The need for social dialogue in addressing the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic with its far reaching socio-economic consequences calls for effective tripartite social dialogue and cooperation bringing together governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations to design effective strategies and policies to address its impacts. Social dialogue and tripartism can be drivers for economic and social resilience, competitiveness, stability and inclusive growth and development. ILO assessments of country responses to the COVID-19 crisis point to the fact that social dialogue has been used to good effect in the early stages of crisis response in many countries. It has helped the tripartite partners to achieve consensus on targeted measures to protect workers and enterprises particularly hard hit by the crisis and to promote recovery.