R158 - Labour Administration Recommendation, 1978 (No. 158)

I. General Provisions

1. 1. For the purpose of this Recommendation--
   • (a) the term labour administration means public administration activities in the field of national labour policy;
   • (b) the term system of labour administration covers all public administration bodies responsible for and/or engaged in labour administration--whether they are ministerial departments or public agencies, including parastatal and regional or local agencies or any other form of decentralised administration --and any institutional framework for the co-ordination of the activities of such bodies and for consultation with and participation by employers and workers and their organisations.
2. 2. A Member may, in accordance with national laws or regulations, or national practice, delegate or entrust certain activities of labour administration to non-governmental organisations, particularly employers' and workers' organisations, or--where appropriate--to employers' and workers' representatives.
3. 3. A Member may regard particular activities in the field of its national labour policy as being matters which in accordance with national laws or regulations, or national practice, are regulated by having recourse to direct negotiations between employers' and workers' organisations.
4. 4. Each Member should, in a manner appropriate to national conditions, ensure the organisation and effective operation in its territory of a system of labour administration, the functions and responsibilities of which are properly co-ordinated.

II. Functions of the National System of Labour Administration

Labour Standards

1. 5.
   • (1) The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should--in consultation with organisations of employers and workers and in a manner and under conditions determined by national laws or regulations, or national practice--take an active part in the preparation, development, adoption, application and review of labour standards, including relevant laws and regulations.
   • (2) They should make their services available to employers' and workers' organisations, as may be appropriate under national laws or regulations, or national practice, with a view to promoting the regulation of terms and conditions of employment by means of collective bargaining.
2. 6. The system of labour administration should include a system of labour inspection.

Labour Relations

1. 7. The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should participate in the determination and application of such measures as may be necessary to ensure the free exercise of employers' and workers' right of association.
2. 8.
   • (1) There should be labour administration programmes aimed at the promotion, establishment and pursuit of labour relations which encourage progressively better conditions of work and working life and which respect the right to organise and bargain collectively.
   • (2) The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should assist in the improvement of labour relations by providing or strengthening advisory services to undertakings, employers' organisations and workers' organisations requesting such services, in accordance with programmes established on the basis of consultation with such organisations.
3. 9. The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should promote the full development and utilisation of machinery for voluntary negotiation.
4. 10. The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should be in a position to provide, in agreement with the employers' and workers' organisations concerned, conciliation and mediation facilities, appropriate to national conditions, in case of collective disputes.

Employment

1. 11.
   • (1) The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should be responsible for or participate in the preparation, administration, co-ordination, checking and review of national employment policy.
   • (2) A central body of the system of labour administration, to be determined in accordance with national laws or regulations, or national practice, should be closely associated with, or responsible for taking, appropriate institutional measures to co-ordinate the activities of the various authorities and bodies which are concerned with particular aspects of employment policy.
2. 12. The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should co-ordinate, or participate in the co-ordination of, employment services, employment promotion and creation programmes, vocational guidance and vocational training programmes and unemployment benefit schemes, and they should co-ordinate, or participate in the co-ordination of, these various services, programmes and schemes with the implementation of general employment policy measures.
3. 13. The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should be responsible for establishing, or promoting the establishment of, methods and procedures for ensuring consultation of employers' and workers' organisations, or--where appropriate--employers' and workers' representatives, on employment policies, and promotion of their co-operation in the implementation of such policies.
4. 14.
   • (1) The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should be responsible for manpower planning or where this is not possible should participate in the functioning of manpower planning bodies through both institutional representation and the provision of technical information and advice.
   • (2) They should participate in the co-ordination and integration of manpower plans with economic plans.
   • (3) They should promote joint action of employers and workers, with the assistance as appropriate of public authorities and bodies, regarding both short-and long-term employment policies.
5. 15. The system of labour administration should include a free public employment service and operate such a service effectively.
6. 16. The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should, wherever national laws and regulations, or national practice, so permit, have or share responsibility for the management of public funds made available for such purposes as countering underemployment and unemployment, regulating the regional distribution of employment, or promoting and assisting the employment of particular categories of workers, including sheltered employment schemes.
7. 17. The competent bodies within the system of labour administration should, in a manner and under conditions determined by national laws or regulations, or national practice, participate in the development of comprehensive and concerted policies and programmes of human resources development including vocational guidance and vocational training.

Research in Labour Matters

1. 18. For the fulfilment of its social objectives, the system of labour administration should carry out research as one of its important functions and encourage research by others.

III. Organisation of the National System of Labour Administration

Co-ordination

1. 19. The ministry of labour or another comparable body determined by national laws or regulations, or national practice, should take or initiate measures ensuring appropriate representation of the system of labour administration in the administrative and consultative bodies in which information is collected, opinions are considered, decisions are prepared and taken and measures of implementation are devised with respect to social and economic policies.
2. 20.
   • (1) Each of the principal labour administration services competent with respect to the matters referred to in Paragraphs 5 to 18 above should provide periodic information or reports on its activities to the ministry of labour or the other comparable body referred to in Paragraph 19, as well as to employers' and workers' organisations.
   • (2) Such information or reports should be of a technical nature, include appropriate statistics, and indicate the problems encountered and if possible the results achieved in such a manner as to permit an evaluation of present trends and foreseeable future developments in areas of major concern to the system of labour administration.
   • (3) The system of labour administration should evaluate, publish and disseminate such information of general interest on labour matters as it is able to derive from its operation.
   • (4) Members, in consultation with the International Labour Office, should seek to promote the establishment of suitable models for the publication of such information, with a view to improving its international comparability.
3. 21. The structures of the national system of labour administration should be kept constantly under review, in consultation with the most representative organisations of employers and workers.

Resources and Staff

1. 22.
   • (1) Appropriate arrangements should be made to provide the system of labour administration with the necessary financial resources and an adequate number of suitably qualified staff to promote its effectiveness.
   • (2) In this connection, due account should be taken of--
     • (a) the importance of the duties to be performed;
     • (b) the material means placed at the disposal of the staff;
     • (c) the practical conditions under which the various functions must be carried out in order to be effective.
2. 23.
   • (1) The staff of the labour administration system should receive initial and further training at levels suitable for their work; there should be permanent arrangements to ensure that such training is available to them throughout their careers.
   • (2) Staff in particular services should have the special qualifications required for such services, ascertained in a manner determined by the appropriate body.
3. 24. Consideration should be given to supplementing national programmes and facilities for the training envisaged in Paragraph 23 above by international co-operation in the form of exchanges of experience and information and of common initial and further training programmes and facilities, particularly at the regional level.

Internal Organisation

1. 25.
   • (1) The system of labour administration should normally comprise specialised units to deal with each of the major programmes of labour administration the management of which is entrusted to it by national laws or regulations.
   • (2) For example, there might be units for such matters as the formulation of standards relating to working conditions and terms of employment; labour inspection; labour relations; employment, manpower planning and human resources development; international labour affairs; and, as appropriate, social security, minimum wage legislation and questions relating to specific categories of workers.

Field Services

1. 26.
   • (1) There should be appropriate arrangements for the effective organisation and operation of the field services of the system of labour administration.
   • (2) In particular, these arrangements should--
     • (a) ensure that the placing of field services corresponds to the needs of the various areas, the representative organisations of employers and workers concerned being consulted thereon;
     • (b) provide field services with adequate staff, equipment and transport facilities for the effective performance of their duties;
     • (c) ensure that field services have sufficient and clear instructions to preclude the possibility of laws and regulations being differently interpreted in different areas.