INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
LABOR RIGHTS
DEMOCRATIZING WORK GLOBAL INITIATIVE
HUMAN RIGHT TO ECONOMIC & WORKPLACE DEMOCRACY
Glenn Plumb: “The promise of industrial democracy. The words are misleading. They imply that there may be two kinds of democracy—political democracy and industrial democracy. There can not be two kinds of democracy, there can only be one. It is impossible that we should have democracy in government and no democracy in industry; it is equally impossible that we should have democracy in industry without the same freedom in government.” (1921)
Justice Louis D. Brandeis: “The end for which we must strive is the attainment of rule by the people, and that involves industrial democracy as well as political democracy ... the right to assist in making the decisions ... not merely a right to be heard.” (1934)
Teddy Roosevelt: “Our aim should be to make this as far as may be not merely a political, but an industrial democracy.” (1912)
Albert Gallatin, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury: "The democratic principle upon which this Nation was founded should not be restricted to the political processes but should be applied to the industrial operation." (1795)
Woodrow Wilson, U.S. congressional address: “The object of all reform in this essential matter must be the genuine democratization of industry based upon a full recognition of those who work, in whatever rank, to participate in some organic way in every decision which affects their welfare or the part they play in industry.” (1919)
ILO CONSTITUTION (adopted by the Paris Peace Conference on 1 April 1919, entered into force as Part XIII of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919, as amended)
Part XIII of the Treaty of Versailles (Avalon, ILO) | ILO Member States
English | French | Spanish | Background 1 , Background 2
ILO EMPLOYMENT POLICY CONVENTION, 1964 (No. 122) (adopted 9 July 1964, entered into force 15 July 1966)
OECD AND EUROPEAN FULL EMPLOYMENT
ILO PROMOTION OF COOPERATIVES RECOMMENDATION (R193) (adopted 20 June 2002)
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | German | Russian | Spanish
CEDAW – Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (adopted 18 December 1979, entered into force 3 September 1981)
(a) To participate in the elaboration and implementation of development planning at all levels; ...
(e) To organize ... co-operatives in order to obtain equal access to economic opportunities."
Authentic Languages Texts (Certified True Copy): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Committee (CEDAW) | General Recommendations | Jurisprudence | States Parties | Vote | Travaux (U. of Virginia), Travaux (Rehof) | Commentary
UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Resolution 72/143, "Cooperatives in Social Development" (19 December 2017)
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE ALLIANCE
Guidance Notes on the Cooperative Principles (2017)
World Declaration on Worker Cooperatives (23 September 2005)