Centenary celebration for ILO
January sees the start of celebrations to mark the centenary of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations agency which promotes decent employment standards and social justice.
The ILO, unique among UN agencies in having a tri-partite structure, brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 states, including the UK, to “set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men”.
While the centenary will see a series of global, regional and national events over the course of 2019, it will officially kick off on 22 January with the launch of a major report by the Global Commission on the Future of Work.
The commission was set up in 2015 to undertake an in-depth examination of the future of work, taking on board factors such as new technologies, the impact of climate change and the changing character of production and employment.
The work has been organised around four “centenary conversations”:
• work and society;
• decent jobs for all;
• the organisation of work and production; and
• the governance of work.
The commission will make recommendations on how the ILO should respond to these changes within its overarching remit of promoting social justice.
Member states are being asked to organise events to mark the ILO’s centenary and to discuss the commission’s report.