The International Labour Office has become the first United Nations agency
to recognise a trade union as part of a collective bargaining agreement.
The ILO, which is responsible for drafting conventions on minimum labour
standards around the world, recognises its staff union for the first time in
the agreement, which was accepted by the governing body at the end of March and
came into force on 1 April. The agreement also sets out procedures for
negotiations and settling disputes.
The change in approach coincides with the appointment of ILO HR director
Alan Wild, last October.
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David Dror, chairman of the staff union, said an atmosphere of distrust
between the ILO’s administration and 3,000 staff had made it essential to shake
things up at the UN’s oldest agency.
"The first collective agreement sets the hopes that partnership in action
can improve the climate and the way we do business in the ILO and hence the way
ILO serves its constituents and advances the organisation’s objectives,"
said Dror.
