The Importance of Social Dialogue Vic van Vuuren Director ILO - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Importance of Social Dialogue

Vic van Vuuren Director ILO Pretoria

ILO

• ILO Started 1919
• First specialised unit of the UN in 1946
• Only tripartite UN agency

– Role of the trade unions at international and regional level

• Dual role of ILO

– International Standards through Conventions and Recommendations – Development

ILO

• Jointly shape policies and programmes

– Promoting rights at work – Encouraging decent employment opportunities – Enhancing social protection – Strengthening social dialogue

ILO

– ILO not solely concerned with international industrial relations but has included the protection of fundamental human rights as one of its objectives

Global Considerations

• SA not unique in experiencing protest actions

both at workplace and in community

• Greece, Spain, Portugal
• Arab Spring
• 250 million people unemployed worldwide
• 75 million youth unemployed
• 250 million youth earning less than $1,25 per

day

Developing economies

• Need to remember that they are indeed

developing economies and strategies of developed economies cannot simply be replicated

• Poverty levels remain high – huge social

deficits

• High unemployment particularly amongst

youth

• Not able to close the gini coefficient

South Africa vs Other Developing Economies

• Disadvantage – legacy of apartheid
• Advantage – entrenched social dialogue
• However driving old industrial relations

model

South Africa Social Dialogue 1994

International Social Dialogue 2013

South Africa Social Dialogue 1994

SA Labour Market

• Successes:

– Transition in 1994 peaceful – Constitution world best practice – Political, economic and labour market deals – Institutionalisation of social dialogue

• NEDLAC

– Creation/improvement of bargaining councils and systems – Good dispute resolution mechanisms

• CCMA

SA Labour Market

• Successes:

– Creativity – e.g. Community involvement – New labour laws – Leadership levels high – Move from positional bargaining to integrative bargaining – Successful management of conflict

2013 SA Labour Market

• Social dialogue not working:
• Levels of conflict at all levels is continually rising

at national, provincial and industry level

• Recognised institutions are developing internal

leadership and capacity challenges

• Confidence in existing structures waning
• Inability to close deals without losses
• Positional bargaining
• Poor employer – worker relationships

SA Labour Market

• Challenges

– NEDLAC not a focal point – Parties cannot resolve important policy issues

• Youth employment (wage subsidies)
• Labour brokers

– Laws continually questioned – Collective bargaining structures no longer working as efficiently and effectively as before – Lack of political support for Institutions

SA Labour Market

• Need

– 1. A redesign of social dialogue –Medium to long term solution – 2. Entrenchment of the rule of law

SA Public Services Sector

• Social dialogue must extend to all levels and

beyond workplace into communities

• Perhaps a Social dialogue institute or revamped

CCMA

• Invest in ongoing social dialogue because we

don’t have a magic wand.

• Line managers/leaders must re-enter world of

social dialogue at all levels

• Need review of current structures

SA Public Services Sector

• Need serious introspection re social

dialogue

• Rules of enagagement vis a vis rule of law

– Redesign national public service collective bargaining – Relook at role of bargaining councils

• Institutions need to develop capacity
• Social Dialogue must extend beyond

wages and service conditions

SA Public Services Sector

• Need visible leadership now not tomorrow
• Need a “kick start” social pact
• Use creative means to tackle difficult areas

– Corruption

• Have a serious and immediate look at

defining essential services and the use of minimum service level agreements

Quo Vadis?

• Need to entrench the principles of decent

work and not only talk about it

• Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their

working lives – their aspirations for opportunity and income; rights, voice and recognition; family stability and personal development; and fairness and gender equality. Ultimately these various dimensions of decent work underpin peace in communities and society. Decent work reflects the concerns

• f governments, workers and employers, who together

provide the ILO with its unique tripartite identity

Thank You