Trade union situation in the United Kingdom

In 1959 the 1.LO, began a series of factual surveys relating to freedom of association, the first two of which were carried out in the United States and the U.S.S.R. The third survey was made in April and May 1960 in the United Kingdom at the invitation of the United Kingdom Government. It was undertaken like the previous surveys by a Mission from the International Labour Office, which spent six weeks visiting England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As was pointed out in the reports on the trade union situation in the United States and the U.S.S.R., the L.L.O. had already given much attention to the subject of freedom of association for many years. The decision to undertake on-the-spot surveys in the member countries was the latest step in a long series. These steps have included the adoption of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention 1948 (No. 87), the Right to Organise and Collective Bar gaining Convention 1949 (No. 98), and certain other instruments, the most important of which are the Collective Agreements Recommenda tion, 1951, and the Voluntary Conciliation and Arbitration Recommen dation, 1951. They have also involved the creation of a Fact-Finding and Conciliation Commission in 1950, the appointment of an I.L.O. Governing Body Committee on Freedom of Association in 1952