Jef Rens. L’expérience de la guerre et l’OIT

This chapter dedicated to the militant, tradeunionist and political belgian leader Jef Rens, who becomes a Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the BIT in 1944, adresses its role and action as representative of the Belgian government to the ILO during the war period. It focuses more particularly on the work of rebuilding Belgium and the Free world in anticipitation to the end of the conflict. Three main issues can be drawn from an thorough analysis of this action. The first one can be related to the consubstantial dimension of the ILO. How Rens does consider the humanization of labour during the war period, following the renovation started by Albert Thomas in the 1930’s ? Second : it concerns its horizon of thinking and action. How does he succeed to articulate a political culture nationaly rooted and an approach nurtured by a tradeunionism supposed to be transnational and in this way bringing to a international commitment at institutional level ? At least, on a more internal plan, it ‘s necessary to clarify the ideas of Rens on the ongoing and futur development of ILO ? Does he take part or contribute to the renovation of ILO during this period and in what terms and with what results?