Report of the Committee of Experts

International labour standards are universal instruments adopted by the international community and reflecting common values and principles on work-related issues. While ILO member States can choose whether or not to ratify any conventions, the ILO considers it important to keep track of developments in all countries, whether or not they have ratified them.

Once a country has ratified an ILO convention, it is obliged to report regularly on measures it has taken to implement it. The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations is an independent body composed of legal experts charged with examining the application of ILO Conventions and Recommendations by ILO member States.

When examining the application of international labour standards the Committee of Experts makes two kinds of comments: observations and direct requests. Observations contain comments on fundamental questions raised by the application of a particular convention by a state. These observations are published in the Committee's annual report.

The Committee's annual report consists of three parts. A General Report, which includes comments about member states' respect for their Constitutional obligations and highlights from the Committee's observations; and a part which contains the observations on the application of international labour standards, and a General Survey.

General Survey

Collective bargaining in the public service

The Committee of Experts also publishes an in-depth annual General Survey on member States' national law and practice, on a subject chosen by the Governing Body. This year the General Survey focuses on Labour Relations and Collective Bargaining in the public sector.

These surveys are established mainly on the basis of reports received from member states and information transmitted by employers' and workers' organizations. They allow the Committee of Experts to examine the impact of conventions and recommendations, to analyse the difficulties indicated by governments as impeding their application or their ratification, and to identify means of overcoming these obstacles.