Quelques réflexions sur l’interprétation des conventions internationales du travail par le juge national

Interpretation and its methods have been and still are, in international law, the subject of major debates among international lawyers. The interpretation of international labour conventions is no exception to this phenomenon, quite the contrary. The challenges and specific features of the ILO, a rich and complex institutional practice, have made interpretation an important subject for reflection within the Organization. Paradoxically, the recent practice of the French national judge seems to indicate that the question of the methods used to interpret international labour conventions may not have been given a similar consideration. This article aims to present some thoughts on the characteristics and challenges of the interpretation of international labour conventions by the national judge. In particular, it highlights the importance of using the methods contained in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, as adapted by the ILO?s practice, to interpret international labour conventions.