International Labour IL

This section contains papers of the Washington and Genoa Conferences under 'Meetings'; conferences and minutes of the sessions of the Governing Body of the ILO are under 'Meetings; ILO'. There is much material on the progress of British implementation of the various conventions and deputations from trade unions and employers' organisations concerning this.

There is material on international labour questions in the Employment Department (LAB 7/34-72) and Employment and Training Department (LAB 7/74-81).

See also LAB 7/34-72:

See also LAB 13, Overseas, 1923-1961 which contains papers dealing with the ILO, but most of these papers are dated 1933 or later. LAB 13

See also LAB 7/74-81:

The establishment of the International Labour Organisation in 1919 was largely due to British pressure and its charter had been drafted by the Ministry of Labour in conjunction with the Home Office, the department which before the War had been responsible for the official representation of Britain abroad on labour matters.

In 1920 the Cabinet decided that the Ministry of Labour should be the Department which would co-ordinate all the work of the Government in connection with the ILO. For the first year responsibility for the ILO was held by the Council Secretariat and its successor the Parliamentary and General Branch (see CS, LAB 7/22-23). The General Department took over this work and a special ILO division was created in 1921. In 1929 the General Department merged with the Industrial Relations Department and the same branch dealt with international labour and industrial relations.