Publications

Information resources and publications

General works on International Labour Standards
- Rules of the Game: a brief introduction to International Labour Standards - [pdf 714 KB]
  Aimed at non-specialists, describes the essence of ILO Conventions and Recommendations, subjects covered, the application and supervision of the standards, and their importance in the global economy.
- Les normes internationales du travail: un patrimoine pour l'avenir. Mélanges en l'honneur de Nicolas Valticos - [pdf 5272 KB]
  Comprises a collection of legal essays in honour of former ILO Assistant Director-General, Nicolas Valticos (1918-2003). Twenty-nine articles exclusively dedicated to standard-setting and supervision of international, labour standards. ...
- Guide to international labour standards (2008) - [pdf 1449 KB]
  Provides summaries of the contents of ILO Conventions and Recommendations by subject matter.
- Fundamental rights at work and international labour standards - [pdf 410 KB]
  Offers a detailed description of the relevant Conventions and their principles, along with specific problems encountered in their application at national level.
- Working Paper No. 58 - Decent work, standards and indicators - [pdf 234 KB]
  This paper presents a highly detailed and comprehensive method for constructing country profiles based on normative indicators as a tool for progress towards decent work. Country profiles on occupational safety and health (OSH) are available for a large number of countries.
- International labour standards: A global approach - [pdf 10602 KB]
  Describes the main content of all ILO Conventions and Recommendations which respond to current needs and makes reference to those instruments which are to be revised. Identifies the most frequent problems encountered in the application of these standards in various countries. ...
- Handbook of procedures relating to international labour Conventions and Recommendations - [pdf 476 KB]
  This Handbook describes the procedures operating within the International Labour Organization in relation to the adoption and implementation of Conventions and Recommendations.
- Employers' handbook on ILO standards-related activities
  Provides guidance on ILO standards-related activities with a focus on issues and questions which are of particular interest to employers.
- International labour standards. A workers' education manual
  Provides an overview of the ILO’s standard-setting activities. Outlines the procedures for the adoption of standards. Analyses supervisory and promotional activities designed to ensure effective application. Cover developments up to mid-1997.
- International Labour Standards Electronic Library - ILSE 2008 CD-ROM (E/F/S)
  Comprises basic ILO documents on International Labour Standards.

Standard-setting activities and supervisory system of the ILO
- The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations: its dynamic and impact - [pdf 337 KB]
  Describes the composition and functioning of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations and reviews cases of progress in relation to the application of eight fundamental Conventions. Also lists cases of progress in relation to the implementation of the "priority and technical" conventions from 1988 to 2002 and the fundamental conventions from 1978 to 2003.
- The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations: Progress achieved in national labour legislation
  Isabelle Boivin and Alberto Odero - International Labour Review, Vol. 145 (2006), No. 3
- The Committee of Freedom of Association: Its impact over 50 years - [pdf 230 KB]
  Based on a selection of examples from the past 25 years, examines the manner in which the Committee on Freedom of Association of the Governing Body of the ILO carries out its supervisory role.
- Protecting Labour Rights as Human Rights: Present and Future of International Supervision (proceedings) - [pdf 1270 KB]
  Proceedings of the international colloquium on the 80th anniversary of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, Geneva, 24-25 November 2006 (Articles in English, French and Spanish)
- Governance, International Law & Corporate Social Responsibility - International Institute for Labour Studies and International Labour Organization (2008)

Freedom of Association
- Freedom of association - Digest of decisions and principles of the Freedom of Association Committee of the Governing Body of the ILO. Fifth (revised) edition, 2006 - [html]
- Freedom of association - Digest of decisions and principles of the Freedom of Association Committee of the Governing Body of the ILO. Fifth (revised) edition, 2006 - [pdf 1704 KB]
  Summarizes the decisions and principles of the Committee on Freedom of Association up to its 339th report (November 2005).
- Working paper No. 1 "Freedom of association and collective bargaining in export processing zones: Role of the ILO supervisory mechanisms" - [pdf 418 KB]
  Discusses the principles of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations and the Committee on Freedom of Association concerning the freedom of association and collective bargaining rights of workers in export processing zones (EPZs), the recommendations made by them and the measures taken by the governments of EPZ-operating countries pursuant to such recommendatio ...
- Working Paper No. 2 - Labour relations in the public and para-public sector - [pdf 1011 KB]
- Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining: General Survey of the Reports on the Freedom of Association and the Right to Organize Convention (No. 87), 1948 and the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention (No. 98), 1949 - [html]
- Collective Bargaining: ILO standards and the principles of the supervisory bodies - [pdf 298 KB]
  Provides an analysis of the observations made by the Committee of Experts in 1998 and 1999 on the application of the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) and related ILO standards
- ILO principles concerning the right to strike - [pdf 195 KB]
  Examines the principles laid down by the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association concerning the right to strike, covering inter alia political strikes, compensatory guarantees if the right to strike is denied, and protection against reprisals for strike action.
- Freedom of association: A user's guide - Standards, principles and procedures of the International Labour Organization - [pdf 549 KB]
  Serves as a companion volume to "ILO law on freedom of association: standards and procedures" (Geneva, 1995). Describes the practical influence and impact of the ILO’s freedom of association standards and principles and the use of procedures for their enforcement.
- ILO Law on Freedom of Association: Standards and procedures - [pdf 535 KB]
  Part one contains texts of and extracts from ILO Conventions and ILO Recommendations dealing with freedom of association and labour relations. Part two contains extracts from the regulations governing the procedure of the ILO’s supervisory bodies.
- Report I(B): Global Report under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work - [pdf 1171 KB]
  Freedom of association in practice: Lessons learned
- Electronic Library on Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining (E/F/S)

Seafarers
- Current Maritime Labour Law Issues - An Internationally Uniform Identity Document for Seafarers - [pdf 130 KB]
- How biometrics helps the seafarer and world trade - [pdf 92 KB]
- Safety and health in ports. ILO code of practice. - Buy now
  This essential code of practice, intended to replace both the second edition of the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Dock Work (1977) and the ILO Guide to Safety and Health in Dock Work (1976), provides valuable advice and assistance to all those charged with the management, operation, maintenance and development of ports and their safety.

Technical cooperation
- Improving the impact of international labour standards through technical cooperation : a practice guide - [pdf 399 KB]
  Provides practical guidance to the International Labour Standards Department, including staff at headquarters and field specialists, on strategic entry points and opportunities for promoting and implementing international labour standards through technical cooperation

Social Security
- Standards for the XXIst Century: Social Security - [pdf 275 KB]
  Describes the characteristics of the ILO’s social security standards, highlighting their universality and flexibility and their common principles. Examines the protection afforded in each of the nine branches of social security and considers the treatment of migrant workers.

Trade and labour rights
- Free trade agreements and labour rights: Recent developments
  Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry and Eric Gravel - International Labour Review, Vol. 145 (2006), No. 3
- Trade and employment: Challenges for policy research - [pdf 654 KB]
  On the basis of an overview of the existing academic literature, the study provides an impartial view of what can be said, and with what degree of confidence, on the relationship between trade and employment, an often contentious issue of public debate. ...

Gender issues
- Gender Equality and Decent Work - Selected ILO Conventions and Recommendations Promoting Gender Equality - [pdf 703 KB]

Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
- Including indigenous peoples in poverty reduction strategies - [pdf 348 KB]
  A Practice Guide based on experiences from Cambodia, Cameroon and Nepal
- Eliminating discrimination against indigenous and tribal peoples in employment and occupation - [pdf 394 KB]
  A Guide to ILO Convention No. 111