Publications

  1. National Tripartite Social Dialogue. An ILO guide for improved governance.

    Constituents have asked the ILO for support to establish a framework within which member States can promote tripartite social dialogue at the national level. This guide is a response to this request.

    It is meant to offer constituents a range of options when establishing a mechanism for national tripartite social dialogue or when reinforcing the existing system. However, the guide is not meant to be a normative document. It draws on the stipulations of international labour standards and on the lessons learned and experience gained by the ILO over the years in promoting social dialogue and providing policy advice, capacity building and practical guidance to tripartite constituents in all regions of the world.

November 2020

  1. The Effectiveness of National Social Dialogue Institutions : From Theory to Evidence

    26 November 2020

    This paper analyses the effectiveness of National Social Dialogue Institutions (NSDIs). The study evaluates how and when NSDIs prove less effective than they should in performing their tasks, how to measure such effectiveness, and how to improve their operational capacity and impact.

  2. Social Dialogue for the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy

    20 November 2020

    Social dialogue has a vital role to play in supporting the transition from the informal to the formal economy. Drawing on case studies from around the world, this Global Deal thematic brief illustrates how social dialogue, involving governments and representative employers’ and workers’ organizations has, in different ways and at different levels, contributed to the transition to formality and the reduction of decent work deficits in the informal economy. It aims to assist all concerned stakeholders to apply social dialogue for the design and implementation of effective formalization strategies, in the context of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and the relevant international labour standards.

October 2020

  1. Towards resilient social dialogue in South Asia

    28 October 2020

    The report is a collation of key social dialogue mechanisms in South Asia, their responses to the COVID-19 crisis and actions to build resilience compiled by ILO DWT/CO-New Delhi

June 2019

  1. Getting and staying together: 100 years of social dialogue and tripartism in Norway

    10 June 2019

    This report examines the role of tripartism and social dialogue in Norway. It addresses the emergence of tripartite cooperation and the institutions facilitating such cooperation, the outcomes of tripartism and how tripartite cooperation can help Norway face the challenges of the changing world of work.

October 2018

  1. Are social pacts still viable in today’s world of work?

    26 October 2018

    This study examines the role of social pacts, from the early 1970s to the present day, in promoting economic growth and equitable distribution, as illustrated by national case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. It argues that social pacting has recently undergone a profound crisis, linked in particular to the unilateral policy reforms adopted in response to the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. The authors suggest that current political economic developments, however, may once again be creating conditions more favourable for the conclusion of social pacts. The study concludes with some reflections on the possible future role of social pacts in the ever-changing world of work.

September 2018

  1. Institutional underpinnings of the minimum wage fixing machinery: The role of Social Dialogue

    25 September 2018

    This paper provides an overview of how social dialogue is used in minimum wage-setting machineries around the world. It examines in detail the characteristics and role of wage-setting social dialogue bodies in eighteen countries, highlighting key features and good practices.

March 2018

  1. Voice Matters: Consultation (Industrial and National Levels) Recommendation, 1960 (No. 113)

    02 March 2018

    This is a user-friendly guide to ILO Recommendation No. 113 on consultation at the industrial and national levels, adopted in 1960. The guide, for use by governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, provides practical information to help ILO constituents apply the Recommendation – including on the meaning of consultation, its aims and scope, the different forms it may take and its various possible outcomes. The guide includes examples of good practice in consultation and cooperation, drawn from ILO member States.

July 2017

  1. Industrial Relations and the Crisis: The Swedish Experience

    26 July 2017

    This study highlights the resilience of the Swedish industrial relations system during the 2008 Great Recession – a period that was characterized by sustained industrial peace. The author contrasts this experience to the previous recession of the early 1990s, which led to major structural reforms, including the decentralization and individualization of the negotiation of wages and working conditions. The study emphasizes that Sweden’s recent success story cannot merely be reduced to the early fiscal consolidation measures taken during the 1990s. Instead, this success is linked to the country’s well-developed system of social dialogue and to the active involvement of social partners in policy-making.

June 2017

  1. DIALOGUE in brief: Transition to Formality: The Critical role of Social Dialogue

    20 June 2017

    This first issue in the new series “Dialogue in Brief” examines the critical role of social dialogue in supporting the transition from the informal to the formal economy. It summarises relevant international labour standards as well as the challenges faced in practice. It then presents examples from around the world of how governments and the social partners are using social dialogue in the transition to formality, drawing some policy conclusions.

May 2017

  1. Organising and representing hard-to-organise workers: Implications for Turkey

    21 May 2017

    This report was prepared as a background paper for an international conference on “Organising Hard-to-Organize Groups” held in Ankara, Turkey on 8 May 2018. It was commissioned by the ILO under a project entitled “Improving Social Dialogue in Working Life”, funded by the European Union and the Government of Turkey. The report documents and analyses international experience and good practice in organizing and representing the diverse groups of “hard-to-organize” workers. While, by definition, serious challenges are encountered by trade unions in reaching and organizing workers in the informal economy, the self-employed, undeclared, agency and platform workers, there is an increasing number of positive experiences in doing so, which can be of interest for many institutions and persons working in this field.

March 2016

  1. Promoting Workplace Compliance including in Global Supply Chains: The role of Economic and Social Councils and similar social dialogue institutions

    14 March 2016

    Report on the International Conference convened by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS), and the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER) The Hague, Netherlands, 29 and 30 October 2015

January 2015

  1. The organization of working time and its effects in the health services sector: A comparative analysis of Brazil, South Africa and the Republic of Korea

    28 January 2015

December 2014

  1. The Governance of Policy Reforms in Southern Europe and Ireland: Social dialogue actors and institutions in times of crisis

    01 December 2014

    This edited volume provides an overview of the changes that have occurred in industrial relations systems in southern Europe and Ireland as a result of the debt crisis and subsequent fiscal consolidation policies. The authors take stock of developments and consider policy implications. They identify the new challenges in today's crisis context and rapidly changing economic environment, offering a range of strategies and actions aimed at reinforcing social dialogue and industrial relations institutions in ways compatible with international labour standards and the ILO Decent Work Agenda.

  2. Job quality in segmented labour markets: The Israeli case Country case study on labour market segmentation

    01 December 2014

October 2014

  1. Informality and employment quality in Argentina: Country case study on labour market segmentation

    14 October 2014

March 2014

  1. Poverty, Inequality and Employment in Chile

    03 March 2014

January 2014

  1. Towards the Single Employment Contract: Comparative Reflections

    22 January 2014

    While the challenge of flexibility continues to act as a powerful driver for change in European labour markets, many countries are experiencing an increasing dualism or segmentation between workers with stable employment relationships and those with temporary contracts. This has led governments and social partners to open a debate on the introduction of single employment contract.

December 2013

  1. National Tripartite Social Dialogue: An ILO guide for improved governance

    02 December 2013

    This guide is part of the ILO’s effort to respond to the demand from ILO member States for technical support in the field of establishing or strengthening mechanisms for tripartite social dialogue at the policy level in line with international labour standards and good comparative practice

November 2013

  1. Working Paper No. 54, "Portuguese labour law and industrial relations during the crisis"

    29 November 2013

    This paper is part of a series of studies funded by the European Commission in the framework of a project of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on “Promoting a balanced and inclusive recovery from the crisis in Europe through sound industrial relations and social dialogue”. The project falls under a recent partnership agreement between the ILO and the European Commission, which aims to study the impact of the crisis and crisis-response policies on national tripartite social dialogue, collective bargaining and labour law in the Member States of the ILO and the European Union (EU), and the role of social dialogue actors and institutions in this context.

  2. Working Paper No. 53, "Assessing the impact of the memoranda on Greek labour market and labour relations"

    29 November 2013

    This paper is part of a series of studies funded by the European Commission in the framework of a project of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on “Promoting a balanced and inclusive recovery from the crisis in Europe through sound industrial relations and social dialogue”. The project falls under a recent partnership agreement between the ILO and the European Commission, which aims to study the impact of the crisis and crisis-response policies on national tripartite social dialogue, collective bargaining and labour law in the Member States of the ILO and the European Union (EU), and the role of social dialogue actors and institutions in this context.