The ILO at Centenary: Political Preferences and Tendencies in Changing Conditions
Özlem Özgür BüyükdereThe paper presents the International Labour Organization (ILO), which has addressed economic, social, and political changes, through its policies and activities and has examined emerging problems and expectations for working life. The current research is based on a literature review. The establishment of the ILO is first discussed from the World War perspective, that is, based on seeking universal peace for social justice. Then, the ILO’s policies, which were adopted during the welfare state period and globalization age and shaped under the leadership of neoliberal policies, are examined. Lastly, the ILO’s new road map, which aims to accomplish its mission to improve global working and living conditions, is emphasized and policy suggestions are presented for future studies. Results show that the ILO established its policies by considering social structures and changes and international conjunctures for a century. Continuing this approach in the 21st century, the ILO pursues proactive policies with the aim of setting standards for working life in the structuring period of globalization. These developments demonstrate that the ILO’s current importance and effectiveness for working life and international economic relations will increase in the future.
100.Yılında Uluslararası Çalışma Örgütü: Değişen Koşullarda Politika Tercihleri ve Yönelimler
Özlem Özgür BüyükdereMakalede Uluslararası Çalışma Örgütü’nün (UÇÖ), kuruluşundan bu yana dünyayı derinden etkileyen ekonomik, sosyal ve siyasal değişimlere, ortaya çıkan problemler ile çalışma hayatına yönelik beklentilere hangi politika ve faaliyetlerle karşılık verdiği incelenmiştir. Araştırmada literatür taraması ile elde edilen veriler kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada ilk olarak evrensel barış için sosyal adalet arayışına dayanan UÇÖ’nün kuruluş süreci dünya savaşları penceresinden ele alınmıştır. Ardından refah devleti dönemi ve sonrasında neoliberal politikaların önderliğinde şekillenen küreselleşme sürecinde UÇÖ’nün izlediği politikalar incelenmiştir. Son olarak, milenyum ile birlikte yeniden yapılanma sürecine giren UÇÖ’nün, dünya ölçeğinde çalışma ve yaşam koşullarının iyileştirilmesi misyonunu gerçekleştirmek için belirlediği yeni yol haritası üzerinde durulmuş ve yakın gelecekte izlenmesi gereken politikalar konusundaki önerilere yer verilmiştir. Çalışmada elde edilen sonuçlar UÇÖ’nün, bir asırdır toplumsal yapılar ve değişmeler ile uluslararası konjonktürleri dikkate alarak politikalar oluşturduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu tutumunu 21. yüzyılda da devam ettiren UÇÖ, küreselleşmenin yapılandırılması sürecinde çalışma hayatı ile ilgili standart oluşturma amacıyla proaktif politikalar takip etmektedir. Bu gelişmeler günümüzde olduğu gibi gelecekte de UÇÖ’nün çalışma hayatı ve uluslararası ekonomik ilişkilerdeki önem ve etkinliğinin artacağını göstermektedir.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) was founded in 1919 because of the urgent need to improve the terrible working conditions during the Industrial Revolution. Its constitution was a response to inhumane working conditions. According to the ILO, universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social justice. To date, two political arguments of this philosophy remain valid, namely, inhumane working conditions threaten universal and lasting peace and the failure of any country to adopt humane working conditions is an obstacle for other nations aiming to improve their conditions.
During the initial decades, economic recession and the balance between the market and state enabled the ILO to extend its standard setting activities. The ILO adopted several conventions and recommendations concerning unemployment and working hours, enlarged its research capacity, and collected statistical data. Later, in light of the World War II, The Declaration of Philadelphia was adopted in 1944. According to the declaration, which was a strong call for international cooperation for social progress, labor should not be regarded as a commodity.
In the 1950s and 1960s, after the World War II, the conjunctural expansion period and political climate helped the ILO’s values to become widespread. However, the Cold War restricted the organization’s sphere of action. After the decolonization movement, the ILO launched technical cooperation programs, such as the World Employment Programme. Conversely, the influence of technological and demographical changes on employment and production processes transformed the work force. However, such changes weakened the traditional labor movement. The ILO’s agenda included new skills for new jobs. In this period, the number of fundamental conventions of the organization increased to five.
In the 1980s, economic recession and neoliberal policies, such as privatization and labor market deregulation, restricted the ILO’s room to maneuver. In this period, the number of informal and precarious jobs considerably grew, and tripartism was substantially criticized. Multinationals expanded their power, and the number and intensity of crises increased because of the dominance of economic liberalization and financial markets. The social costs of such crises necessitated urgent social action; however, the constituents of the organization failed to reach a unified reaction, and standard setting facilities were delayed.
Then, the ILO took its first step toward building a social floor to globalization and adopted a universal instrument, namely, the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its follow-up in 1998.
The 2000s came with broadening inequalities. As a response, the ILO shaped its new road map and adopted the Decent Work Agenda as the main instrument to support the social dimension of globalization. The concept of decent work returned to an official document within the ILO in 2008. The ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization brought together four strategic objectives, namely, rights at work, employment, social protection, and social dialogue and became the framework of the ILO’s primary goal. As a response to the Financial Crisis of 2008, the ILO adopted the Global Jobs Pact and took part in the Social Protection Floor Initiative.
Then, the ILO deepened its cooperation with G20, which received a central position in the global governance system after 2008 and increased its recognition in the multilateral system. The Decent Work Agenda, Global Jobs Pact, and Millennium Development Goals later became references to G20 policies. Since then, the ILO has continued its efforts to deepen cooperation and dialogue with other international organizations as part of its reform policy. To date, apart from cooperating with international organizations, the ILO takes part in joint projects with several non-governmental organizations and provides technical assistance.
The world of work is transformatively changing and uncertainty emerges about the capacity of existing institutions and policies to provide the future that all people desire. Aware of such transformative changes, the ILO adopted the ILO Centenary Declaration in 2019 as an integrated policy response. At the same time, it serves as a guide for social justice and lasting peace. In the declaration, the importance of work for human welfare and spiritual and material well-being is underlined, and the need for acting urgently to seize the opportunities and address the challenges using human-centered approaches is emphasized. Promoting decent work and international labor standards, strengthening the capacity of its tripartite constituents, and playing an important role in the multilateral system are the main goals of the ILO in its second century.
In today’s era of instant flow of information and communication, the timeliness of the ILO’s responses to extreme changes in the industrial and occupational structures will determine its effectiveness in the global governance system in the future. The application of information and communication technologies, green economy, and demographic changes will create new jobs. However, mass crowds who lack future capabilities will lose their jobs. Poverty, inequalities, and labor market problems continue despite economic growth. Evidence from recent years shows that Sustainable Development Goal 8 is unlikely to be achieved until 2030. Social partners are looking for a universal labor guarantee system, social dialogues that include rural and informal economies, and international cooperation. The ILO can strengthen social dialogue by balancing power relations between employers and workers and actively taking part in corporate social responsibility initiatives. Thus, the need for the ILO to build a universal framework for fair globalization is becoming increasingly important.
