Dealing with COVID-19 disruptions: Facilitating bipartite social dialogue for recovery and building back better

Covid-19 pandemic hit the Thai economy in early 2020 and worsened the situation for businesses and workers both. From big businesses to street vendors, tourism and exports , all have suffered as lock downs and restrictions on movement disrupted supply chains and production operations. This has severely affected incomes, employment and livelihoods, compounding many of the existing decent work challenges facing Thai economy. Reports of labour disputes and industrial relations conflicts related to compliance with labour laws, terminations, layoffs, wages and unpaid dues have also been emerging.

Since 2019, ILO has been supporting Employers Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) and Workers Organizations’ for social dialogue over business and labour relations challenges and capacity building for collaborative industrial relations. In COVID context, the ILO work has been focused on promoting constituents’ social dialogue and workplace cooperation for business growth, employment and decent work as part of crisis response for better recovery.

It is against this background, ECOT, in cooperation with ILO, called for consultations with workers organizations on 21 Oct 2020 in Bangkok. Consultations were aimed at building a shared understanding on the challenges of the current situation and develop a bipartite consensus on way forward. Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Graeme Buckley, Director, ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR, pointed out that ‘’COVID-19 has plunged the world into an economic and social crisis of unprecedented scope and the world of work is being profoundly affected by the pandemic. (However) ILO’s Global experience shows that countries with well-established traditions of social dialogue have tended to address economic and social challenges better and recovered faster from crises’’. Mr. Buckley called upon the Workers and Employers organizations in Thailand to work together not only at workplace level but also policy level with the Government to foster supportive interventions for decent work led recovery.

The meeting provided an opportunity for employers and workers representatives to share concerns about the seriousness of the situation and the need for social dialogue based cooperation to make the ‘new normal’ a better normal for all parties. Among other issues, both sides also acknowledged that steps need to be taken to promote productivity and competitiveness of businesses as part of the strategy to protect jobs, promote decent work and business sustainability. Constituents also proposed that bipartite mechanisms at enterprise level should be strengthened as these are important forum to promote workplace consultations and cooperation for addressing labour and employment issues at the enterprise level, including disputes resolution. It was also realised that not all problems will have solutions at company/ factory level – some issues will need supportive interventions from the Government side. Both sides agreed that employers and workers organizations should strive for joint agenda for dialogue with the Government at tripartite level so that supportive policy interventions can help both sides.

EOs and TUs agreed to continue the bipartite social dialogue to build consensus and cooperation over measures needed to mitigate the negative impact of economic slowdown and COVID-19 disruption through,, otherwise the situation might further worsen and beyond control. – these then can be followed up both at enterprise level for joint initiatives as well as at policy level with the Government through tripartite dialogue.

Next meeting will be called by the Workers Organizations, supported by ILO. This is part of the ILO Country Office programme of work to promote and strengthen social dialogue mechanisms and processes in Thailand for decent work led COVID response. It is being jointly implemented by DWT Specialists dealing with Employers, Workers and Social Dialogue issues. The aim is to promote consensus based policies not only for economic recovery but also for labour market governance, otherwise conflicts will affect investments, productivity of businesses and become hurdles in the recovery process.