previously the International Industrial Relations Association (IIRA)
The International Labour and Employment Relations Association was established in 1966 and its general purpose is to promote the study of labour and employment relations throughout the world in the relevant academic disciplines, by such means as:
- encouraging the establishment and development of national associations of industrial relations specialists;
- facilitating the spread of information about significant developments in research and education in the field of industrial relations;
- organising worldwide and regional Congresses;
- and promoting internationally planned research, by organising study groups on particular topics.
Today the Association has over 1,000 members worldwide including prominent industrial relations scholars and practitioners and national associations in 32 countries.
An ILERA World Congress is convened every 3 years, where professional interested in all aspects of labour and employment relations meet to share ideas about new developments, ideas and practices in the field. This year the 16th Ilera World Congress will take place in Philadelphia, USA from 2 to 5 July. The general theme of the Congress will be "Beyond Borders: Governance of Work in the Global Economy". Issues of work and employment, of labor and capital relations and of the interdependence of social and economic systems will be influenced by such integration. International and transnational linkages will continue to grow but even more importantly, national and purely domestic policies and practices will need to adjust to the growing size and scope of an integrating global economy. The theme and the five tracks selected for this Congress are designed to capture new research, concepts, theories, policies that examine the development of these trends both at the international stage as well as its impact on national, sectoral and regional institutions and practice. So, while our themes emphasize the effects of global integration, they fully include developments in domestic policy and practice and in national and sub-national institutions and relations at work.
The Ilera also organizes, through its national affiliates, regional congresses. The 10th European Regional Congress will take place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands from 20 to 22 June 2013 "Imagining new employment relations and new solidarities" and the next Asian Regional Congress will be held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Australia from 9 to 12 April 2013 under the theme "Work and Employment in the Asian Century" .
Forthcoming regional congresses
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News on the forthcoming regional congress in Colombia in 2014 will follow shortly.
New to Ilera is the Luis Aparicio Prize. Luis Aparicio Valdez was ILERA’s President during 2003-2006 and in this role was the host of the 10th World Congress in Lima in 2006. Sadly, he became quite ill during 2006 as he battled a series of ailments including cancer. Despite this, Luis Aparicio led a team of dedicated colleagues who staged a very successful Congress. He passed away shortly after the Americas Congress held in Buenos Aires in September 2008. The family of Luis Aparicio, his friends and colleagues have established the Luis Aparicio Prize to honour his contributions to ILERA and to the practice, study and teaching of labour and industrial relations.
ILERA also has 17 study groups that anybody who wishes so can join by contacting the coordinators directly.
The aim of the Ilera is of a purely scientific character, without regard to political, philosophic or religious considerations. The Association does not endorse opinions on policy questions.
The Association is located in the Industrial and Employment Relations Department of the International Labour Office in Geneva, Switzerland.
