'Confidential, concrete and in consensus' - the work of the ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association

The right of workers and employers to create and join organisations of their own choice freely and without fear of reprisal or interference - to freely associate with whomever they choose - is a fundamental right that the ILO's Declaration of Philadelphia calls 'essential for sustained progress of societies worldwide'. For over 60 years, the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA) has examined more than 3,000 complaints about violations of this right. Paul van der Heijden, Chair of the CFA since 2002, discusses the work of the Committee and the special role it plays in the ILO's supervisory procedures.