Webinar

How can companies uphold freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining? - From principle to action

This one hour webinar will look at what companies can do to improve the climate of labour-management relations, especially in countries without an adequate institutional and legal framework for recognizing trade unions and for collective bargaining. It will address challenges companies may face in their workplaces and in their communities of operations to realize freedom of association.

The right of workers and employers to form and join organizations of their own choosing is an integral part of a free and open society. Independent organizations provide clear partners for collective bargaining and social dialogue. However, many challenges remain to ensure that this fundamental human right is respected all over the world. In some countries certain categories of workers are denied the right of association, workers’ and employers’ organizations are illegally suspended or interfered with, and in some extreme cases trade unionists are arrested or killed.

Establishing genuine dialogue with freely chosen workers’ representatives enables both workers and employers to understand each other’s problem better and find ways to resolve them. Collective bargaining is a key means through which employers and their organizations and trade unions can establish fair wages and working conditions. Collective agreements may also address the rights and responsibilities of the parties, thus ensuring harmonious and productive industries and workplaces.

This webinar is part of the webinar series organized with the United Nations Global Compact. It will zoom in on principle 3 of the ten UN Global Compact Principles and will seek to provide guidance on how business can uphold freedom of association and the effective recognition of collective bargaining. The webinar will look at what companies can do to improve the climate of labour-management relations, especially in countries without an adequate institutional and legal framework for recognizing trade unions and for collective bargaining. It will address challenges companies may face in their workplaces and in their communities of operations to realize freedom of association, a human right at the core of ILO values, which also underpins and supports the other nine UN Global Compact principles.

The webinar will take place on 6 May 2015 at 16:30 pm CEST (10:30 am EDT). Registration is required on the United Nations Global Compact Web page. You will receive a confirmation message together with instructions on how to participate in the webinar.