Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention

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Freedom of Association Convention
Convention concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise
Signed9 July 1948
Location San Francisco
Effective4 July 1950
Conditiontwo ratifications
Parties158 [1] [2]
DepositaryDirector-General of the International Labour Office
LanguagesFrench, English

The Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention (1948) No 87 is an International Labour Organization Convention, and one of eight conventions that form the core of international labour law, as interpreted by the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. [3]

Contents

Content

The Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention comprises the preamble followed by four parts with a total of 21 articles. The preamble consists of the formal introduction of the instrument, at the Thirty-first Session of the General Conference of the International Labour Organization, on 17 June 1948. A statement of the "considerations" leading to the establishment of the document. These considerations include the preamble to the Constitution of the International Labour Organization; the affirmation of the Declaration of Philadelphia in regard to the issue; and the request by the General Assembly of the United Nations, upon endorsing the previously received report of 1947, to "continue every effort in order that it may be possible to adopt one or several international Conventions." In closing, the preamble states the date of adoption: 9 July 1948.

Part 1 consists of ten articles which outline the rights of both worker and employers to "join organisations of their own choosing without previous authorisation." Rights are also extended to the organizations themselves to draw up rules and constitutions, vote for officers, and organize administrative functions without interference from public authorities. There is also an explicit expectation placed on these organizations. They are required, in the exercise of these rights, to respect the law of the land. In turn, the law of the land, "shall not be such as to impair, nor shall it be so applied as to impair, the guarantees provided for in this Convention." Finally, article 9 states that these provisions are applied to both armed forces and police forces only as determined by national laws and regulations, and do not supersede previous national laws that reflect the same rights for such forces. Article 1 states all ILO members must give effect to the following provisions.

PART I. FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

[...]

Article 2

Workers and employers, without distinction whatsoever, shall have the right to establish and, subject only to the rules of the organisation concerned, to join organisations of their own choosing without previous authorisation.

Article 3

1. Workers' and employers' organisations shall have the right to draw up their constitutions and rules, to elect their representatives in full freedom, to organise their administration and activities and to formulate their programmes.

2. The public authorities shall refrain from any interference which would restrict this right or impede the lawful exercise thereof.

Article 4

Workers' and employers' organisations shall not be liable to be dissolved or suspended by administrative authority.

Article 5

Workers' and employers' organisations shall have the right to establish and join federations and confederations and any such organisation, federation or confederation shall have the right to affiliate with international organisations of workers and employers.

Article 6

The provisions of Articles 2, 3 and 4 hereof apply to federations and confederations of workers' and employers' organisations.

Article 7

The acquisition of legal personality by workers' and employers' organisations, federations and confederations shall not be made subject to conditions of such a character as to restrict the application of the provisions of Articles 2, 3 and 4 hereof.

Article 8

1. In exercising the rights provided for in this Convention workers and employers and their respective organisations, like other persons or organised collectivities, shall respect the law of the land.

2. The law of the land shall not be such as to impair, nor shall it be so applied as to impair, the guarantees provided for in this Convention.

Article 9

1. The extent to which the guarantees provided for in this Convention shall apply to the armed forces and the police shall be determined by national laws or regulations.

2. In accordance with the principle set forth in paragraph 8 of Article 19 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation [sic] the ratification of this Convention by any Member shall not be deemed to affect any existing law, award, custom or agreement in virtue of which members of the armed forces or the police enjoy any right guaranteed by this Convention.

Article 10

In this Convention the term organisation means any organisation of workers or of employers for furthering and defending the interests of workers or of employers. [4]

Part 2 states that every ILO member undertakes to ensure "all necessary and appropriate measures to ensure that workers and employers may exercise freely the right to organise." This sentence is expanded upon in the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949.

Part 3, which contains articles 12 and 13, deals with technical matters related to the Convention. It outlines the definitions of who may accept (with or without modification), or reject the obligations of this Convention with regards to "non-metropolitan territory[ies]", whose self-governing powers extend into this area. It also discusses reporting procedures for modification of previous declarations in regard to acceptance of these obligations. Part 4 outlines the procedures for formal ratification of the Convention. The Convention was declared to come into force twelve months from the date when the Director-General had been notified of ratification by two member countries. This date became 4 July 1950, one year after Norway (preceded by Sweden) ratified the Convention. Part 4 also outlines provisions for denunciation of the Convention, including a ten-year cycle of obligation. Final discussion highlights procedures which would take place in the event that the Convention is eventually superseded by a new Convention, in whole, or in part. [4]

Ratifications

Ratifications of the convention. Green: ratified. Yellow: ratified, will be effective in future. Red: not ratified. Ratifications of ILO C087 - Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948.svg
Ratifications of the convention. Green: ratified. Yellow: ratified, will be effective in future. Red: not ratified.

As of February 2024, 158 out of 187 ILO member states have ratified the convention: [2] [5]

CountryDate
Flag of Albania.svg  Albania 3 June 1957
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 19 November 1962
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 13 June 2001
Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg  Antigua and Barbuda 2 February 1983
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 18 January 1960
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 2 January 2006
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 28 February 1973
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 18 November 1950
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 19 May 1992
Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas 14 June 2001
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 22 June 1972
Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados 8 May 1967
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus (as the Byelorussian SSR)6 November 1956
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 23 November 1951
Flag of Belize.svg  Belize 15 December 1983
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin 12 December 1960
Flag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia 4 January 1965
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 June 1993
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 22 December 1997
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 8 June 1959
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 21 November 1960
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 25 June 1993
Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia 23 August 1999
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 7 June 1960
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 23 March 1972
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 1 February 1999
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic 27 October 1960
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad 10 November 1960
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile 2 February 1999
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 16 November 1976
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 23 October 1978
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 10 November 1960
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo 20 June 2001
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 2 June 1960
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Côte d'Ivoire 21 November 1960
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia 8 October 1991
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba 25 June 1952
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus 24 May 1966
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 1 January 1993
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 13 June 1951
Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti 3 August 1978
Flag of Dominica.svg  Dominica 28 February 1983
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic 5 December 1956
Flag of East Timor.svg  East Timor 16 June 2009
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 29 May 1967
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 6 November 1957
Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 6 September 2006
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 13 August 2001
Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea 22 February 2000
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 22 March 1994
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 4 June 1963
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji 17 April 2002
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 20 January 1950
Flag of France.svg  France 28 June 1951
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 14 November 1960
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia 4 September 2000
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia 3 August 1999
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 20 March 1957
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 2 June 1965
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 30 March 1962
Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada 25 October 1994
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 13 February 1952
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 21 January 1959
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau 9 June 2023
Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana 25 September 1967
Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti 5 June 1979
Flag of Honduras.svg  Honduras 27 June 1956
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 6 June 1957
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 19 August 1950
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 9 June 1998
Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq 1 June 2018
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 4 June 1955
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 28 January 1957
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 13 May 1958
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 26 December 1962
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 14 June 1965
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 13 December 2000
Flag of Kiribati.svg  Kiribati 3 February 2000
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 21 September 1961
Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan 31 March 1992
Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia 27 January 1992
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 31 October 1966
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 25 May 1962
Flag of Libya.svg  Libya 4 October 2000
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania 26 September 1994
Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 3 March 1958
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia 17 November 1991
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 1 November 1960
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 19 November 1990
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives 4 January 2013
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 22 September 1960
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 4 January 1965
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania 20 June 1961
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius 1 April 2005
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 1 April 1950
Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 12 August 1996
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia 3 June 1969
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 23 December 1996
Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar 4 March 1955
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 3 January 1995
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 7 March 1950
Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua 31 October 1967
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 27 February 1961
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 17 October 1960
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 4 July 1949
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 14 February 1951
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 3 June 1958
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea 2 June 2000
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay 28 June 1962
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru 2 March 1960
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 29 December 1953
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 25 February 1957
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 14 October 1977
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 20 April 2021
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 28 May 1957
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia (as the Soviet Union)10 August 1956
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 8 November 1988
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg  Saint Kitts and Nevis 25 August 2000
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg  Saint Lucia 14 May 1980
Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9 November 2001
Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa 30 June 2008
Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 19 December 1986
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe 17 June 1992
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 4 November 1960
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia (as Serbia and Montenegro)24 November 2000
Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles 6 February 1978
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 15 June 1961
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 1 January 1993
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 29 May 1992
Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands 13 April 2012
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia 22 March 2014
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 19 February 1996
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 20 April 1977
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 15 September 1995
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 17 March 2021
Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname 15 June 1976
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Swaziland 26 April 1978
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 25 November 1949
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 25 March 1975
Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg  Syria 26 July 1960
Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan 26 November 1993
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 18 April 2000
Flag of East Timor.svg  Timor Leste 15 June 2009
Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo 7 June 1960
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 24 May 1963
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 18 June 1957
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 12 July 1993
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan 15 May 1997
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 2 June 2005
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine (as the Ukrainian SSR)14 September 1956
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 27 June 1949
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay 18 March 1954
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 12 December 2016
Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu 28 August 2006
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela 20 September 1982
Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen 29 August 1976
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 2 September 1996
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 9 April 2003

See also

References

  1. Ratifications of C087 - Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87)
  2. 1 2 "SOMALIA: PM signs three core International Labour Organization conventions". Raxanreeb. 22 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  3. "Conventions and ratifications". International Labour Organization . 27 May 2011.
  4. 1 2 Resource: International Labour Organization, ILO
  5. "Ratifications of Convention 87". International Labour Organisation. Archived from the original on 25 February 2003.