UnionAID Fact Sheet 10 Workers in New Zealand helping workers overseas
ILO human rights standards All workers have the benefit of human rights guaranteed by international law. These may be set out in United Nations instruments (such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ‐ www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml ) or as “labour standards” in Conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). What are the ILO labour standards? What is the ILO?
The so‐called core ILO labour standards consist of five standards, laid out in eight conventions •
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Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining (Nos. 87 & No. 98), The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour (Nos. 29 & No. 105), The effective abolition of child labour (Nos. 138 & No. 182), The elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation ( Nos. 100 & No. 111)
New Zealand has ratified all these conventions except 87 and 138.
The International Labour Organisation is a United Nations agency which is unique in its tripartite (government, employer and union) governance structures. The ILO develops and enforces labour standards in the form of agreed conventions and recommendations. Conventions are international treaties which are binding on governments which ratify them. These governments are required to report regularly on compliance to the ILO.
In 1998, the ILO produced the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. In the declaration, ILO member states agreed that they should all respect, promote, and realise these core labour standards (whether they have been ratified or not).