Strengthening consultation and cooperation mechanisms for productivity and decent work
Social dialogue between Thai employers and workers representatives organized by CO Thailand, aimed at: 1) Reviewing key challenges at enterprise/workplace level due to COVID crisis, building consensus on way forward for follow up actions for enterprise sustainability and workers welfare; 2) Capacity building for workplace cooperation for productivity and decent work and grievances handling at enterprise level;
COVID-19 pandemic hit Thai economy in early 2020 and worsened the situation for businesses and workers both. From big businesses to street sellers all have suffered as lock downs and restrictions on movement disrupted supply chains and production operations. This has severely affected revenues, employment, incomes and livelihoods, compounding many of the existing decent work challenges facing Thai economy. Reports of labour disputes and industrial relations conflicts have also emerged. Dealing with the economic and labour relations problems and finding solutions for ‘better recovery’ will require collaborative approach for which social dialogue is necessary both at tripartite and bi-partite levels.
ILO’s Global experience shows that countries with well-established traditions of social dialogue (through consultations, negotiations and cooperation) have tended to address economic and social challenges better and recovered faster from crisis. Workers and Employers organizations need to work together not only at workplace level but also policy level with the Government for supportive interventions for decent work led recovery process. Shared understanding and consensus based policies are needed not only for economic recovery but attention also needs to be paid to labour market governance and enterprise labour relations issues otherwise conflicts will affect investments, productivity of businesses and become hurdles in the recovery process.
ILO CO has been working with Employers Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) and Workers Organizations to promote ‘shared understanding, cooperation and dialogue based crisis responses for better recovery from Covid challenges’. This two-day meeting is being organized to not only assist in reviewing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the enterprise level world of work and decent work responses needed for business growth, employment and decent work BUT also to build capacity for effective workplace consultations, cooperation for dispute resolution, productivity and working conditions improvement. The key underlying objective is to promote constructive bipartite industrial relations culture in Thailand.
ILO’s Global experience shows that countries with well-established traditions of social dialogue (through consultations, negotiations and cooperation) have tended to address economic and social challenges better and recovered faster from crisis. Workers and Employers organizations need to work together not only at workplace level but also policy level with the Government for supportive interventions for decent work led recovery process. Shared understanding and consensus based policies are needed not only for economic recovery but attention also needs to be paid to labour market governance and enterprise labour relations issues otherwise conflicts will affect investments, productivity of businesses and become hurdles in the recovery process.
ILO CO has been working with Employers Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) and Workers Organizations to promote ‘shared understanding, cooperation and dialogue based crisis responses for better recovery from Covid challenges’. This two-day meeting is being organized to not only assist in reviewing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the enterprise level world of work and decent work responses needed for business growth, employment and decent work BUT also to build capacity for effective workplace consultations, cooperation for dispute resolution, productivity and working conditions improvement. The key underlying objective is to promote constructive bipartite industrial relations culture in Thailand.