Social Dialogue

SOCIAL DIALOGUE SECTOR

Social Dialogue

> Finding a common voice

International

Labour

Office

Social dialogue is defined by the

International Labour Office to include all

types of negotiation, consultation

or simply exchange of information

between, or among, representatives

of governments, employers and workers,

on issues of common interest relating

to economic and social policy.

Social dialogue is the ILO’s best

mechanism in promoting better living

and working conditions as well as social

justice. It is an instrument, a tool

of good governance in various areas

and its relevance is not just related

to the process of globalization but

in general to any effort to make

the economy more performing and

more competitive and to make society

in general more stable and more equitable.

What are the

enabling conditions

for Social Dialogue?

What is Social Dialogue?

SOCIAL DIALOGUE SECTOR

SOCIAL DIALOGUE

Strong, independent representative

workers' and employers’ organisations

with the technical capacity and access

to the relevant information to

participate in social dialogue.

Respect for the fundamental

rights of freedom of association

and collective bargaining

(as enshrined in ILO

conventions n.87 and n.98).

Political will and commitment

to engage in good faith in social

dialogue on the part of all the parties.

Appropriate institutional support.

The representatives of the

social partners should be recognized

as equal partners by each other.

Social dialogue takes many different forms. It can exist as

a tripartite process, with the government as an official

party to the dialogue or it may consist of bipartite

relations only between labour and management (or

trade unions and employers' organizations), with or

without indirect government involvement. Concerted

search for a consensus can be informal or institutionali-

zed, and often it is a combination of the two. It can take

place at the national, regional or local level. It can be

inter-sectoral, sectoral or at enterprise level.

Social dialogue institutions are often defined by their

composition. They can be bipartite or tripartite. The

tripartite actors are the representatives of governments,

employers’ and workers’ organizations.

What are the different

forms of Social Dialogue?

SOCIAL DIALOGUE SECTOR

The most usual activities

Social Dialogue

>> NEGOTIATION

Negotiation is not only an integral – and one of the

most widespread – forms of social dialogue. Parties

can engage in collective bargaining at the enterprise,

sectoral, regional, national and even multinational

level.

CONSULTATION

It requires an engagement by the parties through

an exchange of views which in turn can lead to

more in-depth dialogue. The parties participating in

tripartite or bipartite bodies can engage in negotia-

tions and the conclusion of formal agreements. Some

of them are only consultative and information bodies,

others are empowered to reach agreements that are

binding on the parties (e.g. Governments, workers

and employers).

INFORMATION-SHARING

This is one of the most basic and indispensable

elements for effective social dialogue. In itself, it

implies no real discussion or action on the issues

but it is nevertheless an essential part of those

processes by which dialogue and decisions take place.

Social dialogue based on freedom of association and

the right to collective bargaining takes into account

each country’s cultural, historical, economic and political

context. There is no “one size fits all” model of social

dialogue that can be readily exported from one

country to another. Adapting social dialogue to the

national situation is key to ensuring local ownership of

the process. There is a rich diversity in institutional

arrangements, legal frameworks and traditions and

practices of social dialogue throughout the world.

Does Social Dialogue differ

from country to country?

The Declaration of Philadelphia encapsulates the ILO's commit-

ment to participation with the statement that “the war against

want requires to be carried on with unrelenting vigour within

each nation, and by continuous and concerted international

effort in which the representatives of workers and employers,

enjoying equal status with those of governments, join with

them in free discussion and democratic decision with a view

to promotion of the common welfare”.

Several international labour standards and resolutions of the

International Labour Conference (ILC) refer to tripartism and

social dialogue in connection with ILO technical cooperation

activities.

These instruments not only provide for tripartism in technical

cooperation programmes and projects as an objective in

itself, but also as a management tool. They also call for the

participation of the population concerned in the formulation

and implementation of measures of social progress.

Tripartism and social dialogue are integral components of

the Decent Work Agenda of the ILO and essential channels for

achieving it. The Resolution concerning tripartism and social

dialogue, adopted by the 90th Session of the International

Labour Conference in 2002, invited the governments of

member States to ensure that the necessary preconditions

exist for social dialogue, including respect for the fundamental

principles and the right to freedom of association and

collective bargaining, a sound industrial relations environment,

respect for the role of social partners, achieving employment

goals and improving social protection.

What is the role of ILO

Social Dialogue

and Tripartism?

SOCIAL DIALOGUE SECTOR

What is the role of social partners

in strengthening Social Dialogue?

SOCIAL DIALOGUE SECTOR

>> WORKERS

Workers and their organizations play a vital role in social dialogue.

Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right

to collective bargaining are the two fundamental principles and

rights at work, and are essential to the democratic process. Social

dialogue is a valuable means of protecting and promoting the

interests of workers by extending democracy and human dignity to

the workplace. It is also a well-tested instrument for managing social

and economic change while maintaining consensus and stability in

society. Through social dialogue and collective bargaining, workers

and their organizations improve their working conditions and

wages, and, in many instances, have successfully expanded the scope

of collective bargaining to include questions of workers protection

such as safety and health at the workplace and social security

schemes, workers’ education and training, and even the participa-

tion of workers in the management of enterprises.

Trade union organizations at local, national, regional and internatio-

nal levels are the major means by which workers participate in

social dialogue and as such serve as indispensable instruments for

working people to improve their quality of life and to promote

equitable and sustainable development of the society as a whole.

>> EMPLOYERS

Because they express the needs of enterprises in a way that no

other agency or even individuals amongst their own membership

could, employers' organizations play an important role in helping

society to set the conditions necessary to achieve employment and

living standards objectives. Employers’ organizations help to enhan-

ce enterprise success by influencing the environment in which they

do business, and by providing services that improve their individual

performance. By providing enterprises with information, advice and

training, employer’s organizations contribute to their operational

efficiency. As partners in tripartism and social dialogue, employers’

organizations have a major contribution to make in building the

relationships and understanding that must underpin the Decent

Work Agenda.

>> GOVERMENTS

Labour administration has two principal roles to play in social

dialogue, whether tripartite or bipartite, namely those:

• Of Promoters

Under ILO international labour standards, labour administrations

are made responsible for promoting consultation with the social

partners and for taking appropriate measures to ensure that such

consultation is regular and effective.

They suggest the creation of specific procedures…within the

national context…at the initiative of the government…

so as to ensure and foster participation by the social

partners.

• And of Protagonists

Labour administration furnishes instruments to encourage dialogue

between the social partners. It plays a variety of roles, including the

one of employer in the public sector.

Labour administration must take part in tripartism as a partner,

in order to encourage exchanges, carry forward the discussion

and even to find support for its policies and actions.The content of

social dialogue is clearly not restricted merely to "issues related

to ILO activities", but include all matters connected with the areas

of activity of labour administration at the national level, among

others: "securing the social peace as a fundamental guarantee

for boosting productivity in the world of work and furthering

economic and social development…". Labour administration

actions with regard to consultation at the national level should

specifically entail creating consultation bodies attached to ministe-

rial structures, as well as establishing permanent secretariats

to ensure sustainability and efficient functioning.

By dealing with various labour problems and being

present in the most accurate and crucial issues.

The relevance of social dialogue is increasingly recognized

as the international community searches for appropria-

te responses to the challenges of globalization.With its

time honoured tradition and competence in this area,

the ILO is well placed to play a leading role in fostering

the dialogue, partnerships and participatory approaches

to decision making. It helps its constituents by:

• Promoting International labour standards concerning

social dialogue.

• Promoting gender equality in each of its programmes

and activities.

• Creating social dialogue indicators developed as part

of the overall decent work indicators.

• Contributing to modernize labour legislation, streng-

thening labour ministries.

• By establishing a plan of action to operationalize the

Resolution concerning social dialogue and tripartism

adopted at the 90th Session of the International

Labour Conference.

• By organizing tripartite and bi-partite meetings in

several technical areas.

SOCIAL DIALOGUE SECTOR

How does ILO encourage

its constituents to strengthen

Social Dialogue?

The

Social Dialogue

Sector

“Strengthen tripartism and social dialogue…”

INFOCUS PROGRAMME ON SOCIAL DIALOGUE

LABOUR

LAW AND LABOUR ADMINISTRATION

•

IFP

DIALOGUE

The IFP/DIALOGUE Unit aims to promote the benefits of

social dialogue across the economic agenda in fighting

poverty, strengthening the institutions of social dialogue,

reinforcing the tripartite constituents’ action to social

dialogue and assisting member States in revising national

legislation in accordance with international and compara-

tive labour law.

BUREAU FOR WORKERS

’

ACTIVITIES

•

ACTRAV

The mandate of the Bureau for Workers' Activities is to

strengthen representative, independent and democratic

trade unions in all countries, to enable them to play

their role effectively in protecting workers' rights

and interests and in providing effective services to their

members at national and international levels, and to

promote the ratification and implementation of ILO

Conventions.

BUREAU FOR EMPLOYERS

’

ACTIVITIES

•

ACT

EMP

The ILO's Bureau for Employers' Activities maintains

close contacts with employers' organizations in all the

member States of the ILO, and provides support to them

in all their relations with the ILO. Its tasks are to make

the resources of the ILO available to employers' organi-

sations, and to keep the ILO constantly aware of their

views, concerns and priorities. It promotes international

cooperation amongst employers' organisations, and runs

a programme of technical cooperation around the world

which aims to strengthen representative, independent

employer’s organisations offering services to enhance

business competitiveness.

SECTORAL ACTIVITIES DEPARTMENT

•

SECTOR

• In recognition of the fact that many labour issues also

have a specific sectoral character, the ILO developed

a Sectoral Activities Programme as early as the 1940s.

This Department aims to improve the capacity of

sectoral constituents to deal equitably and effectively

with labour issues in the sectors concerned. The

Sectoral Activities Department promote through social

dialogue an international tripartite consensus on

sectoral concerns, promote harmonization of all ILO

activities of a sectoral character and provide technical

advice, practical assistance and concrete support to

ILO constituents.

• 22 economic sectors are covered which are mentioned

in the web site of the Sectoral Activities Department.

http://www.ilo.org/sector

Where I can find information on

Social Dialogue in the ILO?

Social Dialogue Sector

International Labour Office

4, route des Morillons

CH-1211 Geneva 22

Tel: +41 22 799 70 35

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.ilo.org/dialogue

InFocus Programme on Social

Dialogue, Labour Law and Labour

Administration

Tel: +41 22 799 70 35

E-mail: [email protected]

Bureau for Employers’ Activities

Tel: +41 22 799 7748

E-mail: [email protected]

Bureau for Workers’ Activities

Tel: +41 22 799 70 21

E-mail: actrav@ilo.org

Sectoral Activities Department

Tel: +41 22 799 65 03

E-mail: [email protected]

Who deals with

Social Dialogue

issues in the ILO?

Bureau for

Workers’

Activities

Bureau for

Employers’

Activities

InFocus

Programme

on Social

Dialogue,

Labour Law

and Labour

Administration

Sectoral

Activities

Department

SOCIAL DIALOGUE SECTOR

Employment

Sector

Standards

and

Fundamental

principles

and Rights

at work Sector

Social

Protection Sector

Regions

and Technical

cooperation