The Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention was adopted in Geneva on 23 June 1981 by the International Labour Conference, 67th Session, opened on 3 June, the English and French texts being equally authentic. C156. Depositary: the Director-General of the International Labour Office. It is not CEDAW of 1979, which the preamble recalls, nor C111 on discrimination in employment, nor C183 on maternity protection. The ILO adoption formula is the register date.

Article 1: it applies to men and women workers with responsibilities in relation to their dependent children, or to other members of their immediate family who need care or support, where those responsibilities restrict economic activity. Article 2: all branches of economic activity and all categories of workers. Article 3: national policy shall aim to enable persons with family responsibilities to exercise their right to employment without discrimination, within the meaning of C111, and, to the extent possible, without conflict between employment and family responsibilities. A leave or childcare handbook is not transcribed.

Article 4: free choice of employment and account of their needs in terms and conditions of employment and in social security. Article 5, at framework level: community planning and services, including child-care. Articles 6–7: information, education, vocational guidance and training to enter, remain in or re-enter the labour force. Article 8: family responsibilities shall not, as such, constitute a valid reason for termination of employment. Articles 9–11: application by laws, collective agreements or other national means; staged application if necessary; participation of employers’ and workers’ organisations.

Article 12: formal ratifications shall be communicated to the Director-General for registration. Article 13: it binds only Members whose ratifications have been registered; it comes into force twelve months after two ratifications have been registered; for any later Member, twelve months after its own registration. ILO: 11 August 1983. Article 14: denunciation after ten years.

Cover: the ILO building in Geneva, by the lake; we do not claim the hall. Wikimedia Commons, free licence.

Sources consulted: Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981; Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (ILO C156).