Indispensable for improving work, working conditions and income
The consultation between trade unions, employers and governments on socio-economic issues is called social dialogue. According to CNV Internationaal, social dialogue is indispensable in the workplace.
Social dialogue includes all forms of negotiation (such as collective bargaining). But consultations and the exchange of information on socio-economic topics are also forms of social dialogue.
Bipartite and tripartite
The people involved in social dialogue are usually government representatives, trade unions, and employer organisations. When all three sit down and have a conversation, we call this tripartite consultation. When only the social partners (i.e., the employers and trade unions) sit down together, we call this bipartite consultation.
Video the value of social dialogue
Conditions for a successful social dialogue
- Strong trade unions (and employer organisations),
- Access to relevant information and political support
- Respect for core labour standards,
- Freedom of association
- Freedom to negotiate decent working conditions.
What we do: A dual purpose
CNV Internationaal promotes social dialogue for several reasons, two of which are foundational. reasons. Firstly, it is a goal in itself to strengthen cohesion within a company, the sector, and society in general. Further, social dialogue is a sustainable instrument to improve the quality of work, working conditions, and income through collective agreements at national, sector, and company levels.
Social dialogue allows us to facilitate joint outcomes between workers and employers in a peaceful, and thus sustainable, way. This requires strong partners on both the employers' and the employees' sides, which is why we invest in joint training programmes.
Dialogue based on respect prevents labour unrest, which in turn promotes the investment climate and sustainable economic and social development.
Video: Social dialogue leads to sustainable multicompany collective agreements
CNV Internationaal contributes to creating an effective social dialogue process. In this process, the interlocutors make agreements that are then put into writing in multi-company collective agreements.
A win-win situation for all involved!
Freedom of association
For CNV International, freedom of choice is an important condition for social dialogue. In consultations and in delegations, CNV Internationaal wants workers to be free to join an independent trade union of their choice and wants trade unions of different sorts to be involved in consultations at different levels.
The importance of consultation structures
On a global level, trade unions still have a long way to go to be heard when it comes to important socio-economic issues (such as combating poverty). In order to change this, CNV Internationaal emphasises the importance of consultative structures in strategic places.
CNV Internationaal does this by participating as often as possible in bi- and tripartite consultations where international issues are discussed. For example, the tripartite consultations of the International Labour Organisation ILO (a UN agency) and the annual conference of the ILO.