Abstract
The present article sets its sights on the efforts made by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to extend coverage of social security to the poorest countries. This is by no means an easy task, all the more so because legislation regulating social security has long been a contentious issue, particularly in relation to labour market rigidity and the need to streamline the system in order to raise competition and social progress in less developed countries. Indeed, in some circles the future of international labour standards is viewed with a considerable degree of pessimism, and the rapid growth of the informal sector in both industrialized and developing countries is frequently recalled to underline the decline of the ILO in terms of standard setting. Section I will consider the struggle of precarious workers to enjoy social security protection, even those in rich countries. In Section II, the attempt on the part of the ILO to afford minimum protection to the poorest will be investigated. Such an effort has led to the adoption of Recommendation No. 202 on social protection floors.
