Message to the Senate Transmitting an International Convention on Labor Statistics

To the Senate of the United States:

With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, I transmit herewith a certified copy of the Convention (No. 160) Concerning Labor Statistics, adopted by the International Labor Conference at Geneva on July 25, 1985. I transmit also for the Senate's information a certified copy of the recommendation (No. 170) on the same subject, adopted by the International Labor Conference on the same date, which amplifies some of the Convention's provisions. No action is called for on the recommendation.

The report of the Department of State, with a letter from the Secretary of Labor, concerning the Convention is enclosed.

As explained more fully in the enclosed letter from the Secretary of Labor, the Government of the United States already collects, compiles and publishes basic labor statistics in all nine subject areas covered by Convention 160. Ratification of this Convention, therefore, would not require the United States to alter in any way its law or practice in this field.

Moreover, as I stated in transmitting International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 144 to the Senate on April 10, 1986, ratification by the United States of so few ILO Conventions makes more difficult our attempts to take other governments to task for failing to comply with ILO instruments they have ratified. In part for this reason, the Senate gave its advice and consent to the ratification of ILO Convention 144. I accordingly recommend that the Senate also give its advice and consent to the ratification of ILO Convention 160.

RONALD REAGAN

The White House,

January 3, 1989.