This book tells the story of the International Labour Organization, founded in 1919 in the belief that universal and lasting peace goes hand in hand with social justice. Since then the ILO has contributed to the protection of the vulnerable, the fight against unemployment, the promotion of human rights, the development of democratic institutions and the improvement of the working lives of women and men everywhere. In its history the ILO has sometimes thrived, sometimes suffered setbacks, but always survived to pursue its goals through the political and economic upheavals of the last 90 years.
The authors have between them many years of experience of working in and studying the ILO. They explore some of the main ideas that the ILO has developed and championed, and tell how they were applied, and to what effect, at different times and in different parts of the world. There are chapters on rights at work, the quality of employment, income protection, employment and poverty reduction, a fair globalization and today's overriding goal of decent work for all. The book ends with reflections on the challenges ahead in a world where the present economic crisis underlines the urgency of global action for social justice.
Table of contents
Foreword (Juan Somavia, Director-General, ILO)
Author's preface
1. An international organization for social justice
A “wild dream”
The central ideas
Tripartism
The system of international labour standards
The ILO in a changing world
2. Human rights and rights at work
Introduction
Human rights and ILO history
Major themes of the ILO’s human rights work
Concluding remarks
3. The quality of work
Improving working lives
A changing policy environment
The impact of the ILO’s work – Some illustrations
The challenges ahead
4. Social protection
Social protection for all
The ILO social insurance model between the wars
From social insurance to social security: The war as a transition period
The challenge of “universal” social security
Crisis and controversy: The Chilean pension model as an example
Social protection as part of an integrated ILO approach
Conclusion
5. Employment and poverty reduction
The interwar period
The Second World War and its immediate aftermarth
The 1950s and 1960s
The World Employment Programme
The 1980s
The 1990s
The 2000s
6. Decent work and a fair globalization
A social foundation for the international economy: The early decades
From planning to deregulation: The post-war decades
The re-emergence of international social policy
The Decent Work Agenda
Looking ahead
Appendices
Appendix I: A chronology of the ILO
Appendix II: Selected official documents
Constitution of the International Labour Organization:
Preamble, 1919
General Principles from the Constitution, 1919
Declaration concerning the aims and purposes of
the International Labour Office
(Declaration of Philadelphia), 1944
ILO Declarations
Appendix III: Selected further reading
ILO history
Papers prepared for the ILO Century Project (2008)
International Labour Standards
Index
Figures
Figure 1 International Labour Review articles on aspects of the quality of work, 1919 – 2008
Figure 2 Long-term trends in annual working hours: Selected countries, 1870 – 2000
Figure 3 Examples of danger symbols adopted by the ILO
Boxes
Box 1 The International Labour Organization today – A brief description
Box 2 Poland, Solidarnosc and the ILO
Box 3 Myanmar – A special situation
Box 4 Social insurance versus social assistance
Box 5 The Decent Work Agenda