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standard-setting work of the ILO allowed national governments to devote adequate attention to applying the provisions of the international agreements in national laws and regulations. More and more countries ratified ILO Conventions and ILO standards began to exercise an effective influence in the improvements of conditions of life and work. In 1926, an important innovation was introduced when the
International Labour Conference set up a supervisory system on the application of its standards, which still exists today. It created the Committee of Experts composed of independent jurists responsible for examining government reports and presenting its own report each year to the Conference.
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Organisation. Firstly, it was felt that the
Conference had gone too far and too quickly in the output of Conventions and Recommendations. National governments and parliaments could not or would not keep up. Thomas, noting the disappointing number of ratifications reached the conclusion that over-production of Conventions and Recommendations should stop.
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travelling in order to seek support for the objectives and functions of the
Organisation. He visited all the European countries, as well as countries in North and South America, China and Japan. In 1932, after having assured the ILO's strong presence in the world for 13 years, Thomas suddenly died at 53.
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The restriction of the budget made stabilization and consolidation of ILO programmes and activities necessary. That, in turn, had positive spillover effects. Between 1922 and 1931, the
Conference continued to meet each year but adopted only 15 Conventions and 21 Recommendations. The limitation of the
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The publications programme of the Office became a target for criticism, namely that its research was not objective and impartial. At the same time, efforts were being made to restrict the competence of the ILO. In 1921, the French government took the position that the ILO was not competent to deal
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was requested to give an advisory opinion on the question. The Court found that the competence of the ILO did extend to international regulation of the conditions of labour of persons in agriculture, rejecting a restrictive interpretation of the
Constitution. Other attempts to induce the Court to
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for its financing, but in all matters of general policy the
Constitution provided the ILO for absolute independence. In 1923, a group of governments worked in the Governing Body to reduce the ILO's budget to approximately US $ 1,400,000 - which became established as a standard level for the ILO.
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and the
Ministry of Public Works. In October 1914, the Government gave him the task of organising factories with a view to the intensive production of munitions. In May 1915, he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for Artillery and Munitions, becoming Minister of Munitions the following year.
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The stabilization of the ILO's basic programmes in no sense implied stagnation. As
Director, Thomas continued to inspire his staff to take advantage of every opportunity to promote the objectives of the ILO. He was a great believer in the "policy of presence", and he spent a good deal of time
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Opposition between national governments, organised labour and employer representative bodies soon began to develop, and the optimism that had prevailed immediately following the end of the war gave way to doubt and pessimism. Some members sought to restrict the powers and activities of the
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and various other periodicals and newspapers. As
Director, Thomas took personal interest in recruiting an international team to form the Secretariat of the Organisation. His leadership helped to establish the image of the ILO as one of boundless enthusiasm and explosive energy.
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Thomas gave ILO a strong impetus from the very beginning. In a few years, he created, out of a small group of officials housed in a private residence in London, an international institution with a staff of 400 and a building of its own in
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and 18 Recommendations had been adopted. From 1920 onwards, the ILO launched an ambitious programme of publications, which included the
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and elected a municipal councillor for
Champigny, where, eight years later he was elected mayor. As a journalist, Thomas wrote for
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Another serious difficulty emerged over the financing of the Organisation. Under the Constitution, the ILO was dependent on the
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broke out, Thomas served in a territorial regiment of the French Army for a few weeks after which he was summoned to
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In 1910, Thomas was elected member of the Chamber of Deputies for one of the constituencies of the
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on 12 December 1915 when he was made the Sub-Minister of Artillery and Munitions under the
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and placed in control of the railway services, acting as a link between the
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restrict the scope of action of the ILO also failed in 1922 and 1926.
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Members of the 12th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
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Members of the 11th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
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Members of the 10th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
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Director-General of the International Labour Organization
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French Section of the Workers' International politicians
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327:. Paris: Les Presses universitaires de France.
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372:Positions in intergovernmental organisations
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264:. In the first two years, 16 international
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331:International Labour Organization Website
154:on 16 June 1878. In 1898, he entered the
477:French military personnel of World War I
467:International Labour Organization people
289:Permanent Court of International Justice
356:Newspaper clippings about Albert Thomas
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324:Les formes du Gouvernement de Guerre
212:Thomas first became a member of the
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287:with agricultural matters and the
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462:Mayors of places in ĂŽle-de-France
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182:L'Information ouvrière et sociale
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244:Thomas was elected Deputy for
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360:20th Century Press Archives
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341:Yes and Albert Thomas
226:Minister of Armaments
124:French Third Republic
132:Treaty of Versailles
160:University of Paris
152:Champigny-sur-Marne
83:Politician/Diplomat
52:Champigny-sur-Marne
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