Results of the first phase (1997-2003) - PRODIAF

The promotion of social dialogue within the ILO, in French speaking Africa and in sub regional organizations

In the countries concerned, ministries of labour and/or the civil service and representatives of workers and employers have reached a common understanding of the importance of social dialogue in the current social and economic climate. They have also addressed the impediments to social dialogue in their respective countries and committed themselves to the work of developing bi- and tripartite concertation at both the national and sub regional levels.

Setting up and/or strengthening of existing social dialogue structures A large number of recommendations made by the social partners in the context of national tripartite meetings presided over by labour ministries and prepared with the cooperation of the social partners have been followed up on, such as:

• the adoption of legal texts supporting the creation, composition and functioning of a framework of concertation through the installation of permanent secretariats;
• the reinforcement of existing consultative commissions;
• the negotiation and adoption of a social charter (Senegal), a social pact (Mali, in preparation in the Democratic Republic of Congo) and a plan of action to promote social dialogue (Burundi) which will guide these countries towards social dialogue that takes into account the possibilities and difficulties presented by the available human resources and logistics.
• The adoption of the declaration of Ouagadougou for the strengthening of social dialogue at the sub regional level of the WAEMU (1999) was followed by meetings at the same level with CEMAC (2000) where a desire to strengthen social dialogue at the sub regional level was expressed. Therefore, after a feasibility study, PRODIAF contributed to the creation of a sub-regional social dialogue commission (WAEMU: Labour and Social Dialogue Council; CEMAC: ad hoc social dialogue committee).

Strengthening the capacities of the social partners through the continuing training of dialogue specialists, negotiators, and mediators

Since 2001, PRODIAF has organized 30 interactive training workshops for those social partners filling the role of negotiator and mediator, on attitudes to take and techniques of negotiation and mediation necessary for convincing results.

Numerous training programmes and possible exchanges between experts and practitioners and still necessary, in particular concerning:

• the attitudes necessary to obtaining constructive and long lasting dialogue;
• negotiation and mediation techniques;
• the real life issues which are and should be the order of the day: the fight against poverty, employment policies and decent work for all active persons, the fight against discrimination against children who are obliged to work, policies to help women who work in unnecessarily harsh conditions and are still too marginalized to make their own decisions, HIV/AIDS policy, etc.; and
• the socio-economic and political environment which impacts upon everyday concerns: how to play a more constructive role particularly vis-à-vis the possibilities offered by ACP/UE, NEPAD, UA and the fundamental conventions of the ILO.