Unions can ensure laws are not just “paper promises” at the workplace
The ILO has called for a more effective social partnership to maximize employers’ legal compliance with labour law and employment standards.
ACFTU and ILO jointly reviewed the role of trade unions in enhancing compliance by employers with labour law and employment standards in a workshop held from 24-25 October in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Sun Wenbin, Deputy Director-General of the Legal Department of ACFTU emphasized the important role that trade unions can play in strengthening the rule of law as called for by the Fourth Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPC. The ACFTU Constitution, as revised in the 16th ACFTU Congress, requests trade unions at all levels to mobilize workers to play an active role in monitoring the labour law compliance. Mr. Sun stressed that China has developed a comprehensive range of labour laws and regulations in recent years, whereas the number of labour disputes remain high due to weak compliance. He urged the trade unions to continuously and vigilantly monitor employer compliance with workplace regulations.
Tim De Meyer, Director of the ILO Country Office for China called for a more effective social partnership to maximize employer legal compliance. He encouraged China to consider establishing tripartite labour inspection committees at the national or sectoral level and ratify the ILO Labour Inspection Conventions (C.81 and C.129) that promotes the collaboration between public labour inspection services and private interest organizations of employers and workers. He supported trade unions’ role in ensuring that labour protections are not just “paper promises” at the workplace through disseminating information about collective agreements to all union members, providing information to members about workers’ rights, supporting their actions in ensuring employers’ compliance, and facilitating the handling of workers’ rights disputes.
Around 40 participants from enterprise-level union, local trade union federations, ACFTU head quarters, MOHRSS, academics as well as specialists from ILO and ITUC actively exchanged views and experiences at this workshop.
Sun Wenbin, Deputy Director-General of the Legal Department of ACFTU emphasized the important role that trade unions can play in strengthening the rule of law as called for by the Fourth Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPC. The ACFTU Constitution, as revised in the 16th ACFTU Congress, requests trade unions at all levels to mobilize workers to play an active role in monitoring the labour law compliance. Mr. Sun stressed that China has developed a comprehensive range of labour laws and regulations in recent years, whereas the number of labour disputes remain high due to weak compliance. He urged the trade unions to continuously and vigilantly monitor employer compliance with workplace regulations.
Tim De Meyer, Director of the ILO Country Office for China called for a more effective social partnership to maximize employer legal compliance. He encouraged China to consider establishing tripartite labour inspection committees at the national or sectoral level and ratify the ILO Labour Inspection Conventions (C.81 and C.129) that promotes the collaboration between public labour inspection services and private interest organizations of employers and workers. He supported trade unions’ role in ensuring that labour protections are not just “paper promises” at the workplace through disseminating information about collective agreements to all union members, providing information to members about workers’ rights, supporting their actions in ensuring employers’ compliance, and facilitating the handling of workers’ rights disputes.
Around 40 participants from enterprise-level union, local trade union federations, ACFTU head quarters, MOHRSS, academics as well as specialists from ILO and ITUC actively exchanged views and experiences at this workshop.