Representation procedure (Art.24)

The representation procedure is governed by article 24 of the ILO Constitution, under which an industrial association of employers or of workers has the right to present to the ILO Governing Body a representation against any member State which, in its 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 sets out the legal and practical aspects of the case, examines the information submitted and concludes with recommendations. 

Moreover, if the government does not take the necessary measures, the Committee of Experts may be requested to follow up the case or, in the most serious instances, the case may lead to a complaint, in which case the Governing Body may decide to establish a Commission of Inquiry. Finally, representations concerning the application of Conventions Nos. 87 and 98 are usually referred for examination to the Committee on Freedom of Association, in accordance with the procedure for the examination of representations.

• See also the Note on the voluntary conciliation in the context of the ILO's supervisory system