GB.346/LILS/1/Decision

Decision concerning the Report of the seventh meeting of the Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group (Geneva, 12–16 September 2022)

Record of decisions | 02 November 2022

The Governing Body took note of the report of the Officers concerning the seventh meeting of the Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group (SRM TWG) and, in approving its recommendations:

(a) welcomed the SRM TWG’s consensual recommendations;

(b) decided that the instrument concerning employment injury that was reviewed by the SRM TWG should be considered to have the classification “up to date”;

(c) once again called upon the Organization and its tripartite constituents to take concerted steps to follow up on all its recommendations as organized by the SRM TWG into practical and time-bound packages of follow-up action, noting in particular promotion of the ratification and effective implementation of Conventions Nos 102 (Part VI) and/or 121, with a view to including their application to agricultural workers, by Member States in which Conventions Nos 12, 17, 18 and 42 are currently in force;

(d) requested the Office to take the necessary action in follow-up to the recommendations of the SRM TWG at this and previous meetings as a matter of institutional priority;

(e) invited the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations to consider seeking information from Member States on their application, in law and practice, of Conventions Nos 102 (Part VI) and 121 to agricultural workers;

(f) requested the Office to prepare a background paper on the implications of gendered and other obsolete and inappropriate terms and references in all international labour standards, to be placed on the agenda of the Governing Body for discussion at the earliest possible date with a view to deciding on appropriate follow-up actions;

(g) noted the SRM TWG’s recommendations concerning the abrogation and withdrawal of certain instruments, in relation to which it will consider:

(i) placing an item concerning the abrogation of Conventions Nos 17, 18 and 42 and the withdrawal of Recommendations Nos 22, 23 and 24 on the agenda of the 121st Session of the International Labour Conference (2033);

(ii) an evaluation will be held in 2028 to assess whether Member States with effective ratifications of Conventions Nos 17, 18 and 42 have taken any necessary action to ratify either Convention No. 102 (Part VI) or Convention No. 121. If progress has not been made, the date at which the International Labour Conference will consider the item for abrogation and withdrawal may be reconsidered by the Governing Body;

(h) decided to convene the eighth meeting of the SRM TWG from 11 to 16 September 2023, at which it should review ten instruments, and examine the follow-up to 14 outdated instruments, concerning maternity protection, protection of children and young persons, and social security (old age, invalidity and survivors’ benefits), as included in sets of instruments 5, 9, and 15 of the SRM TWG’s initial programme of work; and

(i) requested the Office to prepare for its consideration at the 347th Session (March 2023), in the context of the discussion on final clauses of international labour Conventions, a draft resolution that would amend the final clause concerning the authoritative language versions, for transmission to the Conference at its 111th Session (2023).

(GB.346/LILS/1, paragraph 5, as amended by the Governing Body)