CHAPTER – 5

ILO CONVENTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

S.K.Patnaik
Introduction:
 International Labour Organization was established in
1919 with its head quarters in Geneva. It has about 155
member countries and offices and experts in many
countries. The International Labour Organization (ILO)
is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals
with labour issues pertaining to international labour
standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
Its secretariat, the people who are employed by it
throughout the world is known as the International
Labour Office. The organization received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1969.
Establishment History
 The ILO was established as an agency of the
League of Nations following the Treaty of
Versailles, which endedWorldWar I.
 In 1919 a pioneering generation of scholars,
social policy experts, and politicians designed an
unprecedented international organizational
framework for labour politics.
The founding fathers of the ILO had made great
strides in social thought and action before 1919.
As a new discipline, international labour law became
a useful instrument for putting social reforms into
practice.
The utopian ideals of the founding fathers – social
justice and the right to decent work – were changed
by diplomatic and political compromises made at the
Paris Peace Conference of 1919, showing the ILO's
balance between idealism and pragmatism.
Role of ILO for safety, health and
welfare:
 Its main objective is ‘Universal and lasting peace
can be established only if it is based on is social
justice.’ Standard setting is its one of the most
important tasks. Between 1919 and 2006, around
186 conventions and 195 recommendations have
been adopted by ILO. Out of these about 83
conventions and 85 recommendations were
directly or indirectly to safety, health and working
environment. ILO has published over 250 studies
and publications dealing with safety and health.
The main activities of the ILO in the field of safety,
health and welfare can be broadly classified
under:

 Conventions and recommendations.

 Standards and codes of practice.
 Exchange of technical information and research.
 Technical co-operation activities
 Fundamental principles of the ILO: -
 The labour charter of the ILO speaks of its nine fundamental principles
which are given below:
 The guiding principle shall be that labour should not be regarded merely
as a commodity or an article of commerce.
 The right of association for all lawful purposes by the employers as well as
by the employees was recognized.
 The payment of wages to the employees must be adequate to maintain a
reasonable standard of life.
 All industries must aim at 8 hours day or 48 hours week as the standard of
work.
 A weekly rest of at least 24 hours which should include Sunday should be
adopted.
•The labour charter has advocated for the abolition of child
welfare and imposition of such limitation on the labour of
young person’s as shall permit the continuation of their
education and assure their proper physical development.
•Men and women must be given equal remuneration for work
of equal value.
•Due regard must be given to the equitable economic
treatment of all workers both national and foreigners.
•The labour charter has also laid emphasis that each state
should make provision for a system of inspection in which
women should also participate to ensure the enforcement of
laws and regulations for the protection of employees
 Conventions and recommendations:
 A convention is a legal document regulating some aspects of
labour administration, social welfare or human rights. A
convention creates binding obligations by virtue of its
ratification by the member country concerned.
 A recommendation is complementary to a convention
except that it is not subject to ratification.
 Since its inception in 1919, the ILO has adopted over 300
international instruments – conventions and
recommendations.
 Role of ILO
 ILO’s main objective is established in its opening
words of its constitution “Universal and lasting peace
can be established only if it is based on social justice.”
Its fundamental task is standard setting. It carries
out:
 Technical co-operation.
 International supervision.
 Ensuring effective application.
 Labour inspection.
 Occupational health services.
•Meetings.
•Symposia.
•Activities in the field of ergonomics.
•Expert consultancy service
•Employment injury statistics.
•Vocational rehabilitation.
•International occupational safety and health hazard
alert system.
•International occupational safety and health
information centre for regular ILO publication and
computerized data.
Activities of ILO
 The main activities of the ILO in the field of
safety, health and welfare can be broadly classified
as under:
 Conventions and Recommendations.
 Standards and Codes of practices.
 Exchange of technical information and
Research.
 Technical co-operation activities.
1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 31: Prevention of Industrial
accidents, 1929
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 97: Protection of workers’
health, 1953
 CONVENTION NO. 155: Occupational Safety and Health,
1981
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 164: Occupational Safety and
Health, 1981
 CONVENTION NO. 161: Occupational Health Services,
1985
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 171: Occupational Health
Services, 1985
•CONVENTION NO. 174: Prevention of Major Industrial
Accident, 1993
•CONVENTION NO. 176: Safety and Health in Mines, 1995
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 181: Prevention of Major
Industrial Accident, 1993
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 183: Safety and Health in
Mines, 1995
 2. PROTECTION AGAINST SPECIFIC RISKS:-
TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND AGENTS
 RECOMMENDATION NO.3: ANTHRAX PREVENTION,
1919.
 RECOMMENDATION NO.4: LEAD POISONING
(WOMEN AND CHILDREN), 1919.
 CONVENTION NO.13 :WHITE LEAD (PAINTING), 1921
 CONVENTION NO. 115 : RADIATION PROTECTION
1960.
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 114 : RADIATION
PROTECTION, 1960
 CONVENTION NO. 136 : BENZENE, 1971
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 144 : BENZENE, 1971
•CONVENTION NO. 139 : OCCUPATIONAL CANCER,
1974
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 147 : OCCUPATIONAL
CANCER, 1974
•CONVENTION NO. 162: ASBESTOS, 1986
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 172 : ASBESTOS 1986
•CONVENTION NO. 170 : CHEMICALS, 1990
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 170 : CHEMICALS, 1990
3. – MACHINERY, MAXIMUM WEIGHT,
AIR POLLUTION NOISE, VIBRATION
 CONVENTION NO. 119 : GUARDING OF
MACHINERY, 1963
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 118 : GUARDING OF
MACHINERY, 1963
 CONVENTION NO. 127 : MAXIMUM WEIGHT, 1967
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 128 : MAXIMUM WEIGHT,
1967
•CONVENTION NO. 148 : WORKING ENVIRONMENT
(AIR POLLUTION, NOISE AND VIBRATION), 1977
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 156 : WORKING
ENVIRONMENT (AIR POLLUTION, NOISE AND
VIBRATION), 1977
4. PROTECTION IN GIVEN BRANCHES OF ACTIVITY
– COMMERCE AND OFFICES, CONSTRUCTION,
DOCK WORK
 CONVENTION NO. 120 : HYGIENE (COMMERCE AND
OFFICES), 1964

 RECOMMENDATION NO. 120 : HYGIENE (COMMERCE

AND OFFICES), 1964

 CONVENTION NO. 167 : SAFETY AND HEALTH IN

CONSTRUCTION, 1988
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 175 : SAFETY AND HEALTH
IN CONSTRUCTION, 1988

•CONVENTION NO. 152 : OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND

HEALTH (DOCK WORK), 1979

•RECOMMENDATION NO. 160 : OCCUPATIONAL

SAFETY AND HEALTH 9DOCK WORK), 1979
5. CONDITIONS OF WORK:
 a) HOURS OF WORK
 CONVENTION NO. 1 : HOURS OF WORK (INDUSTRY),
1919
 CONVENTION NO. 30 : HOURS OF WORK (COMMERCE
AND OFFICES), 1930
 CONVENTION NO. 47 : FORTY HOURS WEEK, 1935
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 116 : REDUCTION OF HOURS
OFWORK, 1962
 CONVENTION NO. 153 : HOURS OF WORK AND REST
PERIODS (ROAD TRANSPORT), 1979
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 161 : HOURS OF WORK AND
REST PERIODS (ROADTRANSPORT), 1979
b) NIGHT WORK
•CONVENTION NO. 171 : NIGHTWORK, 1990
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 178 : NIGHT WORK, 1990
c) WEEKLY REST
•CONVENTION NO. 14 :WEEKLY REST (INDUSTRY), 1921
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 106 : WEEKLY REST (COMMERCE
AND OFFICES), 1957
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 103 : WEEKLY REST (COMMERCIAL
AND OFFICES), 1957
PAID LEAVE
 PAID LEAVE
 CONVENTION NO. 52 : HOLIDAYS WITH PAY,
1936
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 47 : HOLIDAYS WITH
PAY, 1936
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 98 : HOLIDAYS WITH
PAY, 1954
 RECOMMENDATION NO. 132 : HOLIDAY WITH
PAY (REVISED), 1970
LABOUR ADMINISTRATION
•CONVENTION NO. 81 : LABOUR INSPECTION, 1947
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 81 : LABOUR
INSPECTION, 1947
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 82 : LABOUR INSPECTION
(MINING AND TRANSPORT), 1947
•CONVENTION NO. 150 : LABOUR
ADMINISTRATION, 1978
•RECOMMENDATION NO. 158 : LABOUR
ADMINISTRATION, 1978
QUESTIONS
 What is the establishment history of ILO?
 What is the role of ILO and main activities in the
field of safety, health and welfare?
 What are the fundamental principles of ILO?
 What is the role of ILO?
 What do you mean by Convention and
Recommendation of ILO?
Thank you