Introduction

The treatment of labour issues as a matter of international concern has been the subject of much discussion during the past decade, but it also has a long and complex history dating back to the early part of the nineteenth century. An understanding of this history is essential to any serious consideration of how the international labour dimension might develop in the coming years. Hence, the first objective of this paper is to survey the historical development of the international labour dimension, and to highlight its underlying social, political and economic dynamics. To this end, the focus of this discussion will be on the International Labour Organization (ILO), and three regional systems: the European Union (EU), NAFTA, and Mercosur. The Summit of the Americas Process and the negotiations surrounding the proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) will also be considered.

The choice of the term “international labour dimension” suggests a second objective. Although lawyers – both practitioners and scholars – tend to refer to international labour “law”, it is quite clear that legal norms are only one element of the diverse efforts to address working conditions and labour standards at a level above the nation-state. The latter part of this paper will consider the broader concept of the international labour dimension, focusing on the diversity of approaches to promulgating norms and standards, and to addressing issues of administration and enforcement.