The ILO, the private sector, and social dialogue and industrial relations

Social dialogue is a pillar of democracy. It is also relevant to any effort aiming to achieve more productive and effective enterprises and sectors and a fairer and more efficient economy. It thus contributes to a more stable and more equitable society. It is of particular relevance to the globalization process. 

The ILO has a number of tools to support the effective development of social dialogue, allowing both workers and employers to participate fully in discussions and to find win-win scenarios. 

One example is the Better Work programme. Working with the garment sector, Better Work plays a significant role in helping international buyers uphold their commitment to comply with international core labour standards and national labour laws, and to continuously improve their global supply chains.  It focuses on capacity building, social dialogue, and the identification of practical solutions for sustainable and positive change to the industry. 

Other examples include the training course on “Building effective labour dispute prevention and resolution systems” which addresses some critical issues such as: effective prevention of labour disputes at the workplace, effective systems of conciliation and mediation of collective disputes, assessment of the efficiency of labour disputes systems, the impact of social media on labour disputes, labour case management and other related issues. 

The ITC/ILO course on Conciliation / Mediation aims to provide third parties with consensus seeking skills so that they can assist the bargaining partners to resolve labour disputes and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes which meet their underlying needs and concerns, without resorting to the court system.