Once a year, workers', employers' and government representatives from all 187 Member States of the International Labour Organization (ILO) meet in Geneva and hold two weeks of debates and negotiations on the world of work. The fact that this gigantic democratic venue has been staged for so many years offers hope at a time when democratic systems and multilateralism are beset by crises everywhere. Nevertheless, the debates that took place there indicate that pressure on workers, their rights and those who defend them is mounting all over the world.

New standards, old debates 

In its displeasure over the ILO Governing Body having recently referred a controversy over the right to strike to the International Court of Justice, the employers' side insisted from the outset that issues relating to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining should not even be raised at the conference. This demand was tantamount to ignoring two fundamental principles enshrined in ILO Conventions 87 and 98, thereby making cross-cutting topical work in the committees much more difficult. Be it in the debate on fundamental principles at work or on decent work in nursing and care, in most cases only a minimum consensus seemed to be within the realm of the possible. At the same time, it became evident that the employers were not prepared to concede any stronger rights to care workers. 

On the other hand, it can be viewed as a success that the ILC agreed to draw up a binding new convention on protection against biological hazards in the work environment – the first since the right to a healthy and safe working environment was recognised as a fundamental ILO principle. Nonetheless, the negotiations were extremely tough-going and tedious – even when a consensus seemed to be within grasp – so a host of substantive decisions had to be postponed until next year. 

The convention closes a gap in ILO standards and can thus provide an impetus for better occupational health and safety policy worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular highlighted the need for better protective measures across all sectors.

Focus on countries 

The dispute over the right of association and collective bargaining sparked by the employers' side also confronted the Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) with enormous challenges. This was because many of the 24 country cases addressed involved violations of just these rights. The CAS ultimately adopted conclusions in which the countries under scrutiny were called upon to take steps to comply with ILO conventions. 

A special session also took place on Belarus, as the government there massively curtails the rights of free trade unions and has failed to improve the situation over the past 20 years despite repeated appeals from the CAS. At least 41 trade unionists are currently in prison because of their commitment to workers' rights and are being subjected to inhumane treatment there – among other things, they are being defamed as "terrorists". Many Belarusian trade unionists have had to flee into exile in order to protect themselves and their families. These serious violations have been denounced by many democratic states, although countries such as China, Russia, Venezuela, Egypt, Eritrea, Azerbaijan and Pakistan have come to the defence of Belarus.  

In addition, the peril in which workers and trade unionists find themselves in various countries was the subject of numerous events and acts of solidarity, for example focusing on Myanmar, Argentina, Ukraine and the Palestinian territories. There was also an emotional special session on the situation in Palestine held within the framework of the plenary session of the ILC, while the ILO itself published a report on the subject, even if a mission from the International Labour Office (ILO) to Israel has so far been denied entry. Geopolitical tensions were also evident in elections to the ILO Governing Body surrounding the candidacy of the Russian trade union federation FNPR.  

Traction going forward

In spite of all the adversities, the ILO is looking to the future. For example, the 112th ILC gave the go-ahead for the Global Coalition for Social Justice – a special initiative under the helm of the ILO seeking to gain traction in the effort to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and register progress towards greater social justice. It was furthermore decided for the first time to repeal outdated ILO conventions in order to modernise ILO rules as a whole, while at the same time developing new standards. Next year's standard-setting discussion on decent work in the platform economy will be particularly interesting. The International Trade Union Confederation is working intensively with the FES to prepare this discussion. It will then be seen in more concrete terms what answers the international social partnership is able to produce for the future of labour.