Maintenance of Social Security Rights Convention, 1982 (No. 157)
Convention No. 157 and its accompanying Recommendation No. 167 specifically address the issue of the maintenance of social security rights of migrant workers and complement Convention No. 118, focusing on equality of treatment and exportability. Unlike Convention No. 118 however, which allows State Parties to choose one or more out of the nine branches, Convention No. 157 applies to all branches regardless of the type of scheme: general and special, contributory and non-contributory, as well as schemes consisting of obligations imposed on employers by legislation. The objective of Convention No. 157 is to promote a flexible and broad form of coordination between national security schemes and in particular through the conclusion of bilateral or multilateral social security agreements. Convention No. 157 also establishes a system based on the principle of the maintenance of acquired rights and the rights in the course of acquisition. Recommendation No. 167 proposes model provisions for the conclusion of bilateral or multilateral social security agreements regarding all contingencies and provides rules on maintaining social security rights and exporting benefits. It also proposes a model agreement for the coordination of bilateral or multilateral social security instruments.