Summary slides and notes International Labour Law and Globalisation

SUMMARY INTERNATIONAL LABOUR LAW AND GLOBALISATION

LECTURE 1

Purpose and structure of labour law

 Necessity
o Subordinaton  boss can tell you what to do
o Power imbalance employer + employee
 Purpose
o Justce in employment
o Productie labour relatons
 Social and economic interests combined
 Social justce (broad)
 Content
o Substantiely: Interienton by laws and regulatons (e.g. laws on working hours)
o Procedurally: Rights to a fair bargaining process
 Limited goiernmental interienton (selffdetermined rules by bargaining process)
 Rights to join unions, collectie bargaining, striking
 “Industrial democracy”

Legal instruments / diferent sectons

 Indiiidual labour law  employment contract, dismissal protecton
 Collectie labour law  CAs, trade unions
 Social security law  unemployment, sickness

Problems (fundamental labour standards)

1. Child labour
2. Forced labour
3. Discriminaton
4. Freedom of associaton
5. Working conditons (Health & Safety)
6. Social security

Globalizaton = “process of increasing internatonal integraton arising from the interchange of world
iiews, products, ideas and other aspects of culture”.

 Systematc reducton of trade barriers, increase in foreign direct iniestments, more migraton..

Pros Cons

f Fair competton f Unchecked TNC behaiiour
f Growing welfare f Cultural interference
f Easy access to info f Income inequality, fnancial instability
f Improied healthcare f Neofliberal policies; deregulaton of empl. relaton
f More products aiailable f Climate/eniironment
f Cooperatie innoiaton f Resource extracton from deieloping states
f Climate/eniironment f Race to the botomm (social dumping)

,Sources of ILL

 Public binding
o Between states + binding  enforceable
o ILO conientons, UN treates, free trade agreements, regional standards
 Public voluntary
o Not formally legally binding
o ILO recommendatons/declaratons, UN principles, OECD guidelines, SDG’s
 Private binding
o Internatonal framework agreements (IFAs)  created by internatonal trade unions
 Private voluntary
o Codes of conduct, other CSR initaties, sustainability schemes, management
standards (fair trade)

Actors/players  goiernments, transnatonal corporatons (TNCs), intergoiernmental organisatons,
NGOs, internatonal, regional or natonal trade unions & employers ass., other groups & indiiiduals.

LECTURE 2

ILO  adapts, promotes and superiises internatonal labour standards

 Unique  based on tripartsm
 (Core, priority, technical) conientons, recommendatons, declaratons, superiisory
mechanism

ILO history

 Founded in 1919 along with the Leage of Natons  by Treaty of Versailles
 Primarily in response to humanitarian concerns, response to communism (WW1,
industrializaton  fear of reioluton)
 Need for social justce

Principles

 Versailles Peace Treaty and ILO Consttuton 1919
o Leage of Natons didn’t suriiie  ILO did. Improiement of peace and harmony of
the world
o Regulaton of hours of work, regulaton of labour supply, preienton of
unemployment, protecton against sickness, disease and injury, freedom of ass.,
protecton of children, organisaton of iocatonal and technical educaton
 Philadelphia Declaraton 1944
o Aims and purposes of the ILO
o Art. 1  fundamental principles. Art. 3  elements: what & how
 Declaraton on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work 1998
 Declaraton on Social Justce for a Fair Globalizaton 2008

ILO: Mandate and mission

Specialized agency of the UN system deioted to:

 Promotng social justce and internatonally recognized human and labour rights
 Promote “decent work” for all  satsfactory work

,  Promote rights at work, decent employment opportunites, social protecton, social dialogue

ILO: Acton

 Creates internatonal labour standards + superiises applicaton
 Formulaton of internatonal policies and programmes  human rights, improie working and
liiing conditons, enhance employment opportunites
 Internatonal technical cooperaton  help countries put policies into practce
 Training, educaton and research to help adiance these eforts

ILO: Structure and mechanisms (also in LC)

1. Internatonal labour conference (ILC)
 “Parliament of Labour”
 Legislatie power: adopton of labour standards
 Obserier status
2. Governing body (GB)
 Executie power
 Tripartte  ttular and deputy members
 Agenda, budget, programme, policy
3. Internatonal labour ofce
 Secretariat
 HQ Geneia, about 3000 people
 No formal decision making power, draf conientons, no democratc legitmacy
4. Director-General: Guy Rider

Standards

 Conientons  fundamental/core, goiernance/priority, technical
o Binding afer ratfcaton
 Recommendatons  guidelines on how to apply conientons
o Nonfbinding
 Protocols
o Procedural deiice for adding extra fexibility to a Conienton or for extending a
Conienton’s obligatons
o Subject to ratfcaton
 Declaratons
o Nonfbinding, but wide applicaton and contain symbolic and politcal undertakings by
MS

Adopton of labour standards

1) Identfy the problem
2) Problem put on agenda of ILC by GB
3) Ofce prepares a report with questonnaire
4) Report is sent to goiernments, employers and workers for comments
5) Ofce analyses the comments, prepares conclusions
6) First discussion (G + E + W)
7) Ofce prepares another report  summary of the discussion + proposed instrument
8) Report sent to goiernments, employers and workers for comments