To provide workers and workers’ organizations, including unions, the tools to use existing ILO conventions and recommendations creatively to elicit new interpretations from the ILO supervisory system which broaden their scope to the obstacles confronting workers in the informal economy, the International Lawyers Assisting Workers (ILAW) Network and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) are producing a series of guidelines on a convention-by-convention basis. These guidelines identify the specific issues that workers in the informal economy face that are relevant to that convention and provide recommendations as to how workers and organizations should frame their comments or complaints to obtain a favourable outcome from the supervisory system. We hope that workers and organizations, through consistent use of these guides, will help to develop a robust set of jurisprudence, which can be used to advocate for legal and institutional reforms at the national and regional levels.
The series begins with guides on the ILO fundamental conventions. Subsequent guides will focus on the governance and technical conventions and recommendations. We do not intend to cover every convention and recommendation; rather, we will focus on those with the greatest relevance for workers in the informal economy. This introduction sets the stage for such exploration. Read the introduction here.
Applying International Labour Standards to the Informal Economy - Chapter 1: Convention 87 – Freedom of Association
This chapter outlines the essential legal and policy frameworks necessary to apply international labour standards to the informal economy. It emphasizes the need for member states to remove obstacles to the exercise of freedom of association and extend social protection to all workers. The chapter details the importance of enforcement mechanisms and access to justice, including labour inspection and dispute resolution. By providing concrete examples and existing ILO jurisprudence, the chapter aims to guide workers and organizations in framing their comments or complaints to the ILO supervisory system to advocate for legal and institutional reforms effectively. Read Chapter 1 here.
Applying International Labour Standards to the Informal Economy - Chapter 2: Convention 98 - Collective Bargaining
This chapter focuses on Convention 98, which protects the right of all workers to organize and bargain collectively. It highlights the challenges faced by workers in the informal economy in exercising these rights and provides recommendations on how workers' organizations can effectively raise these issues with the ILO supervisory system. The chapter underscores the need for national laws to recognize and facilitate collective bargaining for all workers, regardless of their employment status. By addressing specific legal issues and offering practical guidance, this chapter aims to empower informal workers to achieve better working conditions through collective bargaining. Read Chapter 2 here.
Download the complete guidelines below.