ILO ACTRAV Regional Seminar on Wage Policy

Extremely low wages for many workers in the formal and the informal economy are keeping millions of workers and their families in poverty. Wage growth in many countries has been lacking productivity growth. Policies in favour of systematic trade surpluses have deprived workers from their fair share of the wealth creation in money countries. Wage inequality has been growing in many societies because of insufficient minimum wage provision, lack of coordinated wage setting through extended collective bargaining mechanisms and sky rocketing wages for very few people at the very top of companies.

Promoting shared prosperity in societies requires wage policies that reverse the trend towards growing wage inequality and distributive policies that support inclusive societies and decent lives for all.

The ILO ACTRAV Asian regional seminar on wage policies will discuss the different policy instruments, international labour standards and mobilizing strategies to achieve fairer wage distribution.

Objectives

• Strengthen knowledge base and advocacy on wage trends and wage policies including minimum wage;
• Support wage setting and wage bargaining at national, sectoral and enterprise levels.

Expected outcomes

• Recommendations and conclusion developed and adopted;
• The knowledge of participating trade unions on ILO instruments and country practices on minimum wage setting improved;
• Cooperation among trade unions for national and regional campaigns for minimum wages and wage hike improved.

Total participants

40 participants from trade unions in Asia and the Pacific, ITUC-AP, GUFs, and ILO.