Working Hours, Leave and Workers’ Rights Take Centre Stage at ILO’s Review

Held at the ILO headquarters, the meeting covered hours of work, annual leave, night work, part-time employment and working time in road transport.

How many hours people work, when they can take leave and what protections they receive on night shifts were among the issues examined at a milestone International Labour Organization meeting in Geneva. Government, employer and worker representatives gathered from 14 to 18 September 2026 to review the international standards that help shape working conditions across the world.

The tenth meeting of the ILO's Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group marked a decade of discussions about keeping those standards clear, strong and relevant as working life changes. Members adopted recommendations that will go before the ILO Governing Body at its 358th Session in November 2026, taking the review into its next stage.

Working time brings everyday concerns into the discussion

Held at the ILO headquarters, the meeting covered hours of work, annual leave, night work, part-time employment and working time in road transport. These subjects touch on everyday questions for workers and businesses, from time available for rest and family responsibilities to the organisation of shifts and staffing.

Members also examined progress on recommendations from earlier meetings, keeping attention on the follow-up needed after discussions end.

Established in 2015, the working group brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers from around the globe. Its task is to assess whether existing international labour standards remain up to date, have become outdated or need further action.

The group also looks for gaps in the protections covered by the ILO's standards and recommends practical steps to the Governing Body. The recommendations adopted in September will be considered in November; the meeting itself does not amount to the introduction of new workplace rules.

Employers and workers set out what standards must deliver

For employer representatives, the meeting showed the value of reaching agreement through social dialogue, with governments, businesses and workers each contributing to decisions about the future of labour standards.

Kaizer Moyane of South Africa, Vice-Chairperson of the Employers' group, said all three groups had demonstrated a commitment to keeping standards relevant to both worker protection and the needs of sustainable enterprises in a rapidly changing environment.

"This outcome enhances the credibility of the ILO as the source of international labour standards," he said.

Worker representatives welcomed the outcome and stressed that the next steps must remain grounded in the organisation's founding purpose.

Catelene Passchier of the Netherlands, Vice-Chairperson of the Workers' group, said international labour standards establish a minimum baseline of rights and protections for all workers, helping prevent competition that drives working conditions down.

Her message went beyond preserving existing protections. As employment changes, she said, the ILO's standards must be reinforced and expanded so they continue to protect all workers effectively.

"We look forward to continued tripartite dialogue to achieve this," Passchier said.

The two perspectives underline the responsibility facing the review process: keeping standards useful in changing workplaces and ensuring that workers' rights remain central to decisions about their future.

A decade of dialogue leads to the next round of decisions

Closing the meeting, Chairperson Monica Vimbayi Hanga of Zimbabwe praised the participants' willingness to find common ground during intense discussions. She described the tenth meeting as a milestone in the continuing effort to maintain a robust, up-to-date body of international labour standards.

"The success of this meeting was a collective effort," Hanga said, crediting the dedication of governments, employers and workers and their shared commitment to dialogue and consensus.

The November Governing Body session will consider the group's recommendations. For the representatives who spent five days examining working-time protections and earlier commitments, that stage will carry their discussions forward into decisions about the ILO's standards and the action needed to keep them relevant.