“Le travail doit être placé au-dessus de toutes les luttes de concurrence.” This inscription on the Albert Thomas Monument encapsulates its very essence. The Albert Thomas Monument stands here near the Jardin Botanique. Many commuters pass it daily. It commemorates Albert Thomas. He was the first director of the International Labour Office. He died five years before the monument’s inauguration on June 20, 1937.
But there is more to the Albert Thomas Monument than just remembrance. It also celebrates workers worldwide. The Journal de Genève noted it as “the union of workers” to whom Albert Thomas dedicated his life.
Paul Landowski created this striking monument. He was a renowned French sculptor. He was also the artist behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. Landowski also collaborated on the statues of the Reformation Wall here in Geneva. The Albert Thomas Monument is crafted from granite. Public subscriptions funded its construction. Landowski also created several war memorials.
Albert Thomas served as the first director of the International Labour Office in 1919. He was tasked with implementing the organization’s mission after World War I. The ILO championed social justice as essential for universal peace. This included promoting decent working conditions.
During his twelve years as director, Albert Thomas helped develop international labor conventions. The goal was to establish fair principles through tripartite negotiations. These involved workers, employers, and governments.
The Albert Thomas Monument also highlights global worker unity. It is part of an inventory of working-class memory in French-speaking Switzerland. The Association for the Study of the History of the Labour Movement oversees this inventory.
Each face of the central pillar features a worker. Each represents one of the four continents. This symbolizes the ILO’s universal mission. Landowski described his concept in his journal on April 22, 1934. He envisioned the four parts of the world. They represent international labor. The founder symbolizes Europe. The cooper represents Africa. The coolie represents Asia. The fur hunter represents America.
The “four races” concept reflects a historical division of the world. It was common until the mid-20th century. This Eurocentric representation gradually evolved. Medieval world maps, inspired by the Bible, showed three parts. They were Asia, Africa, and Europe. After Christopher Columbus discovered America in the late 15th century, cartographers integrated the “New World”. This led to a four-part division. By the 19th century, Oceania sometimes completed this representation.
The Enlightenment era categorized and ranked continents. Each continent was associated with a “race.” This term was understood in a biological and historical sense. Despite international organizations’ universalism between the wars, the Albert Thomas Monument reflects a racist, Eurocentric view of the world at that time.