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» Role of international social security standards

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>> Question 2 : What is the impact of the adoption of international standards on supra-national and national legislation?

International social security standards are a part of the international labour standards. These international labour standards have many ways of impact.

International labour standards as models and targets for domestic labour law

International labour standards are primarily tools for governments which, in consultation with employers and workers, are seeking to draft and implement labour law and social policy in conformity with internationally accepted standards.

For many states this process begins with a decision to consider ratifying an ILO convention. Countries often go through a period of examining and, if necessary, revising their legislation and policies in order to achieve compliance with the instrument they wish to ratify.

International labour standards thus serve as targets for harmonizing national law and practice in a particular field; the actual ratification might come further along the path of implementing the standard.

Sources of international law applied at the national level

In numerous countries ratified international treaties apply automatically at the national level. Their courts are thus able to use international labour standards to decide cases on which national law is inadequate or silent, or to draw on definitions set out in the standards, such as "forced labour" or "discrimination".

International labour standards as guidelines for social policy

International labour standards can also provide guidance for developing national and local policies, such as employment and work and family policies.

They can also be used to improve various administrative structures such as labour administration, labour inspection, social security administration, employment services, and so on.

They can also serve as a source of good industrial relations applied by labour dispute resolution bodies, and as models for collective agreements.

Other areas of influence

Increasing consumer interest in the ethical dimensions of products has led multinational enterprises to adopt voluntary codes of conduct to govern labour conditions in their production sites and those in their supply chains. The majority of top 500 companies in the United States and the United Kingdom have adopted some sort of code of conduct, many of them referring to ILO standards. While these codes are no substitute for binding international instruments, they play an important role in spreading the principles contained in international labour standards.

International labour standards have been used in various international collective agreements, for instance in the garment and textile industries.

Other international institutions regularly use international labour standards in their activities. Reports on the application of international labour standards are regularly submitted to the United Nations human rights bodies and other international entities. International financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have integrated certain aspects of labour standards into some of their activities, including the World Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper process.

Advocacy groups and non-governmental organizations draw on international labour standards to call for changes in policy, law or practice.

Finally, a number of countries and regional organizations have incorporated respect for international labour standards into their bilateral, multilateral and regional trade agreements, such as the Common Market for the South (MERCOSUR) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

>> Question 3: What are ILO social security standards?