ILO Governing Body, 352^nd session

28 October – 7 November 2024

Report on the implementation of the revised plan of action on social dialogue and tripartism for the period 2019-23

GB.352/POL/1

EU Statement

Chair,

I speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Albania*, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

1. Social dialogue and tripartism are fundamental pillars of the ILO's mission. We therefore thank the Office for the report.
2. The EU and its Member States give high priority to social dialogue and tripartism. Last year, a Council recommendation on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union was adopted.
3. Social dialogue is vital across all sectors and for all workers, including migrant workers, platform and rural workers, as well as with respect to the transition from the informal to the formal economy. 
4. Countries with strong frameworks for social dialogue and extensive collective bargaining coverage tend to have more competitive and resilient economies. This underscores the importance of enhancing well-functioning social dialogue globally. We encourage the Office to continue strengthening its research to provide the necessary evidence base as well as reinforcing   its policy guidance and its capacity building.
5. Experience also demonstrates that social dialogue and tripartism contributes to effective crisis management. The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated its value.
6. A particularly important aspect of social dialogue is collective bargaining. It serves as a unique mechanism for the mutual benefit of workers and employers. The ratification and implementation of the two fundamental Conventions, particularly Nos. 87 and 98, as well as the governance convention No. 144, are critical in this regard. We encourage the Office to continue assisting Member States to ratify and effectively implement these conventions.
7. We welcome the report's emphasis on capacity-building for tripartite constituents and reiterate our message that the institutional capacity-building of social dialogue actors and mechanisms should be integrated across all ILO policy outcomes and Decent Work Country Programmes.
8. We acknowledge the wide range of activities carried out. However, we note some areas for improvement.
9. It is essential that the Office intensifies its efforts at all levels and continues to demonstrate the added value of social dialogue and tripartism. This is particularly important after the UN-reform.
10.  We are concerned about the limited number of social dialogue and industrial relations specialists in the field and in headquarters. We welcome Outcome 2 in the Programme and Budget, which focuses on tripartism and social dialogue. We urge the Director-General to allocate adequate resources to support this outcome.
11. We encourage the Office to prioritize measuring the impact of its activities to ensure their effectiveness.
12. With this, we can support the draft decision.

Thank you, Chair.

*North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.