Handbook of procedures relating to international labour Conventions and Recommendations

XII. Assistance available from the International Labour Office in relation to international labour standards

International labour standards and technical cooperation

86. The International Labour Office undertakes various kinds of activities designed to assist governments and employers' and workers' organizations fulfil their functions and roles in the standard-setting and supervisory system. These should be seen in the context of the Organization's basic aims and principles as enshrined in its Constitution and international labour standards, and its overall policy, which involves working closely with all three constituents and other relevant institutions in each country in order to ensure that country objectives are identified and served in terms of both labour standards and technical cooperation.

87. The International Labour Standards Department of the International Labour Office in Geneva works together with the regional and subregional offices, and especially the specialists in international labour standards in those offices, in the field, to give all kinds of training, explanations, advice and assistance on the matters dealt with in this Handbook. These services are offered both in response to specific requests received from governments or employers' or workers' organizations and through routine advisory missions and informal discussions initiated by the Office. Matters which may be dealt with include questionnaires on items on the agenda of the Conference for possible new standards; comments of the supervisory bodies and measures they might call for; new legislation; government reports to be drafted; documents prepared for submission to the competent authorities; arrangements for consultations between governments and employers' and workers' organizations in relation to labour standards and ILO activities; ways in which employers' and workers' organizations might fully participate in standard-setting and supervisory procedures.

88. The direct contacts procedure enables the examination by a representative of the Director-General of the ILO with representatives of the country concerned of problems affecting the ratification or implementation of Conventions or the discharge of obligations relating to Conventions and Recommendations or a case before the Committee on Freedom of Association. According to the principles elaborated by the responsible supervisory bodies, the practical or legal difficulties met with should be sufficiently important to warrant direct contacts. The procedure is as follows:

(a) Direct contacts may be suggested by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards or the Governing Body Committee on Freedom of Association, or requested by the government concerned.

(b) The Director-General explores the matter with the government concerned, whose full consent must be given.

(c) The points to be dealt with should be clearly specified in advance.

(d) While direct contacts are taking place, the supervisory bodies may suspend their examination of the matters in question for a period not normally exceeding one year, so as to be able to take account of the outcome.

(e) Direct contacts should take a form appropriate to their purpose, which is to enable the government concerned to explain all the elements of the case, in order that the supervisory bodies may in turn be enabled to assess all relevant facts.

(f) Direct contacts should bring together those thoroughly acquainted with all aspects of the matter, including government representatives with sufficient responsibility and experience to speak with authority as to the national situation and their government's attitudes and intentions in the matter.

(g) The Director-General of the ILO will designate a representative who is either an independent person or an ILO official fully conversant with the matter.

(h) The representative of the Director-General may, in agreement with the government concerned, visit the country to hold discussions with government representatives, explain the comments of the supervisory bodies, obtain a detailed acquaintance with the government's position and the exact nature of the difficulties met with, and make available to the supervisory bodies all relevant information supplied by the government.

(i) The representative of the Director-General will, in the course of the assignment, contact employers' and workers' organizations so as to keep them informed of the topics discussed and elicit their opinions.

(j) The establishment of the direct contacts and the terms of reference of the representative of the Director-General may not in any way be construed as limiting the functions and responsibilities of the supervisory bodies.