Collective efforts and solidarity between Employers and Workers’ Organisations are critical to responding effectively to crises and its possible negative impact, Deborah France-Massin, Director of the ILO’s Bureau for Employers Activities (ACT/EMP), has stated.
“In crisis settings, collaboration and dialogue between Employers, and Business Membership Organisations (EBMOs), and workers’ organisations can boost economic and social progress and enable accelerated recovery,” she noted in a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report obtained by the Ghana News Agency in Tema.
The report tagged “Managing Conflicts and Disasters: Exploring Collaboration between Employers’ and Workers’ Organizations,” highlights specific cases where joint and sometimes spontaneous actions taken by social partners helped to mitigate some of the worst consequences of natural and human-made disasters, speed up recovery, and strengthen resilience to cope with future crises.
“Business leaders have a vested interest in peace and stability and in being well prepared for crisis situations,” she explained.
“Unions, in turn, have a huge mobilization potential through their members, either to lobby for legislative and constitutional changes in favour of the workforce, or to act swiftly and effectively when humanitarian assistance is required,” Ms. France-Massin stated.
The report also referred to ILO Recommendation No. 205 on Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience (2017), which it described as a useful in this context.
The ILO Recommendation No. 205 provides a framework for crafting appropriate responses to address crisis situations arising from conflicts or disasters.
During this current COVID-19 crisis, bipartite social dialogue, and joint social partner initiatives in response to COVID-19 have been documented across the world, including in Belgium, Latvia, Morocco, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, and Uganda. Social partners are critically reinforcing and supplementing the actions of public health authorities and governments and re-confirming their role in mitigating risks and responding to situations of crisis, the report stated.
“It is our hope that this report inspires social partner organizations globally on the unique and complementary role they play and can play in complex situations of disaster and conflict, as well as pandemics like COVID-19,” said Maria Helena Andre, Director of the ILO’s Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV).
“The ILO will continue to harness our organization’s strengths—our normative mandate and tripartism—and channel our resources to support this shared agenda,” she stated.
