Equality at Work and Discrimination in Employment and Occupation

The aim of this paper is to give some general views on international labour standards, regarding equality of opportunity and treatment. It is important to mention that respecting freedom from discrimination, as a fundamental human right, places a great importance in guaranteeing other rights for workers. Equality standards applied by ILO provide methods which aim to fight against discrimination in society and in the workplace of the employers. One part of this paper is focused in analyzing the term “discrimination”, focusing in different forms that can occur at work, the target group which it can affect and measures that can be taken in order to provide equality at work. This paper analyses the scope and the obligations under ILO instruments, such as three fundamental conventions. One of the most important conventions is the convention concerning discrimination regarding occupation and employment, “Discrimination Employment and Occupation” Convention nr. 111. This fundamental convention represents discrimination as every different treatment which has effect on equality of creating same possibilities for everyone in occupation or employment. According to this legal act, it is mandatory the implementation of a national legislation which promotes equality of treatment and opportunity, regarding occupation and employment in general, designed to eliminate all types of different treatment in these fields. This paper is focused especially on analyzing the “Workers with Family Responsibilities” Convention, 1981, which refers to standards on equal treatment and opportunities for both women and men workers. “Workers with Family Responsibilities” Convention, applies to workers with such responsibilities, which restrict their possibilities to involve in an economic activity. The purpose is to provide an effective implementation of standards related to equality of treatment and opportunity for both women and men workers, in order to guarantee free choice of employment to help workers which have family responsibilities and to take into consideration their needs. Furthermore in this paper will be identified the methods that governments should apply, which aim to provide the application of the standard of equal compensation for workers, according to “Equal Remuneration” Convention, 1951 (No. 100).