Social Dialogue and social security governance: A topical ILO perspective

This article commences with a short review of how the ILO’s approach to social security and its governance were established. A selective discussion of relevant underlying principles of social security is then followed by an examination of the current stresses confronting social security systems and of the differing social security needs of distinct population groups in society. Supported by select national experiences, the role of social dialogue in the governance of social security is then discussed. The global financial and economic crisis has certainly had a negative impact on social security finances, ultimately if not immediately, and more severely in some countries than others, and this has led to an increased emphasis on social security reform in national policy agendas — a process that has thrown light on the difficult challenges facing meaningful social dialogue in many countries. The article concludes by making the case for a strengthened role for trade unions and employers in social dialogue in support of the governance of national social security schemes and systems.