This "Practical Guide to Trade Union Action at the International Labour Organization" is a fundamental tool for the exercise of trade union work in the international arena. It is not an academic piece of work, yet it contains all the required elements thereto including quality, accurate, and detailed information. Rather, this guide has been conceived with the aim of bringing practical information to the leaders of trade union organizations affiliated to Public Services International in Inter-America in order to deepen their trade union work in the different spaces of supervision, complaints, and political action of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Download the guide below:

As detailed by Professor Carlos Ledesma in this guide, the ILO is the only multilateral organization in the United Nations system that operates with a tripartite structure, where the constituents – Governments, Employers, and Workers – make decisions on the basis of ‘social dialogue’, a dynamic that is fed by the generation of inputs – including complaints and proposals – that are discussed at every level, jointly by all three social actors.

Public Services International has a global and regional strategy in relation to the ILO that is hinged on supporting its affiliates, strengthening their actions, and amplifying their voice in the highest international arenas, with the strength of trade union solidarity and the power of representation wielded by an organization representing more than 20 million workers in over 200 countries worldwide.

This guide is an instrument for affiliates to make the most of the work PSI has been carrying out at the International Labour Organization. This work is a fundamental cornerstone of our Global Union Federation struggle, and of the entire trade union movement, in our permanent pursuit of social justice and equality.

* Excerpt from the Presentation of the Guide, by Marcelo Di Stéfano, PSI Inter-America Regional Executive Committee (IAMREC) member

The guide is available in English, Portuguese and Spanish. It is one of the outcomes of the joint project “Fighting setbacks; strengthening trade unions in the promotion of equal opportunities and combating discrimination”, between PSI and the training organization Bildungswerk BUND of the German Trade Union Confederation, DGB.

Watch below the video produced based on the “Practical Guide for Trade Union Action in the International Labor Organization”: