- Key documents
Albert Thomas, ILO Director (1920 - 1932)

“There
shall be a Director-General of the International Labour Office, who shall
be appointed by the Governing Body, and, subject to the instructions of
the Governing Body, shall be responsible for the efficient conduct of the
International Labour Office and for such other duties as may be assigned
to him. The Director-General or his deputy shall attend all meetings of
the Governing Body.” (article 8 of the ILO Constitution ).
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- Biography of Albert Thomas
The International
Labour Office sets up shop in Geneva
The
International Labour Office (ILO), the Organization’s permanent
secretariat, was established in London and
moved to Geneva
on 19 July 1920. It set up shop in the building that is today the
headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), across
from the Pregny entrance to the Palais des Nations. ILO soon realized that
the building was ill suited to its activities and so decided not to buy it.
The decision to build new premises was taken at the 2nd Assembly
of the League of Nations. The foundation
stone of the new building was laid at a ceremony at Sécheron, on the shores
of Lake Geneva, on 21 October 1923. The
building, which was constructed by Swiss architect Georges Epitaux
(1873-1957), was inaugurated less than three years later, on 6 June 1926.
ILO’s current premises, on the route des Morillons, were inaugurated on 12
November 1974.
International Labour Conference (Maritime Session)
At
periodic intervals, ILO convenes a session of the International Labour
Conference centred on the maritime sector, to address problems specific to
work in that sector.
The 2 nd International Labour Conference was held in Genoa, in June 1920.
It was entirely devoted to maritime matters. The Conference adopted the
Minimum Age (Sea) Convention, which entered into force on 27 September 1921
and was amended by the Minimum Age (Sea) Convention (Revised), 1936 and by
the Minimum Age Convention, 1973.
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