International labour standards
ILO Conventions and Recommendations
‘International labour standards are legal instruments drawn up by the ILO’s constituents (governments, employers and workers) and setting out basic principles and rights at work. They are either Conventions (or Protocols), which are legally binding international treaties that may be ratified by member states, or Recommendations, which serve as non-binding guidelines. In many cases, a Convention lays down the basic principles to be implemented by ratifying countries, while a related Recommendation supplements the Convention by providing more detailed guidelines on how it could be applied. Recommendations can also be autonomous, i.e. not linked to a Convention.’
Source: ILO Conventions and Recommendations
ILO Guidelines for legislation & implementing labour standards
The ILO provides extensive guidance on implementing labour standards
Labour Legislation Guidelines
Please NOTE that the Guidelines are dated, and do not include the 2022 amendment to the fundamental principles and rights at work. The Guidelines come with the caveat that they are not intended as best practice, and rather provide a variety of examples of how different countries have legislated to promote the fundamental principles and rights at work.
ILO resources on FoA & Collective Bargaining
Useful resources include:
Freedom of Association: Compilation of decisions
of the Committee on Freedom
of Association (6th Ed, 2018)
Collective bargaining: A policy guide (2015)
Compilation of decisions of the Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA)
Manual on collective bargaining and dispute resolution in the public service