On April 11th 2019, the International Labour Organization (ILO)听will celebrate its 100th anniversary. To mark this occasion,听Professor Adelle Blackett, Canada Research Chair in Transnational Labour Law and Development, will be bringing听a听new course to McGill University's Faculty of Law听entitled听"Transnational Futures of International Labour Law: Celebrating the ILO's 100th anniversary." Taught in the 2019 Winter Semester, the course听will serve as both a听celebration of the ILO鈥檚 centenary and an opportunity to critically听reflect听on the transnational future of international labour law.听
Featuring regular guest-lectures by leading scholars and practitioners in the emerging field of Transnational Labour Law,听this听course will provide听a truly unique opportunity to learn about the International Labour Organization from the individuals that have both听shaped the organization's past and will听trace its future. In addition to the Faculty of Law's听undergraduate and graduate students, the lectures will also be open to members of the public, who will be invited join in person or via webcast.听
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A little more about the ILO听
Created under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 as part of the League of Nations, the ILO has since听become a specialized agency of the United Nations听charged with the promotion of social justice听and human and labour rights. Founded on the conviction that 鈥渦niversal and lasting peace听can be established only if it is based upon social justice鈥� (ILO Constitution, Preamble), the ILO has pursued the improvement of working conditions worldwide, largely 鈥� but not exclusively 鈥� through international labour standard setting and monitoring.听
Those familiar with the history of the ILO will know that听Canada holds a special place in the organization's history. In addition to being a founding member, the country also offered the听ILO a wartime refuge from 1940 through听1948. During this period, the听ILO was temporarily听housed at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. It was during its time in Montreal that the听ILO carefully prepared its post-war future听and conceived approaches听to听international labour law which could accompany decolonization. This work led to the 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia, the听ILO's听constitutional annex,听a declaration which听Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to as 鈥渁 landmark in world thinking鈥�. It declared that:
鈥� Labour is not a commodity;
鈥� Freedom of expression and of association are essential to sustained progress;
鈥� Poverty anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere;
鈥� All human beings, irrespective of race, creed, or sex, have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, of economic security and equal opportunity.听
Considering the state of today's听global environment,听the ILO鈥檚 social justice objectives are every bit as relevant, urgent, and inspiring today as they were in 1944.听
Attending the lectures
Information about upcoming guest-lectures and registration will be posted听on our website and听social media pages as it becomes available. Stay tuned!听
Undergraduate and graduate students interested in enrolling in the course for credit should听consult the听Student听Affairs Office's website听for further information on course content and evaluations.听
Support for this initiative听
This initiative is funded by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and is the core component of Professor Adelle Blackett's Trudeau Fellowship project entitled "Canadian Contributions to Social Justice in the World of Work: Transnational Futures of International Labour Law." The objectives of Professor Blackett's Trudeau project are to celebrate the role that the International Labour Organization (ILO) has played in its first century, especially in its fostering of social justice in the world of work and its exploration of the challenges of the changing paradigm of work, as well as to convene leading stakeholders in Canada and abroad, from within the ILO and beyond, to lead high-level discussions and formulate recommendations on the role of transnational labour law in a globally interconnected world. Further information regarding Professor Blackett's project is available .
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