. Leffler and O.A. This follow-up has two aspects based on existing procedures: Freedom of association and the right of collective bargaining. 25The productivist approach chosen by the ILO clearly established the primacy of the economic sphere over the social, but the Organization simultaneously reaffirmed its social goals within this economic framework. We dont know how long and how serious the current financial and economic crises will be. ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work This tension intensified in the years after the Second World War, in the context of the Cold War and decolonisation during which time the number of member states increased significantly, while the problems and the solutions to be implemented became increasingly divergent. VI. 1996 [69] . (2003) The European Productivity Agency and Transatlantic Relations, 1953-1961 (Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press/University of Copenhagen). The ILO has always situated itself in the tradition of the great free-trade reformers of the first half of the nineteenth century, such as Robert Owen and Daniel Legrand (International Labour Office, 1931, 45) and has seen, in the set up of international social norms, the very condition of undistorted economic competition. We set out the role of work in strengthening the social dimension of globalization and the role of the productive sectors in placing the global economy on a solid foundation. Its first director, French socialist Albert Thomas, was also keen to ensure their cooperation by developing and organising their support to the Organization (International Labour Office, 1931, 424468). 12In addition to the direct struggle against the communist model, the ILO relied, from its inception, on its tripartite structure and the principles of collective negotiation meant to implement the reformist solutions that the Organization advocated. Polanyi, K. (1944) The Great Transformation (New York: Farrar and Rinehart), pp. This is the third major statement of. (1977) The Politics of Productivity: Foundations of American International Economic Policy after World War II, International Organization, 31(4), October, pp. 34The ILO was certainly not responsible for this focus on economic development as a condition for human development; this approach espoused the logic that was then predominant, including in developing countries themselves. This normative work, based on a skilful exchange of ideas between ILO officials and those of national administrations, enabled the establishment of a recognised social expertise and know-how disseminated by ILO officials, of whom there were no more than 400 in 1931 (Kott, 2008). Experts de lOIT et internationalisation des politiques sociales dans lentre-deux-guerres, Lorganisation internationale du travail: origine, dveloppement, avenir, LOIT et le travail dcent. She is currently researching the circulation of knowledge and skills relating to economics and social matters between the countries of Eastern and Western Europe during the Cold War period, based on the sources of international organisations. This Declaration embodies the balanced approach that has resonated beyond our Organization and encapsulates the contribution we can make to meet the growing demand for an architecture of global fairness based on decent work. 218-224 and 362-369. 35From its inception, the ILO has been gripped by a fundamental tension, on the one hand between the promise of social justice and the decommodification of labour that this promise embodies, and its role as a social agent of economic globalisation on the other. ILC (International Labour Conference) (1950) DG report (ILO), p. 3. 18From the outset, the communists voiced a more fundamental criticism of the ILO, stating that it contributed to the perpetuation and even the propagation of labour as a commodity by agreeing to improve the capitalist rules of the game. LHarmattan). PDF ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization Working for social justice is more than just the theme of our 90th anniversary. In 1950, a committee of experts on the social policies relating to the colonies (Committee of Experts on Social Policy in Non-Metropolitan Territories) was created to develop a funding strategy for these social policies (Cooper, 1996). Furthermore, the ILO continued to carry out important normative work, but activities to encourage economic development took precedence over other areas as shown by the rising number of economists among the staff and the recruitment of many development economists as external experts. Global. (2013) Globalizing Social Rights: The ILO and Beyond (London: Palgrave). This question of the minimum wage defined as a condition and an instrument of the decommodification of labour runs through the history of the Organization. Van Daele, M. Rodriguez Garcia, G. van Goethem and M. van der Linden (eds.) This commitment is supported by a Follow-up procedure. Van Daele, J., M. Rodriguez Garcia, G. van Goethem and M. van der Linden (eds.) On the occasion of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023, the ILO's Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo states that 'a rapid recovery is only possible if sound foundations, built on decent work and social justice, are laid now as an essential precondition for peace.' ILO (1957a) Productivity missions to underdeveloped countries, International Labour Review, 76(1), pp. Van Daele, J. 3, pp. 37Despite their ambiguity and difficulty, the norms remain nevertheless important reference points even when they are not ratified. 3A great deal of historical work has been done on the ILO (Van Daele, 2008) and, in the last ten years, this corpus has grown, and opened up new avenues for reflection. (Geneva: Institut europen de lUniversit de Genve), p. 77. Convinced that the International Labour Organization has a key role to play in helping to promote and achieve progress and social justice in a constantly changing environment: - based on the mandate contained in the ILO Constitution, including the Declaration of Philadelphia (1944), which continues to be fully relevant (1997) Free and Unfree Labour: The Debate Continues (New York: Peter Lang). David Morse reminded the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that productivity gains were intended to raise the standard of living of workers and to create jobs, that social benefits should flow from the economic results of employees, and that any measure to increase productivity should be negotiated between workers, trade unions and employers (ECOSOC, 1953; ILO, 1953). This criticism was recently taken up by Guy Standingan official in the ILO from 1975 to 2006but from another point of view: Depicted as reducing the commodity character of labour, the conventions actually helped to legitimise and spread fictitious decommodification: they made the activity of labour less like a commodity but fostered national systems in which workers entitlements were increasingly dependent on the performance of labour and being in stable wage labour. ILO Histories: Essays on the International Labour Organization and its Impact on the World during the Twentieth Century (Bern and New York: Peter Lang), pp. It builds on the Philadelphia Declaration of 1944 and the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of 1998. In the 1970s, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) took over a large share of the ILOs development activities in industrialised countries, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) took over a number of its training capacities. (1933) The International Labour Organization as an Alternative to Violent Revolution, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 166, pp.18-25, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1018783. This is the third major statement of principles and policies adopted by the International Labour Conference since the ILO's Constitution of 1919. The Cambridge History of the Cold War, Origins, vol. It was adopted more than 40 years ago and modified plural times (in 2000, 2006, 2017 . In the 1960s and 1970s, this field of study was mainly focused on the history of workers and the affirmation of workers culture, giving rise to studies of the practices and forms of collective expression, carried out using a bottom-up approach and paying close attention to particular territories. However, like the revolutionary threat, it encouraged reforming employers to promote international social protection. But we do know that the impact on peoples lives, jobs and living and working conditions will be strong, global and systemic. ISO 26000:2010(en), Guidance on social responsibility (2010) The World Economy and the Cold War in the Middle of the Twentieth Century, in M.P. 11In 1919, the ILO embarked on a mission to convince the workers movement that reformism was the solution that would ensure the well-being of all. I am afraid they are a commodity in many other countries (ILC, 1944, 81). ABIT (Archives of the BIT [Bureau International du Travail/International Labour Office]) (195256) Z 11/1/2 ILO Activities in the Field of Productivity. Regulation of the hours of work including the establishment of a maximum working day and week; Regulation of labour supply, prevention of unemployment and provision of an adequate living wage; Protection of the worker against sickness, disease and injury arising out of his employment; Protection of children, young persons and women; Provision for old age and injury, protection of the interests of workers when employed in countries other than their own; Recognition of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value; Recognition of the principle of freedom of association; Organization of vocational and technical education and other measures. Kott, S. (2010) Constructing a European Social Model: The Fight for Social Insurance in the Interwar Period, in J. EU-Kenya TSD chapter Joint EU-Kenya text Maier, C.S. In addition, since the 1930s, the dominant normative approach pursued by jurists was accompanied by a developmentalist vision defended by an increasing number of economists, with the latter eventually coming to rival the former. Gurin, D. (1996) Albert Thomas au BIT, 1920-1932: de linternationalisme lEurope (Geneva: Institut europen de lUniversit de Genve), p. 77. As we mark the 90th anniversary of the ILO, the Organizations values and mandate endure. As early as the 1930s, ILO officials became aware of the need to help economically and socially less developed countries in order to establish social legislation compatible with ILO norms and to offer their technical assistance for this purpose, first in the Balkans and subsequently in Latin American countries (Stenger, 2016; Kott, 2010). This includes members of the social reformist movement embodied by the American Association for Labor Legislation (the US branch of the International Association for Labour Legislation)of which President Woodrow Wilson was an active member and Samuel Gompers, President of the American Federation of Labor, who chaired the International Labour Commission that met in Paris from January to April 1919 and played a significant part in the discussions surrounding the birth of the Organization (Moynihan, 1960). The relevant international organizations in each field must work together for a fair globalization. (ed.) More than 2,000 experts, mostly economists, were recruited from outside the Organization and were sent to different countries between 1950 and 1959. ), Governing Migration for Development from the Global Souths, African Cities and the Development Conundrum, Alternative Pathways to Sustainable Development, Sustainable Food Consumption, Urban Waste Management and Civic Activism, Combining Economic and Political Development, Aid, Emerging Economies and Global Policies, Dossier | Africa: 50 years of independence Review | Major development policy trends, A digital resources portal for the humanities and social sciences, Organisation internationale du travail (OIT), 2. ABIT (1921) 50 2899 ILO Systematic Questionnaire and Bibliography on Labour Conditions in Soviet Russia, 1921. 2 (New York: Columbia University Press), pp. We are living through tumultuous times. Tripartism is consistent with a liberal reformist vision that seeks to correct the asymmetric power relations between workers and employers intrinsic to the employment contract through the organisation of collective bargaining. With this in mind, the ILO could say that labour is not a commodity. The promise of social justice was first and foremost a response to the demands of the reformist workers movement that came together in the union sacre during the First World War. Strengthening tripartism and sustaining the social dialogue model that has been the foundation of our Organization and drawing on it to facilitate adaptation in different areas to the evolving world of work and to markets, while ensuring that the fundamental rights at work are respected. PDF Record of Proceedings 1C - Projekt At the same time, it stresses a holistic and integrated approach by recognizing that these objectives are inseparable, interrelated and mutually supportive and sets out the role of international labour standards as a useful means of achieving all of them.