What is it?
The ILO (International Labour Organisation) is an international organisation founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations to protect the interest of workmen. It has set standards and these standards would be incorporated into the members’ states upon ratification.
What is the ILO’s purpose?
The primary role of the ILO is to coordinate principles of international labour law by issuing Conventions, which codify labour laws on all matters. Members of the ILO can voluntarily adopt and ratify the conventions by enacting the rules in their domestic law.
Examples of declarations passed by the ILO
The ILO has passed a few conventions and legislations. Examples are the Declaration of Philadelphia and the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
In regards to the Declaration of Philadelphia, it redefined the aims and purposes of the ILO by adopting the following principles:
- Labour is not a commodity.
- Freedom of expression and association are essential to sustain progress.
- All human beings, irrespective of race, creed, or sex, have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, economic security, and equal opportunity.
Objectives of the ILO
The ILO has 4 principal strategic objectives, namely:
- To promote and realize standards, and fundamental principles and rights at work;
- To create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment;
- To enhance the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all and;
- To strengthen tripartism and social dialogue.
The ILO achieves these objectives through 3 main bodies which are made up of representatives of governments, employers and workers.
The first body is the International Labour Conference which meets annually to set international labour standards of ILO. Next is the governing body which is the executive council of the ILO. The executive council refers to decisions on ILO policy and establishes programmes based on said decisions. The third body is the International Labour Office. It is also the permanent secretariat of the ILO.
For context, the tripartite structure of the ILO gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments. This ensures that the views of workers and employers are taken into account when shaping labour policies and programmes. The ILO also encourages this tripartism within its member States by promoting a “social dialogue” between trade unions and employers in formulating, and where appropriate, implementing national policy on social, economic, and other relevant issues.
International Labour Standard
To attain the ILO’s objectives, the International Labour Standard is an important criterion. These standards are to ensure that the values enshrined in its Constitution are put into practice.
There are 2 types of international standards, namely conventions and recommendations. Conventions are opened for ratification. It is notable that a convention must be ratified by state members in order to be legally binding. Otherwise, it is merely a persuasive source for a national law, which represents the objectives of a nation.
On the other hand, recommendations are not open for ratification. It includes general and technical guidelines for member states which influence national laws and practices.
How Does Malaysia Benefit from the ILO
Malaysia has been a member of ILO since 1957 and has ratified 18 ILO Conventions with 17 of them still in force. These include 5 of the 8 core ILO Labour Conventions. As Malaysia is a high middle-income country, the ILO’s technical engagement focuses on building the capacity of the national workers’ and employers’ organisations and government, facilitating dialogue, providing technical advice, and promoting the ratification and application of the international labour standards.
