The United States is behind nearly every other nation in committing to basic workers’ rights principles through the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The ILO, an agency of the United Nations, has 10 fundamental “conventions” — formal international treaties — in which countries agree to recognize and protect workers’ rights. ILO conventions include the right to organize, prohibition of forced labor and child labor, and workplace health and safety. The United States has ratified just two of the 10. Every other NATO ally and every formal U.S. ally has ratified at least five of the 10.
Only two other nations have ratified fewer fundamental ILO conventions than the United States — North Korea and Bhutan — and those are among the seven countries in the United Nations that aren’t also part of the ILO.
According to the International Trade Union Confederation, the 10 worst countries for workers in 2025 were Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Tunisia, and Turkey. Yet on paper anyway even those countries have committed to honor more ILO fundamental conventions than the United States.
Though in theory ILO conventions are legally binding, there’s no framework for enforcement. Instead they stand as formal commitments that countries strive to live up to. The United States is far outside the mainstream in that it doesn’t formally commit to observing most internationally recognized workers’ rights.
In more than a century since the ILO formed in 1919 as part of the League of Nations, member nations have agreed to 192 conventions. The U.S. has ratified 14 of those. The ILO repeals conventions that are considered obsolete, including those that have been replaced by new conventions. There are 152 ILO conventions currently in force.
In November, Bangladesh ratified two fundamental ILO conventions, becoming the first country in Asia to ratify all 10. Another 20 countries ratified ILO conventions in 2025, some finally signing on to fundamental conventions that were first approved more than 50 years ago, and others ratifying more recent conventions. The U.S. hasn’t ratified an ILO convention since 2001.
Here are the two fundamental conventions ratified by the United States, along with the year they were adopted by the ILO:
- Worst Forms of Child Labor #182 (1999) Calls on countries to take action to end “the worst forms of child labor,” which include using children for drug trafficking or prostitution and any forced child labor, including as child soldiers. When the United States ratified it in 1999, it became the first ILO convention to achieve universal ratification from all 187 ILO member nations.
- Abolition of Forced Labor #105 (1957) Says the country will seek to abolish forced labor used as a means of discrimination or in response to workers expressing certain views or participating in strikes.
These are the other eight fundamental conventions, which generally say member nations will create policies or programs to protect workers:
- Forced Labor #29 (1930): Suppress the use of forced labor in most forms (not including compulsory military service or as punishment for a crime).
- Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise #87 (1948): The right of workers and employers to establish and join organisations of their own choosing.
- Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining #98 (1949): Protection against anti-union discrimination in employment and against employer interference in or dominance of unions.
- Equal Remuneration #100 (1951): Equal pay for men and women for work of equal value.
- Discrimination #111 (1958): Prevent racial, religious, political, or gender discrimination that harms employment opportunities or working conditions
- Minimum Age #138 (1973): Establish a minimum age for employment and create policies to end child labor.
- Occupational Safety and Health #155 (1981): Prevent accidents and injury from work by minimizing hazards in the work environment.
- Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health #187 (2006): Continuously improve efforts to protect health and safety.
