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21 Indus. L.J. 265 (1992)
UK Employment Law and the International Labour Organization; The Spirit of Cooperation

handle is hein.journals/indlj21 and id is 277 raw text is: UK Employment Law and the International Labour Organization; The Spirit of Cooperation? DAMIAN BROWNt and AILEEN McCOLGANtt 1. INTRODUCTION The recent White Paper 'People, Jobs and Opportunity' resembled, according to one commentator, a share prospectus for UK plc. If auditors were to check the books in relation to employment law, and especially the collective dimension, what would they find and what accounting standards, if any, could they apply? The standards of the International Labour Organization from its inception in 1919 have, for many, provided a minimum level against which laws should be measured. The UK has ratified many of the Conventions by which these standards have been set, and Employment Minister Michael Forsyth paid tribute at the most recent ILO Conference to the organization's attempts to 'support the transition to democracy and a market economy' throughout the world.' The assessment of UK employment standards is made easier by the ILO's annually published comments on the compliance of its member states with the Conventions they have ratified.2 We will examine some of the comments made about UK labour law by the ILO in their latest report in the context of their previous criticisms of the UK and the Government's response to them. Further, although the ILO itself produces a vast amount of literature concerning international labour law and practice, very little has been written in this country about the organization.3 We take this opportunity therefore to examine the history and structure of the ILO as well as the UK's record of compliance with its international labour standards. 2. BACKGROUND The end of the nineteenth century saw an interest and growth in international t Barrister, London. tt Lecturer in Law, King's College, London. 1 Conference minutes 16/24. - In the form of the observations of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations published as appendices to the International Labour Conference Report. Copies are available from the ILO Library, Vincent House, Vincent Square, London SW1P 2NB the staff of which we would like to thank for their assistance. 3 Press coverage of ILO Observations is minimal with scant column inches in only The Guardian and Financial Times. See generally Halsbury's Laws Vol 18 para 1841-1852 and Blanpain, 'Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations in Industrialised Market Economies', Vol 1, Chap 13. Industrial Law Journal. Vol. 21, No. 4, December 1992 265 @I ndustrial Law Society

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