Representations

The representation procedure is governed by articles 24 and 25 of the ILO Constitution. It grants an industrial association of employers or of workers the right to present to the ILO Governing Body a representation against any member state which, in their view, "has failed to secure in any respect the effective observance within its jurisdiction of any Convention to which it is a party". A three-member tripartite committee of the Governing Body may be set up to examine the representation and the government's response. The report that the committee submits to the Governing Body states the legal and practical aspects of the case, examines the information submitted, and concludes with recommendations. Where the government's response is not considered satisfactory, the Governing Body is entitled to publish the representation and the response. Representations concerning the application of Conventions Nos. 87 and 98 are usually referred for examination to the Committee on Freedom of Association.

The Representations procedure

Representations in practice

Greece ratified the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) in 1955. In 1994 it passed a law which decentralized the labour inspectorate and placed it under the responsibility of the autonomous prefectural administrations. The Federation of the Associations of the Public Servants of the Ministry of Labour of Greece (FAMIT) subsequently made a representation to the ILO claiming that the law contravened the principle of Convention No. 81 that labour inspection should be placed under the supervision and control of a central authority. The tripartite committee set up to examine this representation agreed, and urged the Greek government to amend its legislation to comply with the convention. In 1998, the Greek government adopted new laws, bringing the labour inspectorate under a central authority once again. The same year, the Committee of Experts commended the Greek government for its "diligence and close attention" to the recommendations made by the tripartite committee.