Iraq advances dialogue on labour legislation through engagement between Parliament and social partners

BAGHDAD, Iraq (ILO News) – Representatives of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, government, workers’ and employers’ organizations have agreed to strengthen consultations on labour legislation, following a high-level dialogue held in Baghdad with technical support from the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The session, “Social Dialogue for Advancing Labour Legislation in Iraq: Towards a Modern Legislative Framework that Promotes Decent Work and Rights at Work,” brought together the Council of Representatives and the Social Dialogue Forum in Iraq to discuss the development of Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 and priorities for further tripartite consultation.

More than a decade after the adoption of the Labour Law, the discussions provided an opportunity to reflect on experience gained through its implementation, changes in the labour market and emerging forms of work, as well as relevant international labour standards and developments in Iraq’s labour and social protection framework.

© ILO

© ILO

Opening the dialogue, Nahla Al-Fahdawi, Senior Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Labour, Civil Society Institutions, Federal Public Service, Youth and Sports, Culture and Tourism, highlighted the importance of updating labour legislation in response to the rapid transformations taking place in the world of work, particularly the expanding use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

© ILO

© ILO

Khalid Amjad Al-Saegh, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and Deputy Chair of the Social Dialogue Forum, stressed the importance of consultation between the Council of Representatives and the Social Dialogue Forum on labour legislation. He noted that the Forum brings together the principal actors concerned with labour legislation – the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, workers’ organizations and employers’ organizations – providing an institutional platform through which their perspectives can be discussed.

The Social Dialogue Forum provides an institutional framework for dialogue and consultation among these three constituents and a platform for discussing policies, legislation and other issues related to the world of work.

© ILO

© ILO

Claire Courteille-Mulder, Deputy Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Arab States, reaffirmed the ILO’s readiness to provide technical support to Iraq in its efforts to update labour legislation and highlighted the importance of social dialogue in ensuring that the perspectives of government, workers and employers are considered throughout this process.

Participants discussed issues requiring further technical examination and tripartite consultation, as well as mechanisms for strengthening communication and information exchange between the Council of Representatives and the Social Dialogue Forum as the legislative discussions progress. The dialogue was designed to identify priorities and establish a structured consultation process rather than negotiate specific legal provisions or reach agreement on individual amendments.

Next steps in the consultation process

At the conclusion of the session, participants agreed to continue consultations between the Social Dialogue Forum and the Council of Representatives, with the Forum providing its observations and proposals to the relevant parliamentary Labour Committee.

They also agreed to convene a series of workshops to examine the observations and proposals submitted to the Committee, allowing the issues to be discussed in greater technical detail and providing space for continued engagement with the tripartite constituents.

The participants further agreed to coordinate with the ILO on the provision of technical support for this process. These next steps are intended to establish a more structured channel for continued engagement between the legislative process and Iraq’s tripartite social dialogue mechanism, while enabling the parties to draw on relevant international labour standards and technical expertise. This reflects the broader objective of establishing sustained cooperation between the Council of Representatives and the Social Dialogue Forum on labour legislation.

The high-level dialogue was supported by the ILO through the Building Equitable and Inclusive Transformation (BEIT) project, funded by the European Union, as part of efforts to strengthen social dialogue and advance labour legislation in line with international labour standards and Iraq’s national context.
At the request of its national constituents, the ILO provides technical expertise on international labour standards and comparative practices, supports tripartite consultations and strengthens the capacities of constituents to contribute to labour law and policy processes.