INFLUENCE OF INTERNATIONAL LABOUR STANDARDS ON DOMESTIC LABOUR LAW REFORMS

Abstract

International labour standards have increasingly shaped the direction and content of domestic labour law reforms across jurisdictions, particularly in an era of intensified globalization, economic integration, and transnational regulatory influence. This paper critically examines the extent to which international labour standards principally those developed under the auspices of the International Labour Organization function as effective catalysts for meaningful domestic labour law reform. It argues that while international labour standards provide an important normative framework for the protection of workers’ rights, their impact at the national level remains uneven and often constrained by political, economic, and institutional realities. The paper contends that formal ratification of international conventions does not automatically translate into substantive legal or practical change, as domestic incorporation is frequently selective, symbolic, or weakly enforced.