Chemical industries, standards and rights at work

The ILO’s Sectoral Activities Programme work on the chemicals industry focuses on promoting tripartism and social dialogue and equal opportunity and treatment throughout the global chemicals industry.

Useful links/resources

International labour standards

Key ILO Conventions central to fundamental principles and rights of all workers in the chemicals and petrochemical sectors include:

• Convention No. 87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948
• Convention No. 98 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949
• Convention No. 100 Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951
• Convention No. 111 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958

Sound management of chemicals

ILO standards for improving the sound management of chemicals are also major concerns of governments and social partners in the chemicals industry. These include:

• Convention No. 170 Chemicals Convention, 1990
• Convention No. 174 Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993

Other links

Additional United Nations standards related work focuses on the sound management of chemicals and chemical hazards:

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)
• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe: Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)
• ILO, UNEP, WHO: The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS)
• ILO, WHO, FAO, UNIDO, UNITAR, OECD: The Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC)
• WHO: Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS)