International Financial Institutions and Labour Standards : A Legal Study of the Role of These Institutions in the Promotion and Implementation of Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

Sammanfattning: This dissertation examines the legal implications of the operations of international financial institutions (IFIs) on international labour standards on freedom of association and collective bargaining. International financial institutions provide financial assistance to member states for development activities and attach conditionality to their lending. These conditionalities require recipient states to carry out policy reforms, which in some cases include labour market reforms, thereby affecting labour standards in recipient states. In addition, the IFIs provide other forms of support such as policy advice and technical assistance. On basis of their ability to affect labour policy, the dissertation explores the role that these institutions play to promote and implement these labour rights. A number of  cases are included in the study to show the practices of the IFIs and the effects of their operations on labour rights. Using the International Labour Organisastion (ILO) fundamental conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining as the point of reference, the study assesses the legal consequences of development finance on these fundamental labour rights.