10th ILERA Africa Congress
Victoria Falls, Zambia, 2024
14th ILERA European Congress
Durham, UK, 10–12 September 2025
19th ILERA World Congress, ILO Director-General Speech
In a speech to the International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) World Congress, the ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, outlined the steps needed to build a sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the world of work.
The International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) was established in 1967 and its general purpose is to promote the study of labour and employment relations throughout the world in the relevant academic disciplines, by such means as:
- encouraging the establishment and development of national associations of labour and employment relations specialists;
- facilitating the spread of information about significant developments in research and education in the field of labour and employment relations;
- organising worldwide and regional congresses; and
- promoting internationally planned research, by organising study groups on particular topics.
The aim of the ILERA is of a purely scientific character, without regard to political, philosophic or religious considerations. The Association does not endorse opinions on policy questions.
Today the Association has over 900 members worldwide including prominent industrial relations scholars and practitioners and 38 national associations and 1 regional association who together form the ILERA Council.
An ILERA World Congress is convened every 3 years, where professionals interested in all aspects of labour and employment relations meet to share ideas about new developments, ideas and practices in the field.
ILERA also organizes, through its national affiliates, regional congresses.
ILERA Publications
Organizing matters: Two logics of trade union representation
Trade Unions and Migrant Workers: New Contexts and Challenges in Europe – 2017
Study Groups
How to join
Industrial relations directors, officers or practitioners as well as social dialogue specialists, labour administrators, employment relations specialists, human resource consultants, members and representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations, government officials, labour lawyers, students, academics and all others dealing with employee relations would greatly benefit from becoming a member of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association and from participating in our congresses.
Types of membership
There are three categories of members of ILERA namely, full member (or national member), institutional associate member, individual associate member.
Full Members
For associationsFull Members may be national or regional industrial relations associations, the primary purpose of which is the advancement of knowledge and research in the industrial and employment relations field or national or regional committees where such associations do not exist.
Individual associate membership
For individualsIndividual associate membership is open to persons engaged in industrial relations research or teaching activities in academic or research institutions, as well as practitioners in the industrial relations field.
Institutional associate membership
For institutionsInstitutional associate membership is open to universities and colleges or departments thereof and other research institutes concerned with the scholarly study of industrial relations.
CONTACT US
ILERA Newsletter
The ILERA Electronic Newsletter is published at least twice per year, and includes news about ILERA activities, activities of members, forthcoming meetings, ongoing research projects, recent publications, book notes etc. The Newsletter, as well as individual announcements, are sent by e-mail to all ILERA members.