Representatives from six Asia and the Pacific countries attended a two-day Tripartite Regional Workshop in Jakarta from 5-6 August 2015, discussing ways promote social dialogue on financial services reforms in selected Asia and Pacific countries. The participating countries included Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The workshop aimed to provide a venue for governments, employers and workers in these countries to exchange country experiences in the context of managing change or responding to future crises to stabilize their national financial systems. It also aimed to provide recommendations on practical measures to give effect to the Conclusions of the ILO Global Dialogue Forum on the Impact of the Financial Crisis on Finance Workers which was held in Geneva in 2009.

Allete van Leur, ILO’s Director of Sectoral Policies Department (SECTOR) in Geneva, emphasized the importance of social dialogue as the means and objective of the decent work agenda. “The ILO value extensive knowledge and experiences from the participating countries in the financial sector,” she said in her opening remarks.

Meanwhile, Guntur Witjaksono, Employment Expert from the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower when delivering his remarks, stated that job creation and capacity building are vital for economic growth and recovery from the previous financial crisis. “With the start of the ASEAN Economic Community, the financial market no doubt will extend,” he added.

The workshop concluded with some key recommendations as the following:

1. Governments in the region work closely with their social partners to create conducive environments in which worker and employer organizations enjoy effective independence and autonomy and ensure the implementation of social dialogue in all its forms.
2. Governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations should, through social dialogue, among other things, promote the retention of as many jobs as possible.
3. In responding to economic and financial crises, it is essential to look beyond monetary and fiscal policies, to encompass the objectives of job creation and the safeguarding of employment.
4. Efforts aimed at modernising the regulatory frameworks for the financial services sector should take into account lessons learnt from this and previous global crises.