Academy on Social Dialogue and Industrial Relations

Social dialogue is defined by the ILO 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. 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 employers or their organizations and trade unions (or workers’ representatives at the level of the undertakings). Social dialogue is both a means to achieve decent work by strengthening democratic decision-making and an end in itself. Although social dialogue practices may differ from country to country, freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining constitute both key prerequisites to effective social dialogue, and fundamental human rights. The main aim of social dialogue is to improve the quality of decisions and policies through the involvement of the main stakeholders in the world of work, notably employers, workers and their representatives This Academy provided a unique opportunity for participants to build knowledge and skills on the different forms of and approaches to social dialogue and industrial relations, and how these can shape effective responses to contemporary global challenges. OBJECTIVES This Academy on Social Dialogue and Industrial Relations developed participants' knowledge and skills to engage in successful social dialogue at all levels. CONTENT The sessions delivered during the Academy included the following topics: • Can you add the online session that took place the first online week? • Social Dialogue and Industrial Relations: an historical overview • The state of Social Dialogue and Tripartism • Tripartite Social Dialogue: The role of tripartite national social dialogue institutions • Social Dialogue and Policy Making • Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining: The intrinsic linkages and the characteristics of collective bargaining as a form of social dialogue • Collective Bargaining Policy: Setting an enabling environment • Collective Bargaining as a tool for the prevention and resolution of labour disputes • Trends in Collective Bargaining: Presentation of the Flagship Report and other trends • Collective Bargaining and Inclusiveness: Informal economy • Addressing Gender Wage Gap through Collective Bargaining • Data and Data Collection on Industrial Relations for evidence-based policy making • Wage Fixing through Collective Bargaining: Examples from selected countries access to Justice. Setting institutions for effective prevention and resolution of labour disputes • Consensus Building skills for effective social dialogue ACHIEVEMENT At the end of the Academy the participants were able to: • Identify enabling conditions for effective social dialogue and industrial relations; • Refer to key international labour standards as tools for promoting social dialogue; • Describe and discuss trends and different modalities of social dialogue and trends in industrial relations; • Analyse good practices of social dialogue and industrial relations from different regions; • Review the experience of tripartite social dialogue and industrial relations in their own countries and discuss how to strengthen it; • Formulate recommendations to strengthen their national institutions of tripartite social dialogue and industrial relations at all levels; NUMBER OF HOURS: 80