LABOUR RIGHTS A system of annual global reports has been established to report on worldwide trends and tendencies for each of the four rights. ILO standards and minority groups Non-discrimination and equality are the first principles of the ILO with regard to minorities and other disadvantaged groups. The Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) and its accompanying Recommendation No. 111 are the main ILO instruments as regards discrimination in the world of work. The grounds of discrimination prohibited by Convention No. 111 include race, colour, sex, religion and national extraction, all of which are relevant to the protection of minorities. Article 1 defines discrimination as ‘any distinction, exclusion or preference which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation’, including access to vocational training, access to employment and to particular occupations, as well as terms and conditions of employment. Recommendation No. 111 expands the list of areas in which equality should be ensured, including access to vocational guidance and placement services, advancement, security of tenure and equal remuneration for work of equal value. Several elements of the definition of discrimination contained in Article 1 of the Convention are important to the effective protection of minority workers.4 Convention No. 111 applies to any distinction, exclusion or preference, both those that are the result of legislation and those that arise in practice. Convention No. 111 also covers indirect discrimination as a result of measures or practices that result in inequality of opportunity or treatment.5 The Committee of Experts (the ILO’s main supervisory body) has, for instance, asked governments to eliminate dress codes that it considered discriminatory against members of religious minorities. Under Convention No. 111 the state must promote the development of the basic conditions that enable all to benefit from equal opportunities to obtain training and employment. The Convention allows for special measures in respect of underprivileged groups, including affirmative action in favour of ethnic minorities.6 The protection from discrimination in the Convention applies to all workers, including those who are not citizens of the country in which they live. The Committee of Experts, when examining periodic reports by governments on ratified Conventions, has addressed a wide range of issues related to the protection of minority workers. In many cases, the Committee has followed a particular minority situation over years, requesting the government concerned to provide information on measures taken to ensure compliance with the Convention and on their impact on the situation of minorities. Based on its findings, it can ask the particular government to take corrective action. The Committee has also pointed 71