THE ORIGINS OF CONVENTION NO. 87 ON FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE

Though Convention No. 87 provides protection for freedom of associatio n of both employers and workers it is of primal importance to workers, and something they fought to achieve over a great many years. Dunning outlines the history of that effort and provides highlights of the di scussions and the gradual process of institution building, including t he creation of the ILO, that finally resulted in the adoption of this major instrument in international labour law. Even as workers around t he world celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, with so many still deprived of their rights there is little joy.