Strengthening social dialogue in North Macedonia

The project aims at improving social dialogue as a means to create more and better jobs in North Macedonia. It will support the participation of social dialogue institutions in policy making at national and local levels and foster the practice of regular consultations through the national and local economic and social councils. It will create conditions for the social partners so that they are better equipped to provide quality policy advice and deliver demand-driven services.

The social dialogue infrastructure is developed through the Economic and Social Council, but still fragile and needs to be further sustained. The establishment of a steady practice of the Government and the social partners at all levels to uphold social dialogue is also necessary. At the local level, despite some progress in raising awareness on the benefits of social dialogue, the utilization of the Local Economic and Social Councils as an effective tool for self-governance is still very limited. The influence of the trade unions and employers’ organisations is narrow and their capacity remains weak.

The project consists of three specific components. a) Enhance participation of the Economic and Social Council in shaping the national economic and social reform agenda. This will be achieved through improving the functioning and visibility of the ESC and by facilitating the necessary changes to the legal and institutional frameworks. b) Enhanced participation of local Economic and Social Councils in formulation and implementation of local employment policies. The ILO will assist four operational LESCs to negotiate, conclude and monitor the implementation of local employment pacts (LEPs), addressing youth unemployment challenges. c) Increased effectiveness of Trade Unions and Employers’ Organizations. The ILO will promote the visibility, relevance and the capacity of the Trade Unions and Employers’ Organizations.